Slovenia

Ana Soklič

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameAna Soklič Born10 april 1984 Nationality🇸🇮 Slovene National SelectionInternal selection 2021EMA 2020EMA 2007EMA 2004 In EurovisionRotterdam 2021Rotterdam 2020 (Cancelled) SongAmen (2021)Voda (2020) Biography Ana Soklič is a Slovenian singer and songwriter. She was born in Bohinj in the North-western part of Slovenia. She was a member of the Slovenian rock band Diona Dimm. In 2004, she reached the EMA final with the song “If you”. This was also their debut single. Three years later, they participated in EMA again, this time with the song “Father/Oče” and with lesser succes: they did not reach the final. Diona Dimm went on performing until their record contract expired in 2011. Ana’s first solo concert was in Venice in 2014. Three years later she toured throughout Dubai, Naples and Monaco. Ana also worked together with the Harlem Gospel Choir. In 2019, she released a video called “Temni svet”. In 2020, she was supposed to represent Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Voda”. Unfortunately, due to the cancellation of the contest, it didn’t happen. However, Slovenian television RTVSLO chose her to do the job again in 2021 with the song “Amen”. Entries Amen Country🇸🇮 Slovenia Year2021 LanguageEnglish LyricsAna SokličCharlie MasonŽiga Pirnat ComposersAna SokličBojan SimonćičŽiga Pirnat BackingsKarin Zemljič Results Semi Points: 44Position: 13Running order: 2 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/J9jWDxKQ50s Voda Country🇸🇮 Slovenia Year2020 LanguageSlovenian LyricsAna Soklič ComposersAna SokličBojan SimonćičŽiga Pirnat Backings– Results Semi Points: – Position: –Running order: – Results Finals Points: – Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/weLeotNwexg

Tinkara Kovač

© Albin Olsson About Quick Facts NameTinkara Kovač Born03 September 1978 Nationality🇸🇮 Slovenian National SelectionEMA 2020EMA 2014EMA 2001EMA 1999EMA 1997 In Eurovision2014 Copenhagen SongSpet/Round and Round (2014) Biography Tinkara Kovač, a Slovenian singer, pop-rock musician, flutist, and educator, was born on 3rd September 1978. She began her musical journey at a young age, winning a competition at the age of nine. Noticing her talent, producer Bojan Adamič offered her an extended engagement, but her parents declined due to her young age. Later, she was encouraged by composer Danilo Kocjančič, who, along with lyricist Drago Mislej-Mef and Marino Legovič, wrote the song that earned her the award for most promising performer at Melodije Morja in Sonca (Melodies of the Sea and Sun). In 1997, she signed her first record contract and released her debut album, which earned her a gold award and two Zlati Petelin awards. With the song “Vetr z juga” she took part in EMA, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. She then collaborated with the world/jazz/rock project Terra Mystica, earning two more Zlati Petelin awards. Her second album was released in 1999, which received gold and later platinum status. In the same year, she participated in EMA again, where she became 2nd with “Zakaj”. As Tinkara became more involved in creating her own music and lyrics, she signed with Dallas Records (EMI/Virgin Slovenia). Her third album “Na Robu Kroga”, which featured five hit singles and corresponding videos, was released under the label. She participated in EMA again, her song “Sonce v očeh” reached a 5th place. During this time, she also performed 30–50 concerts per year, collaborated with Carlos Nunez, and became the first Slovenian artist to have a special one-hour TV show dedicated to her on German television. Her fourth album, “O-range”, was introduced at a grand concert. The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) selected one of the songs from the album “O-range” as one of the top ten in the pop-rock category among 11,000 entries. Tinkara also began making inroads in the Italian, Greek, Macedonian, and Croatian markets following the licensed release of the “O-range” album by EMI International. She competed in the international music festival Megahit in Turkey in 2003 with the song “Reason why,” finishing in 5th place out of 14 countries. In 2004, for her fourth concert at Cankarjev Dom, she invited Ian Anderson, the lead singer of Jethro Tull, whose music had greatly influenced her decision to learn the flute. She also participated as a guest in his orchestral solo performances and Jethro Tull group concerts in Croatia, Italy, Austria, and Germany. In the same year, she released “Enigma”, a special four-language project with a limited edition, exclusively for Slovenia and Italy. During her tour in Italy, she participated in several important festivals and received the Gian Carlo Deganutti award for the Enigma album in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. In 2005, she performed a concert with Italian rock star Elisa, attracting over 8,000 listeners, marking Slovenia’s entry into the Schengen area. Later that year, she performed in front of a 185,000-strong crowd at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican at the first meeting of Pope Benedict XVI with young people, being the only foreign guest and flutist soloist with the Vatican Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mons. Frisina. In 2009, she released a compilation album of her greatest hits, and in 2012, an album called “Rastemo” featuring re-interpretations of hits from Slovenia and former Yugoslavia. In 2013, she won the award for best performer at the Melodije Morja in Sonca festival and released an album called “Zazibanke” with a selection of Istrian, Furlan, and other folk lullabies. In 2014, she represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song ‘Spet/Round And Round’ after winning the Slovenian EMA selection. She managed to qualify for the finals, where she ended up in the penultimate place. In the summer of 2014, she performed at Melodije Morja in Sonca, opening the event with the song Mars and Venera. After her Eurovision performance in 2014, she released a new song “2X2”, performed with Tomaž Klepač and the Children’s Choir of OŠ Koper. They also recorded a video clip. She then presented a song in Italian, “Cuori di ossigeno”, which climbed many music charts, including in Italy. She released a new album in 2016, called “Dober dan, življenje”. An Italian album, “Cuori di ossigeno”, was released a year later. In 2019, she won again at Melodije Morja in Sonca with the song “Bodi z mano do konca” (Stay with me till the end), for which she also received the award for best lyrics. In 2020, she released a song titled “Forever,” for which she penned the lyrics herself. She performed this song as a duet with Raiven. It was one of the participating songs in EMA 2020. A new album, “Neskončnost”, was released in 2021. In 2022 she performed in Melodije Morja in Sonca again and ended up as the winner. Entries Spet/Round And Round Country🇸🇮 Slovenia Year2014 LanguageEnglishSlovenian LyricsTinkara KovačHannah ManciniTina Piš MusicRaay BackingsRaayLea SirkManca ŠpikNika Zorjan Results Semi Points: 52Position: 10Running order: 14 Results Finals Points: 9Position: 25Running order: 17 https://youtu.be/CiwM1sY3u0s

