Montenegro

🇲🇪 Montenegro: Nina Žižić returns to Eurovision

Nina Žižić returns to Eurovision. She will represent Montenegro after the band NeonoeN withdrew. They decided not to participate with their song “Clickbait”. The song was already performed before September 1st of this year. That was reason for the EBU to investigate the case. Nina Žižić was the runner up of the Montenegrin national final Montesong. Her song “Dobrodošli” was the favourite of the jury. Due to a lower score at the televote, Nina didn’t win. However, today Montenegrin broadcaster RTCG announced that she will represent Montenegro in the 2025 contest. It’s not the first time Nina Žižić represents Montenegro. In 2013, she was on stage accompanying hip hop band Who See. They performed the song “Igranka”, but unfortunately did not reach the final. And now Nina Žižić returns to Eurovision. The song “Dobrodošli” is written and composed by Violeta Mihajlovska, Boris Subotić and Darko Dimitrov. Due to the early stage of selection, we don’t know whether the song will be in the first or second semifinal. Montenegro’s Eurovision history Montenegro first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest as an independent nation in 2007, following its split from Serbia and Montenegro. Despite its small size, the country brought diverse entries ranging from Balkan ballads to modern pop. Montenegro achieved its best result in 2015 with Knez‘s “Adio,” a traditional ballad composed by Željko Joksimović, which finished 13th in the final. However, financial constraints and challenges in qualifying for the final often hindered its success. After withdrawing in 2020 and after due to funding issues, Montenegro will now return to the contest.

🇲🇪 Montenegro: NeonoeN withdraws

Withdrawal One week after winning Montesong 2024, the band NeonoeN decided to leave the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. A video showed part of their song “Clickbait” being performed at the Festival Kulture Zabjelo in 2023. The Eurovision rules say that songs must be new and original. Any song performed or released before 1 September 2024 cannot be in the contest. That is the reason EBU was investigating. No decision has been made yet, until now: not from EBU but from NeonoeN itself. statement Montenegrin broadcaster RTCG made a statement: Dear, In the best public interest, with the desire to end the uncertainty and once again contribute to the music that we are here for, we inform you that we are voluntarily withdrawing from participating in Eurovision. RTCG, in accordance with the regulations, will choose another representative, and we will be the first to wish him luck and provide full support. The victory at Montesong brought us publicity whose type and scope we did not choose, nor could we control. We would like to point out, and the facts confirm this, that performing the working version of the song live neither jeopardized the process of the Montesong festival itself, nor could it have influenced its final outcome and our placement. The fact is that there have been many similar examples and that the EBU has always decided that these songs can participate (one even won at Eurovision), because they did not have a competitive advantage over the others, which is clear to everyone. However, we simply do not want to be part of any stories outside of music, nor to promote our author’s work in this way. Eurovision has never been a goal in itself for us. Expanding the field of our musical activity – it certainly is! The Montesong Festival organized by the Association of Entertainers brought 16 new songs and that is its greatest value. We would like to thank the management of RTCG for their good will and intention to give us space for other options. We believe that they will understand our decision to give up on Eurovision and we also thank them for that. Special and immense gratitude for the support of fellow musicians, lovers of good music, friends, acquaintances, journalists and the general public from Montenegro and abroad, which gave us strength in the last days. Our families, together with us, have experienced all the splendor and despair of this process and now it is time to repay them and dedicate ourselves to them in the right way. CLICKBAIT continues to live as a musical single, but we are also afraid of it as a contemporary social phenomenon. Once again, thank you all. Now let’s all support Montenegro at Eurovision!

🇲🇪 Montenegro: NeonoeN wins national final

The band NeonoeN wins the Montenegrin national final. Montenegro is the first country to select a song for the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest. The band NeonoeN will now represent Montenegro in the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel. The song they will present is called “Clickbait”. The song is written and composed by Ilija Pejović. As there has been no draw so far, we don’t yet know whether will perform in the first or second semifinal. Nina ŽiŽić was the number 1 among the jury, Baryak won with the televotes. NeonoeN became the winner by receiving 10 points from both jury and televoters. Here are the full results of the contest: NeonoeN, “Clickbait”, 20 pts Nina ŽiŽić, “Dobrodošli”, 19 pts Baryak, “Dva srca”, 15 pts Đurđa, “To ljubav je”, 12 pts Kejt, “Obala raja”, 9 pts Milena Vučić, “Škorpija”, 8 pts Tina Džankić, “Nova, 8 pts Isak Šabanović, “Ljeto, ljeto, ljeto”, 7 pts Tamara Živković, “Poguban let”, 6 pts Glumci Bend, “San”, 6 pts Verica Čuljković, “Čuješ li”, 4 pts Nemanja Petrović, “Među zvijezdama”, 1 pts Luka Radović, “Kada dođe maj”, 1 pts Anastasija Koprolčec, “Kraj”, 0 pts Bend 9, “Stop war”, 0 pts Dolce Hera, “Repeat”, 0 pts

