Road to Rotterdam: North Macedonia

When Vasil Garvanliev is on the podium for North Macedonia, he will be relieved. He was already there as a backing vocalist when Tamara Todevska finished seventh. In 2020 he would represent North Macedonia himself. This was canceled due to the Corona crisis. North Macedonian broadcaster selected him for the 2021 contest. But when the clip of “Here I stand” was published, it turned out that it contained three paintings in the colors of the Bulgarian flag. A petition was held by extreme nationalists not to send Vasil to the Eurovision song contest. The broadcaster started an investigation.
Fortunately, the whole story fizzled out. Eurovision fans organized a counter-petition and Vasil is allowed to go to Rotterdam after all.