Rome

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.

How to make the most of the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Rome

With a new Eurovision winner, a new bidding war in the hosting country is about to begin. Immediately after Måneskin won the contest with their entry ”Zitti e buoni”, the battle between several Italian cities has commenced. In this article, we’ll give you some insights on one of the contenders, Rome. We’ll tell you a bit more about the city, sights and some hotspots you must see. We’ve added some fun facts, so you can show off your historical knowledge of Rome to your Eurovision friends. Let’s take a look at a few of the showstoppers Rome has to offer!

Where are we going to in 2022?

One thing is for sure: we go to Italy in 2022. However, there are a lot of options. But we don’t have more specific information yet. As you could have read here, Italian broadcaster RAI started a bid process. No less than 17 (!!) cities and regions submitted their candidacy, being: Acireale Alessandria Bertinoro di Romagna Bologna Florence Genoa Jesolo Matera Milan Palazzolo Acreide Pesaro Rimini Rome Sanremo Turin Trieste Viterbo Tomorrow, RAI will provide these cities and regions bid books. Before the 4th of august, they all have to submit their full details. It is likely that, the more cities know, the more cities withdraw. Two years ago, even Amsterdam decided to withdraw as none of the venues there was available.

Bid process Eurovision 2022 announced

Eurovision Song Contest 2022 host broadcaster RAI has announced a bid process for the host city. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) fixed a number of criteria for a host city. For example, there must be an international airport no more than 90 minutes from the host city. There must be more than 2.000 hotel rooms in the city itself or it’s near area. And of course the venue itself is an important thing. The venue must have a capacity of around 8.000 to 10.000 people. It must have a main hall with the capacity to house the set and all other requirements needed to produce a high level broadcast production. It must contain space for a press centre, delegation spaces, dressing rooms and so on. The venue must be available 6 weeks before the rehearsals start, the 2 rehearsal and broadcasting weeks and one week after the contest. Probably the first of the interested cities will withdraw soon, because they can not live up to the standard. Let’s see were we go after Naples (1965) and Rome (1991)…..

Book your travel to… where to?

Every single city in the country sees chances to host the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest. Of course Rome is in the race!

Måneskin, back in Italy

It is two days ago now that the Italian band Måneskin won the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam. They are back in Rome now, the city where it all started for the band. Eurovision Universe already paid attention to the history of the band last saturday. Let’s have a look at what happened after their victory. Already on stage the band had a statement, just like Duncan Laurence did two years ago. “Rock and roll never dies!’. “Zitti e buoni” appeared to be one of the first songs the band wrote. “It’s very special to us that exactly this song is the winning Eurovision song”, they told the press. Yesterday, the band arrived at Fiumicino Airport in Rome, where the Italian press and a lot of fans were waiting for Damiano, Victoria, Thomas and Ethan, the four members of Måneskin. They told the press about their victory, about the party that followed and about the one hour sleep they had that night. In a Dutch tv-show they also added how satisfied they were with the Dutch organisation of the Eurovision Song Contest. The band added that they want the next Eurovision Song Contest to be in Rome, their home base. Officials of RAI, the Italian broadcaster, already announced there will be a bidding proces in order to select the best place for the next Eurovision Song Contest. So we have to await whether Måneskin’s wish will come true or not. Unfortunately, we cannot deny the rumour going on about Damiano using cocaine in the greenroom during the Eurovision live broadcast. Already at the press conference Damiano said he did not use cocaine but tried to clean the mess of a broken glass. The band will undergo a drugs test to prove their right. The band also states that they are against the use of drugs anyway. People working in Ahoy confirm the band’s version of the story: broken glass had been found on Måneskin’s table. People who know what it looks like to use cocaine confirm that this was clearly not what Damiano was doing. All these facts together makes us hope this storm will lay down and we can follow Måneskin closely in what they will do the upcoming year. One thing we can already reveal: two of the band members can be heard in the Italian version of a new Disney film, called “Cruella”… yes, it iss a spin-off of “101 dalmatians”.