March 30, 2024

🇭🇷 Road to Malmö: Croatia

We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Croatia. Baby Lasagna Born in 1995, Marko Purišić, better known by his stage name Baby Lasagna, has carved a unique niche in the Croatian music scene as a vocalist, lyricist, and record producer. His musical journey includes a significant stint as a guitarist for the Croatian rock group Manntra between 2011-2016 and then from 2018-2022. During his time with Manntra, they achieved notable success, especially with their fourth-place finish at Dora 2019 with the song “In the Shadows”. After parting ways with Manntra in 2022, Purišić embarked on a solo career, showcasing his diverse talents. He played a pivotal role in co-writing tracks for “Ravenblack,” the twelfth studio album by the German rock band Mono Inc., which soared to the top of the German album sales chart. His contributions included hits like “Princess of the Night” and “Heartbeat of the Dead”. Transitioning to a solo artist, Purišić released singles under the moniker Baby Lasagna, with his breakthrough solo track “IG Boi” debuting in October 2023. His subsequent single, “Don’t Hate Yourself, But Don’t Love Yourself Too Much”, further cemented his place in the music industry. In a landmark achievement, Baby Lasagna won the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, Dora, with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” on February 25, 2024, setting the stage for him to represent Croatia at Eurovision 2024 with this self-penned song, showcasing his evolution from a band member to a solo phenomenon. Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest Yugoslavia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest from 1961 until 1992. Several Croatian entries have taken part, some very succesful. The first time RTV Zagreb won the national selection in Yugoslavia was in 1963 with Vice Vukov‘s “Brodovi”. The Trubadurs of Dubrovnik won the contest with “Jedan dan” in 1968, an international hit song. A total of nine times, RTV Zagreb provided the entry, most succesful when Rajko Dujmić and Stevo Cvikić where responsible for the entries. In 1989, Riva won the contest with “Rock me baby”. Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest As an independent country, Croatia first took part in the contest in 1993. With “Don’t ever cry”, the group Put were the first entrants for Croatia. The national selection in most occasions is called DORA, also this year. Most succesful so far were Maja Blagdan in 1996 with “Sveta ljubav” and Doris Dragović in 1999 with “Marija Magdalena”. The Bookmakers Currently, the betting odds predict Croatia as the winner of the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. If that happens, it would be the first victory ever for the country. However, the top position for Croatia is not with a landslide, Italy is coming closer and closer. It’s gonna be exciting…. The song And this is the song:

🇵🇱 Road to Malmö: Poland

We can not wait for the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö. Therefore, we have a closer look at one of the contestants every day. Today: Poland. Luna Luna, the stage persona of Aleksandra Katarzyna Wielgomas, born August 28, 1999, in Warsaw, is a distinguished Polish singer, songwriter, and composer. Beginning her musical journey with violin lessons, she later attended a high school focused on law and political sciences before pursuing artes liberales at the University of Warsaw. Luna’s early career was marked by her participation in the Artos children’s choir and performances at the Grand Theatre, laying the foundation for her artistic path. Her collaboration with the Kayax record label in 2018 through the “My Name is New” project led to her debut single “Na wzgórzach niepokoju,” propelling her into the spotlight at significant events like the Night of Museums and Pol’n’Rock Festival. 2020 saw Luna adopting her stage name and venturing into a new musical direction with Michał “Fox” Król, exploring cosmic sounds in her work, as highlighted in singles like “Serca przemokną” and “Mniej,” incorporating space sounds from NASA. Luna’s “Zgaś” further established her presence in the Polish music scene, embodying her “cosmic pop” style influenced by the cosmos, nature, and poetry, drawing inspiration from icons like Nick Cave and Björk. In 2024, Luna was chosen to represent Poland at the Eurovision Song Contest with “The Tower,” bringing her unique sound to an international audience. Beyond her music, Luna engages in theatre and promotes music equality, notably as an ambassador for the Equal Spotify campaign, becoming the first Polish woman to be featured on Times Square for this initiative. Her career reflects a blend of cosmic fascination, poetic expression, and advocacy for equality in the music industry. Polish language It is already 5 years ago that a song, partially in Polish, participated in the Eurovision Song Contest. The Polish language, a Slavic tongue, serves as Poland’s linguistic core. It intertwines with the nation’s rich history and culture. Known for its complex sounds and unique diacritical marks like ł (łaciaty), ś (śliski), and ń (koń), it challenges non-native speakers. Its pronunciation and consonant clusters are notably difficult. Its vocabulary is a tapestry of Slavic roots with layers of Latin, German, and English influences. It reflects centuries of cultural interactions. Beyond Poland’s borders, vibrant Polish-speaking communities flourish worldwide, preserving and enriching this beautiful language. Polish not only connects millions to their heritage but also to a deeply storied past and a dynamic present. Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest Poland debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994. With a second place for Edyta Górniak’s “To nie ja”, they secured a record. The song is still the best scoring song ever for Poland. Only two times after that, the Polish entry reached the top-10. In 2003 with Ich Troje’s “Keine Grenzen – Żadnych granic” (7th) and in 2016 with Michał Szpak’s “Color of my life” (8th). Last year, Blanka reached the final easily, but in the final itself reached a 19th place. Luna hopes to be the 4th artist reaching the top-10. The Bookmakers Poland is currently no. 32 in the betting odds. That means it’s gonna be a tough job for Luna to reach the final. However, things such as staging and live performance can change everything and make Poland one of the more succesful contenders. The song This is the song: