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Day 3: start of the 2nd semi rehearsals

Day three of rehearsals: the second semifinal has started. Nobody knows about the stage anymore. We try to keep you informed. For the time being, we’ll stick to the nine countries that rehearsed.

FINLAND: Expectations were obviously high with a big name like The Rasmus in da’ house. In black and yellow rain gear, the stars stood on stage between huge black balloons. Eurovision.tv praises the professionalism of the band members.

ISRAEL: It was quite exciting whether Israel would participate or not. However, the security issues died down. And so Michael Ben David stood on stage in white, surrounded by his dancers. Remarkable: eurovision.tv reports that there is good singing. That has not been done so far.

SERBIA: Konstrakta’s act is little different from what we saw during the national final. She has the healthy hair of Megan Markle, which she also sings about. She washes her hands regularly. The dancers around her carry towels. Everything to stay “In corpore sano”, in a healthy body.

AZERBAIJAN: It was to be expected: Azerbaijan has a standout act. Nadir Rustamli sings from a sort of staircase that looks like a grandstand. There is also a dancer in that stand. Halfway through the act, the stand is split in two and the dancer and singer can see each other.

GEORGIA: Circus Mircus represents Georgia. And clowns belong to a circus. A singer in a leather jacket and flying goggles, a man with an eye patch and a belly organ and a bassist who seems to have borrowed the hat from the Ukrainians. That last man has a beard of flowers. Many colors can be seen on stage. Surreal is how even the official site describes it.

MALTA: Emma Muscat performs in a dress covered with silver. She is flanked by four dancers. Later during the act, she sits behind a huge piano. She also uses the so-called B-stage, just in front of the green room. The sun springs into action and gives off its golden light during this act.

SAN MARINO: You can expect a striking act from Achille Lauro. He wears body stocking, cowboy boots and hat, a black boa and he is at a red rodeo. While you’d expect that with the title “Stripper,” the clothes don’t come off. Where there is smoke there is fire: that certainly applies to this act, which ends with a lot of pyro technics.

AUSTRALIA: Of course Sheldon Reily wears his jeweled mask. Surprising is the huge white suit he is also wearing. At the bottom of the suit is a huge tow. Eurovision.tv compares it to a wedding dress that drags on the floor. It almost seems as if Sheldon is staying in the clouds.

CYPRUS: Andromache is singing in a purple dress with what looks like a huge fan behind her. The dancers move around that fan. The fan is also used to display the graphics. Different colors are visible.