🇲🇪 Montenegro: first national final of 2025

Yes it’s true: today, Montesong will be held. Montenegro will have the first national final for the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel. That makes Montenegro true early birds! The show starts at 20:00 CET and you can watch it here or on Youtube. The contest will be held in the Voco Sports Hall in Podgorica. 16 songs will compete. The winner will be chosen through a 50/50 jury and televote. These are the competing songs: nr. Artist Song 1 Anastasija Koprolčec Kraj 2 Tina Džankić Nova 3 Nemanja Petrović Među zvijezdama 4 Bend 9 Stop War 5 Tamara Živković Poguban let 6 Luka Radović Kada dođe maj 7 Đurđa To ljubav je 8 Kejt Obala raja 9 Nina ŽiŽić Dobrodošli 10 Neonoen Clickbait 11 Isak Šabanović Ljeto, ljeto, ljeto 12 Glumci Bend San 13 Dolce Hera Repeat 14 Baryak Dva srca 15 Verica Čuljković Čuješ li 16 Milena Vučić Škorpija Milena Vučić is the only returning artist. In 2006 she took part in the national selection of Serbia & Montenegro. She reached a 19th place. Montenegro’s Eurovision history Montenegro first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest as an independent nation in 2007, following its split from Serbia and Montenegro. Despite its small size, the country brought diverse entries ranging from Balkan ballads to modern pop. Montenegro achieved its best result in 2015 with Knez‘s “Adio,” a traditional ballad composed by Željko Joksimović, which finished 13th in the final. However, financial constraints and challenges in qualifying for the final often hindered its success. After withdrawing in 2020 and after due to funding issues, Montenegro will now return to the contest.

3 withdrawals in one day: what’s happening!?

Two more countries announced that they would not participate in the Eurovision Song Contest: North Macedonia and Bulgaria. The news came after the Eurovision community woke up this morning with the withdrawal of Montenegro. North Macedonia North Macedonia issued a statement this afternoon: “Such a decision is in the best interest of the citizens, taking into account the increased costs due to the energy crisis, which occupy a large part of the budget of the Public Service, as well as the increased registration fee for the participation in Eurovision 2023. This decision will enable the saving of funds that would have been set aside for the Macedonian delegation’s stay in Liverpool, where Eurovision 2023 is being held.” The North Macedonian broadcaster MRT has announced that they will broadcast the festival. North Macedonia has not been very successful in the past two years. They did not make the final. There was a riot around a flag in both 2021 and 2022. However, in 2019 North Macedonia still won the jury vote. “Proud”, the entry sung by Tamara Todevska, was the country’s most successful ever. Bulgaria The Bulgarian withdrawal was different. In a personal message from the Instagram account @bg_eurovision to OGAE Greece, it was announced that Bulgaria was no longer interested in the Eurovision Song Contest. BG Eurovision announces that no Bulgarian entry should be expected in the coming years. Bulgaria has been very successful in the Eurovision Song Contest in recent years. The country was almost the winner in 2017 with Kristian Kostov and his “Beautiful mess”. Conclusion? Twice (Montenegro and North Macedonia) it is a financial reason that is indicated. It is not clear what is really behind the Bulgarian withdrawal. We can only guess. Both Montenegro (2021) and Bulgaria (2019) have recently skipped a year. Immediately after the most recent Eurovision song contest, North Macedonia already expressed its doubts about participation.

No Montenegro in Liverpool

Montenegro will not take part in the Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool next year. That is what Montenegrin broadcaster RTCG announced. Financial problems are said to underlie this decision. The Montenegrin broadcaster has tried to find sponsors for the contest, but has not been successful. Montenegro took part in the Eurovision Song Contest twelve times. The country reached the final only twice. The best score so far for Montenegro was a 13th place for Knez, who sang the song “Adio” in 2015. This year, the country failed to reach the final. Montenegro would not have participated in 2020 and did not participate in 2021. The reason was also financial. People then made different budgetary choices.