Eva Boto

About Quick Facts NameEva Boto Born01 December 1995 Nationality🇸🇮 Slovenian National SelectionMisija Evrovizija 2012 In Eurovision2012 Baku SongVerjamem (2012) Biography Eva Boto is a Slovenian singer from Šentjanž. As a 10-year-old girl, she performed at the Super Chris International Song Contest in Austria and won. She has also participated at the FeNS Youth Festival, where she reached 1st place in 2008 and became third in 2009. In 2010 she was proclaimed the most talented singer in Ljubljana. She became known to the wider Slovenian public by participating in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song “Verjamem”. In the same year she attended another Slovenian festival – Melodij morja in sonca, where she presented the song “Dvigni mi krila” and became 2nd. She also performed at Poletni noči, an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Slovenian Song. The year 2012 was also marked by a collaboration with Jan Plestenjak on the song “To leto bo moje”, one of the biggest Slovenian hits of the year. In 2013, she released the song “Plus in Minus,” and in 2014 she wrote “Na kožo pisana”, for which she also recorded a video. In 2015, she participated in the Slove’n’aid project and recorded with her 15 other Slovenian musicians the charity single “En svet”. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in the Faculty of Education in Maribor. In September 2014, she won the grand prix at the International Festival for Young Singers of Silver Yantra in Bulgaria, and in November she was second at the Doua Inimi Gemene Festival in Moldova. In 2015, she joined the group Black Cat. In 2016, she won another Slovenian song contest with the ballad “Kaj je to življenje”. She participated in season 5 of The Famous show Znan obraz ima svoj glas (=Your face sounds familiar). In November 2019, her debut album, “Ko najdeš sebe” was released. In the years 2020/21, she released the singles ‘Zavedno,’ ‘Ti,’ ‘Ko najdeš sebe,’ and ‘Kdo ti bo dušo dal.’ With these, she won the most points from the audience and radio stations at the Melodijah morja in sonca 2021. In 2022, she marked 10 years of her career with a series of concerts throughout Slovenia. That same year, she released two more singles, ‘Misliš na njo’ and ‘Nočem, da greš,’ which were very well received by the public. In 2022, she released her first Christmas song ‘Za božič kot otrok,’ which was one of the most frequently played Christmas songs on Slovenian radio stations that year. In the summer of 2023, she released the song ‘Sam da ne zebe.’” Entries Verjamem Country🇸🇮 Slovenia Year2012 LanguageSlovenian LyricsIgor Pirković MusicVladimir GraićHari Varešanović BackingsHari VarešanovićIzudin KolečićKarlo MartinovićNihad Voloder Results Semi Points: 31Position: 17Running order: 9 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/jEHNRKnrWiU?si=beWGBPLS-pMMX6V1