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Blast from the past

Blast from the past: Yugoslavia 1991

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, we go back to 1991, when Baby Doll represented Yugoslavia with her song “Brazil”. Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest Yugoslavia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961. Already in their 2nd year, Yugoslavia reached a high score (4th) with Lola Novaković and her “Ne pali svetlo u sumrak”. Unfortunately, it was hard for the country to break that record. In 1983, the country reached the 4th place again with Danijel Popović and his “Džuli”. The English version of that song “Julie” became a worldwide hit. But Yugoslavia had to await their first and only victory until 1989. Riva won the contest with “Rock me”. Only three more Yugoslav entries followed, but the country fell apart. In 1992 they had their very last entry. Riva Jugovizija 1991 The Yugoslav national final was called Jugovizija. Eight regional television stations all had their contributions and their jury. In 1991, the contest was held on 9 March in Sarajevo. 16 songs participated: Tedi Spalato sang “Gospode moj”, 29 pts, 5th (HTV, Zagreb) Zorana Pavić sang “Ritam ljubavi“, 26 pts, 6th (TVBg, Belgrade) Milica Milisavljević-Dugalić sang “Sta će nebo reći“, 20 pts, 10th (TVPr, Pristina) Baby Doll sang “Brazil“, 68 pts, 1st (TVBg, Belgrade) Miran Rudan sang “Ne reci goodbye“, 5 pts, 15th (TVSl, Ljubljana) Jelena Džoja sang “Čuvaj se ljubavi“, 9 pts, 13th (TVSa, Sarajevo) Margarita Hristova sang “Daj mi krilja“, 3 pts, 16th (TVSk, Skopje) Vesna Ivić sang “Ime“, 11 pts, 11th (TVNS, Novi Sad) Ivana Banfić sang “Daj, povedi me“, 57 pts, 3rd (HTV, Zagreb) Helena Blagne sang “Navaden majski dan“, 25 pts, 7th (TVSl, Ljubljana) Šeri sang “Da li već spavaš“, 6 pts, 14th (TVBg, Belgrade) Ponoćni express sang “Pjesma o tebi“, 22 pts, 8th (TVCg, Titograd) Tony Cetinski sang “Marina“, 22 pts, 8th (TVNS, Novi Sad) Danijel Popović sang “Ma daj obuci levisice“, 66 pts, 2nd (HTV, Zagreb) Anastasija Nizamova-Muhić sang “Molitva“, 11 pts, 11th (TVSk, Skopje) Zerina Cokoja, “Bez tebe“, 52 pts, 4th, 52 pts, 4th (TVSa, Sarajevo) Danijel was the hot favourite to win the competition. However, Yugoslavia was about to fall apart. In June 1991, Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence. Four months before that, the political tension was very high. The result was that the jury of TVSl, TVSa and TVSk did not vote for any of the Serbian songs. TVBg and TVPr did not vote for Danijel, the latter did not vote for the other Croatian entry either. However, both juries gave “Brazil” their maximum number of points. That is what brought Baby Doll her victory. Danijel Popović Baby Doll Bebi Dol or Baby Doll, born Dragana Šarić on October 2, 1962, in Belgrade, is a prominent Serbian and former Yugoslav pop-rock singer. Raised by her jazz musician father, Milisav Šarić, she began her career in the late 1970s with the band Tarkus before co-founding Anoda Ruž with Goran Vejvoda in 1981. Following the band’s short run, she embarked on a solo career and gained fame with the 1981 single Mustafa, which won Song of the Year. In 1983, her debut album Ruže i krv earned her acclaim and established her popularity across Yugoslavia. Bebi Dol’s style evolved with each release, from the oriental-inspired Inš-Alah in 1986 to the dance-influenced tracks on her 1995 album Ritam srca. Her 1991 Eurovision entry, Brazil, remains iconic despite placing low, a result often attributed to Yugoslavia’s political turmoil. Her 2002 album Ljuta sam received mixed reviews, but she continued performing, venturing into cover albums like Čovek rado izvan sebe živi in 2006. In 2009, she participated as a finalist in the reality show Farma, appearing again in 2013 and 2015. Eight years later, she competed in the fourth season of Tvoje lice zvuči poznato, though she did not make it to the finals. In 2018, she entered the reality show Zadruga, but was quickly eliminated. In 2020, she appeared as a special guest in the series Tajkun. Brazil “Brazil” was written by Dragana Šarić herself, with music composed by Saša Habić and Zoran Vračević, the song blends Latin-inspired rhythms with Balkan pop, creating a vibrant, energetic piece. Known for its catchy melody and exotic flair, Brazil highlighted Bebi Dol’s theatrical style and ambitious staging, featuring elaborate costumes and dynamic choreography. Despite its popularity at home, the song faced challenges on the European stage, likely influenced by the tense political climate in Yugoslavia at the time. Ultimately, Brazil scored only one point at the contest, finishing in last place. However, the song later gained recognition as a unique Eurovision entry, maintaining a dedicated following among fans for its creativity and Bebi Dol’s distinct performance.   Share