Vladana

© EBU/Nathan Reinds About Quick Facts NameVladana Vučinić Born18 July 1986 Nationality???????? Montenegrin National SelectionMontevizija 2005Evropesma-Europjesma 2006Internal Selection 2022 In Eurovision2022 Turin SongBreathe (2022) Biography Vladana Vučinić, also known as Vladana, is a Montenegrin singer and songwriter. Vladana has a primary and secondary music education, focused on music theory and opera singing. She graduated in journalism from the State Faculty of Political Science of Montenegro. In 2003, Vladana made her television debut on a national karaoke show In the same year she released her debut single „Ostaćeš mi vječna ljubav”, which was performed at the Budva Mediterranean Festival in Budva, Montenegro. In 2005, she participated in Montevizija 2005 with the song “Samo moj nikad njena”. She took 18th place and thus failed to qualify for Evropesma – Europjesma 2005, the Serbian & Montenegrin national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. This time, she reached the Evropesma – Europjesma final and became 15th there. Later that year, Vladana performed her song “Kapije od zlata” in the section of newcomers to the Suncane Skala music festival. Vladana released her first video for the single “Kao miris kokosa”, directed by Montenegrin director Nikola Vukčević, which became the most-broadcast video in Montenegro at the time. In 2007, she continued her collaboration with Vukčević and released his second single “Poljubac kao doručak”. At the end of 2009, Vućinić recorded and released her first single in English, “Bad Girls Need Love Too”. A year later, in November 2010, an animated video for the song “Sinner City” was released as an introduction to her first album in English. In december 2010 Vučinić released her debut album “Sinner City”. Vladana is the first solo performer from Montenegro to be broadcast on the regional MTV station MTV Adria. She launched an online fashion magazine called Čiviluk, based on an editorial with fashion designers from Montenegro. As the founder and editor-in-chief, she contributed to the magazine through columns and fashion interviews with various personalities from music, culture and politics. On January 4, 2022, it was announced that she had been chosen by the Montenegrin broadcaster RTCG to represent Montenegro at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest. A day later, on January 5, 2022, it was announced that her song at Eurovision would be called “Breathe”. Unfortunately, Vladana didn’t manage to reach the final with the song. Entries Breathe Country???????? Montenegro Year2022 LanguageEnglish LyricsVladana Vučinić MusicVladana VučinićDarko Dimitrov Backings– Results Semi Points: 33Position: 17Running order: 15 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/L-ViRVRiGl0

Did six countries make a mutual deal?

Six countries have mutually agreed on the voting in this years Eurovision Song Contest. That’s what Jean Philip De Tender of the EBU said to Belgian newspaper “Het Laatste Nieuws“. Earlier it was announced that the points of the aforementioned six countries were annulled. The EBU announced that there were irregularities during the broadcast. A new points list has been compiled for these countries. The EBU then looks at the voting behavior of comparable countries.This situation would concern Azerbaijan, San Marino, Romania, Montenegro, Georgia and Poland, but the EBU does not want to confirm that. It seems that the EBU had not informed the countries about the nullification of the points. Georgia and Romania were not amused. Georgia is said to have given the twelve to Ukraine and now saw them go to the United Kingdom. Romania had awarded twelve points to Moldova, which went to Ukraine.