ManuElla

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts NameManuella Brečko Born31 January 1989 Nationality🇸🇮 Slovenia National SelectionEMA 2016Misija Evrovizija 2011 In Eurovision2016 Stockholm SongBlue and Red (2016) Biography Manuella Brečko, also known as Manu (previously ManuElla), is a Slovenian singer and songwriter born on January 31, 1989, in Celje. She represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with her song “Blue and Red.” Her musical journey began at the age of 6 when she started playing the piano accordion. By the age of 9, she had picked up the bass guitar and began learning solo singing. At 12, she joined a music group and performed with them for 6 years. She showcased her talent on the second season of “Bitka talentov” (Battle of Talents) at 16. She also made a notable appearance in “Misija Evrovizija” (Mission Eurovision) in 2011, where she reached the semifinals while competing to represent Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku. After completing her studies at the Secondary School of Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, and Media in Celje, she graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Ljubljana in 2012 with a degree in production from a recording studio. In the same year, she collaborated with StereoTipi on the duet “Raztrgaj me nežno” (Tear Me Gently). Her debut solo song, “Il futuro,” was released in January 2013. The track was a collaboration with Kevin Koradin from the group Tide and Dutch producer Clifford Goilo, with lyrics penned by Manuella herself. That year, she also participated in the Slovenian popevka competition, securing the 5th position with “Zadnji ples” (Last Dance). In 2015, Manuella was invited as the sole Slovenian artist to the RetrOpatijski Festival, a retrospective celebration of the Opatija Festival, where she performed the song “Vozi me vlak v daljave” (Take Me on a Train to the Distance). On February 27, 2016, Manuella emerged as the winner of the Slovenian national selection, EMA, with her song “Blue and Red,” co-created with Marjan Hvala and featuring lyrics by Leon Oblak. Although she achieved the 14th place in the second semifinal of Eurovision 2016, her performance garnered attention. Later that year, she and Hvala relocated to Stockholm, Sweden. However, her subsequent attempt to return to Eurovision with the song “Glas” (The Sound) did not qualify for the final. In August 2019, Manuella married Hvala and changed her name to Emanuela Hvala. The couple decided to move back to Slovenia. In March 2020, she unveiled her first release under the new artistic moniker Manu, titled “Only Love.” Then, in December 2022, her debut album, “Sunrise,” was introduced to the world. Entries Blue and Red Country🇸🇮 Slovenia Year2016 LanguageEnglish LyricsLeon Oblak MusicManuella BrečkoMarjan Hvala BackingsMitja BobičMarjan HvalaLea SirkKarin Zemljič Results Semi Points: 57Position: 14Running order: 11 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/ulI3F1T82is

Maja Keuc

About Quick Facts NameMaja Keuc Born16 January 1992 Nationality🇸🇮 Slovenian National SelectionSelection Method In Eurovision2011 Düsseldorf SongNo One (2011) Biography Maja Keuc is a Slovenian singer. She is also known under her stage name Amaya (occasionally spelled AMAYA). Born on January 16, 1992, in Maribor, her journey in music began from a young age. She spent seven years performing with the English Student Theatre and honed her skills as a lead vocalist for three years with the rock band Hrošči. Keuc’s rise to fame in Slovenia was marked by her remarkable performance in “Slovenia’s Got Talent” in 2010, where she secured the second position in the show’s inaugural season. That same year, she became part of the Papir project and was instrumental in releasing the album “Po viharju.” Her talents led to a significant milestone in 2011 when RTV Slovenia, the national broadcaster, invited her to compete for the Slovenian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. Performing “Vanilija,” a song by Matjaž Vlašič, Keuc emerged victorious in the superfinal, outperforming the singer April. This win earned her the role of Slovenia’s representative at the Eurovision 2011, where she impressively finished 13th in the final round. Following her Eurovision experience, Keuc launched her debut album, “Indigo,” on December 1, 2011, under the label Reflektor Music. The album, comprising 11 tracks with lyrics in both English and Slovene, showcased her versatility as a lyricist. Collaborating with prominent figures like Krešimir Tomec, Marco Grabber, and members of Papir, including Sebastijan Duh, Tadej Kampl, and Rok Vilčnik, the album marked a significant phase in her career. In 2012, Keuc’s musical journey took her to Rotterdam, where she was accepted into the Codarts music academy. She focused on vocal studies in the pop music department, a period during which she met Jonah Nilsson, vocalist and keyboardist of the Swedish band Dirty Loops. Their relationship blossomed, leading them to relocate to Stockholm in 2014. Keuc further expanded her musical education by joining the jazz program at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, from which she graduated in 2016. Embracing her stage persona, Amaya, Keuc started performing under this name in 2014, initially using it for her international performances. In March of the same year, reverting to her birth name, she premiered the song “Close to You” in the Ema show program. Keuc continued to make strides in her career in 2016 by qualifying for Ema 2017, although she later opted out of the competition. In 2017, she ventured into new musical territories with the release of her EP “Fairytales,” a collaborative effort with producer Orphée Noah under the Spinnup label. Expanding her horizons, Keuc ventured into songwriting for other artists, particularly targeting the Asian market in South Korea and Japan. Her collaborations include working with artists like PRISTIN, HyunA, Red Velvet, and SHINee. In 2016, she participated in a songwriting workshop at SM Entertainment in Korea. Notably, she co-wrote a song for Japanese singer Namie Amuro, which earned a Japanese Grammy equivalent and the title of Musician of the Year. Her versatility also extends to film music, contributing to three movie songs. She collaborated with Reconceal for “End of Night,” the soundtrack of “Kresnik: The Lore of Fire” (2014), and delivered the song “Naredi srce” for the film “Gajin svet” (2018). Additionally, under the alias Maria Maya, she featured in Laibach’s “The Coming Race,” created for the 2019 movie “Iron Sky – The Coming Race.” In 2020, Maja Keuc returned to music and released the single “Trust Issues”. In the same year, she teamed up with Joakim Molitor. They released the Tracy Chapman-cover “Crossroads” as a single. In 2021 she released the singles “Goodbye…” and “Sleep Alone/Sanjam Sama”. She also featured in the songs “Naked” (for Lucas Estrada & Wahlstedt) and “Mladi samo enkrat” (for Drill). “Rdeče” was a new song of her own, released in December 2022 on all platforms. Maja teamed up with Batista Cadillac to feature in their track “Pust me do besede”. Entries No One Country🇸🇮 Slovenia Year2011 LanguageEnglish LyricsUrša Vlašič MusicMatjaž Vlašič BackingsAna BezjakSandra FeketijaKatja KorenMartina Majerle Results Semi Points: 112Position: 3Running order: 13 Results Finals Points: 96Position: 13Running order: 20 https://youtu.be/5vqjb2OYnYs?si=M4z4CxHxuOr_ihGe