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Blast from the past
Martijn

Blast from the past: Yugoslavia 1991

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, we go back to 1991, when Baby Doll represented Yugoslavia with her song “Brazil”. Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest Yugoslavia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961. Already in their 2nd year, Yugoslavia reached a high score (4th) with Lola Novaković and her “Ne pali svetlo u sumrak”. Unfortunately, it was hard for the country to break that record. In 1983, the country reached the 4th place again with Danijel Popović and his “Džuli”. The English version of that song “Julie” became a worldwide hit. But Yugoslavia had to await their first and only victory until 1989. Riva won the contest with “Rock me”. Only three more Yugoslav entries followed, but the country fell apart. In 1992 they had their very last entry. Riva Jugovizija 1991 The Yugoslav national final was called Jugovizija. Eight regional television stations all had their contributions and their jury. In 1991, the contest was held on 9 March in Sarajevo. 16 songs participated: Tedi Spalato sang “Gospode moj”, 29 pts, 5th (HTV, Zagreb) Zorana Pavić sang “Ritam ljubavi“, 26 pts, 6th (TVBg, Belgrade) Milica Milisavljević-Dugalić sang “Sta će nebo reći“, 20 pts, 10th (TVPr, Pristina) Baby Doll sang “Brazil“, 68 pts, 1st (TVBg, Belgrade) Miran Rudan sang “Ne reci goodbye“, 5 pts, 15th (TVSl, Ljubljana) Jelena Džoja sang “Čuvaj se ljubavi“, 9 pts, 13th (TVSa, Sarajevo) Margarita Hristova sang “Daj mi krilja“, 3 pts, 16th (TVSk, Skopje) Vesna Ivić sang “Ime“, 11 pts, 11th (TVNS, Novi Sad) Ivana Banfić sang “Daj, povedi me“, 57 pts, 3rd (HTV, Zagreb) Helena Blagne sang “Navaden majski dan“, 25 pts, 7th (TVSl, Ljubljana) Šeri sang “Da li već spavaš“, 6 pts, 14th (TVBg, Belgrade) Ponoćni express sang “Pjesma o tebi“, 22 pts, 8th (TVCg, Titograd) Tony Cetinski sang “Marina“, 22 pts, 8th (TVNS, Novi Sad) Danijel Popović sang “Ma daj obuci levisice“, 66 pts, 2nd (HTV, Zagreb) Anastasija Nizamova-Muhić sang “Molitva“, 11 pts, 11th (TVSk, Skopje) Zerina Cokoja, “Bez tebe“, 52 pts, 4th, 52 pts, 4th (TVSa, Sarajevo) Danijel was the hot favourite to win the competition. However, Yugoslavia was about to fall apart. In June 1991, Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence. Four months before that, the political tension was very high. The result was that the jury of TVSl, TVSa and TVSk did not vote for any of the Serbian songs. TVBg and TVPr did not vote for Danijel, the latter did not vote for the other Croatian entry either. However, both juries gave “Brazil” their maximum number of points. That is what brought Baby Doll her victory. Danijel Popović Baby Doll Bebi Dol or Baby Doll, born Dragana Šarić on October 2, 1962, in Belgrade, is a prominent Serbian and former Yugoslav pop-rock singer. Raised by her jazz musician father, Milisav Šarić, she began her career in the late 1970s with the band Tarkus before co-founding Anoda Ruž with Goran Vejvoda in 1981. Following the band’s short run, she embarked on a solo career and gained fame with the 1981 single Mustafa, which won Song of the Year. In 1983, her debut album Ruže i krv earned her acclaim and established her popularity across Yugoslavia. Bebi Dol’s style evolved with each release, from the oriental-inspired Inš-Alah in 1986 to the dance-influenced tracks on her 1995 album Ritam srca. Her 1991 Eurovision entry, Brazil, remains iconic despite placing low, a result often attributed to Yugoslavia’s political turmoil. Her 2002 album Ljuta sam received mixed reviews, but she continued performing, venturing into cover albums like Čovek rado izvan sebe živi in 2006. In 2009, she participated as a finalist in the reality show Farma, appearing again in 2013 and 2015. Eight years later, she competed in the fourth season of Tvoje lice zvuči poznato, though she did not make it to the finals. In 2018, she entered the reality show Zadruga, but was quickly eliminated. In 2020, she appeared as a special guest in the series Tajkun. Brazil “Brazil” was written by Dragana Šarić herself, with music composed by Saša Habić and Zoran Vračević, the song blends Latin-inspired rhythms with Balkan pop, creating a vibrant, energetic piece. Known for its catchy melody and exotic flair, Brazil highlighted Bebi Dol’s theatrical style and ambitious staging, featuring elaborate costumes and dynamic choreography. Despite its popularity at home, the song faced challenges on the European stage, likely influenced by the tense political climate in Yugoslavia at the time. Ultimately, Brazil scored only one point at the contest, finishing in last place. However, the song later gained recognition as a unique Eurovision entry, maintaining a dedicated following among fans for its creativity and Bebi Dol’s distinct performance.   Share

Share
Read More »