Day 7: A crystal mask, a thunderstorm and Murphy’s Law

The penultimate day of rehearsal: it is becoming increasingly clear what the viewer can expect. Today we saw the last artists of the second semifinal. Let’s take a closer look at the rehearsals: AUSTRALIA: Whatever you think of Sheldon Riley, he sings like no other. During his emotional ballad he wears the white suit with the enormous drag of feathers. He wears his crystal mask for most of the act, but it goes off. It can’t be difficult for Australia to make it to the final. CYPRUS: For the first time in years, Cyprus is singing (partially) in Greek again. Andromache and her dancers stand in a kind of shell as they sing the song. We have to admit that we would describe Andromache’s vocals as ‘not bad’. If is that a recommendation….? IRELAND: Ireland falls into the ‘how nice’ category. Brooke’s vocals are certainly not bad, neither is the act. However, you may wonder if this is the song with which Ireland will finally reach the final again. We cannot rule out the possibility that it will not work. NORTH MACEDONIA: Perhaps Andrea had hoped for greater success. She was not happy with her first rehearsal. The song comes across as screaming; a hoarseness that suits Kaliopi (2012 and 2016) but not Andrea. ESTONIA: Unfortunately, Stefan can’t count on the 12 points from Armenia, because the country where his roots lie is performing in the other semifinal. The many movements he makes do have an effect on Stefan’s voice, but somehow it doesn’t seem to matter for the entry. It is a happy song that can easily go through to the final. ROMANIA: The Romanians made some minor changes to the act, making it even better and slicker. Furthermore, it seemed as if WRS had changed the melody of the chorus a little bit here and there. In any case, a spectacular show is in store for Romania. POLAND: The ballad of Polen starts very calmly with Ochman alone on stage. Halfway through, when the song becomes a little less quiet, the aforementioned dancers (forest nymphs?) come on stage. We see that a heavy thunderstorm erupts on the stage. Finally a strong contender for Poland agiain. MONTENEGRO: A ballad in which not much happens in 3 minutes. The advantage is that not much can go wrong. We had already mentioned the blue dress that Vladana is wearing. Behind her a circle that most resembles the fluff ball of a dandelion. It is not sure whether it stands out enough to go to the final. BELGIUM: The Belgians have a strong singer with a gospel-like power ballad in Jérémie Makiese. He will definitely get points for that. Fortunately, because the act he shows looks a bit stiff and doesn’t really do justice to the song and singer. SWEDEN: Murphy’s Law strikes. If one thing goes wrong, everything immediately goes wrong. Problems with the sound, problems with the technique and a falling cameraman meant that she was only able to do one whole runthrough. Cornelia did manage to show how professional she is, by showing a good rehearsal even with all that trouble. CZECH REPUBLIC: The act with lots of light and nice graphics fits very well with the Czech entry. In that respect it is a unity. The vocals, however, leave a lot to be desired. That could cost them their heads if it has to be clear who will go to the final.

Day 4: new sun troubles, a Swedish circle and many more

Today is the day of the stage again. Today the EBU has made an official statement about it: “During the technical tests in Turin, the production team has experienced challenges with how long it takes to adjust the “sun” to different positions in the time between the different performances. Together with the host station RAI it was therefore decided that the sun will remain in the same position during all 40 songs, to ensure a fair competition for all participating countries.”. What position that is, is still being discussed. So to be continued again. It is certain that a number of countries now have to make changes in their staging. Meanwhile, 9 countries rehearsed for their performance in the second semifinal. IRELAND: Brooke takes the stage in a bright blue suit. During her performance she is assisted by four dancers. They start the song lying on the floor! Ireland uses many floor projections. Brooke is also praised by Eurovision.tv for her strong voice. Pyrotechnics are used at the end of her performance. NORTH MACEDONIA: Andrea stands alone on the podium for North Macedonia. She sings her song completely wrapped in black leather. In her performance she uses the lifting bridges over the water. Shadows of hands are visible on the LED screens. The sun is not only orange but also white and blue. ESTONIA: Stefan starts his performance on the B stage. He is accompanied only by his guitar. Later in the song, he goes wild: then he uses the entire stage to present his performance. The two cowboys from the national final stayed home. ROMANIA: WRS from Romania wears glittering wetlook trousers. He also wears a red blouse, but according to Eurovision tradition, that goes off. He turns out to be wearing a sleeveless shirt with glitter underneath. There is a lot of dancing. As a result, the Romanian likely gets a lot of attention from the crowd. POLAND: The Polish competitor Ochman is also in black, he wears a black suit. He is assisted by four dancers, who seem to represent some kind of water spirits. Flashing light effects can be seen during the performance. The waterfall on the stage is also used… what else could we expect with a song about a river? MONTENEGRO: Vladana has her entire performance on the B stage. She wears a blue dress during her performance. The background is also blue, with splashes of white as graphics. Vladana mainly remains in one place. BELGIUM: The Belgian Jérémie Makiese impressed with his song. Jérémie is flanked by four dancers. He himself wears blue-grey trousers, a black shirt and a silver jacket, while the dancers wear black jackets. At the end of the act all the light falls on Jérémie, who is standing on a platform on which flames are projected. SWEDEN: Cornelia Jakobs ranks high among the bookmakers. As the Swedes always do, Cornelia Jakobs also puts on the same act as during the national final Melodifestivalen. The starry sky at the beginning, the large, first green and then red, circular plate right behind Cornelia, even the silver-black clothing and the bare feet are the same. CZECH REPUBLIC: The Czech group We Are Domi is the last to rehearse today. The group uses a lot of light, which makes you feel like you’re in a disco. Funny effect: the ‘sun’ on stage looks like a vinyl album here. Eurovision.tv mentions the cello-string guitar: the guitarist made it himself.