Hannah Mancini

© Albin Olsson About Quick Facts NameHannah Leah Mancini Born22 Januari 1980 Nationality🇺🇸 American🇸🇮 Slovenian National SelectionInternal selection 2013EMA 2011 In Eurovision2013 Malmö SongStraight Into Love (2013) Biography Hannah Leah Mancini, an American-Slovenian singer, was born on January 22, 1980, in California, USA. She was born in Northern California and grew up in Colorado. At the age of 19, she moved to Los Angeles for her career. Since 2007/08, she has been living and working in Slovenia with her husband Greg Jurkovič. In the US, she gained musical experience by performing on the stages of Radio City Music Hall, Universal Amphitheatre, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She has collaborated on numerous Disney films, worked with renowned music authors and producers (Todd Chapman and Grammy award-winner Larry Klein), and also with the American band Haute Chile. She entered the Slovenian music scene as a singer for the band Xequtifz. They recorded three songs: “Anywhere With You/Daleč stran” (2009), “And We Danced/Bil je ples” (2010), and “Walking Away” (feat. Trkaj, 2011). She is also known for her collaborations with DJs, music producers, and electronic groups (DJ Umek, Sare Havliček, D-Pulse, Mike Vale, Sylvain, Beltek, Vanillaz, Kosta Radman, Saalim). In 2011, she collaborated with Sylvain and Mike Vale and participated at EMA, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, with the song “Ti si tisti”. Two years later, she was internally chosen to represent Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö with the song “Straight Into Love”, for which she also co-authored the music and lyrics. She did not make it to the final evening and ended up in last place in the semi-final. The following year, she co-authored two Eurovision pre-selections: the Slovenian one (lyrics for the song “Spet/Round and Round” performed by Tinkara Kovač) and the Moldovan one (music and lyrics for the song “One and All” performed by Diana Staver). In 2016, she started working on the Heron project with Croatian producers Marco Grabber and Krešimir Tomac. Their first album, “Momentum”, was released in December 2017, along with a single and video, “Two Lovers”. In 2018, Hannah teamed up with Larry Klein and Tonio K. for a new project: an album called “The girl Hannah”. She also teamed up with Xequtifz again to record new music. They released a new single, “Ti lahko sve/Alone with you” and opened for Angie Stone. In June 2019, the single “Iconic” came out. Since November 2021, Hannah performed along with Sladica. They released an album in 2022. Entries Straight Into Love Country🇸🇮 Slovenia Year2013 LanguageEnglish LyricsHannah ManciniMarko Primužak MusicHannah ManciniGregor ZemljićErik MarganMatija Rodić BackingsLinda AndrewsSusanne Ørum DancersMatic ZadravecAnže ŠkrubePrimož Pavlič Results Semi Points: 8Position: 16Running order: 3 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/I2_zGcuEuwU?si=ppk7uzSRy1eVkElQ

Omar Naber

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts NameOmar Kareem Naber Born07 July 1981 Nationality🇸🇮 Slovenian National SelectionEMA 2017EMA 2014EMA 2011EMA 2009EMA 2005 In Eurovision2017 Kyiv2005 Kyiv SongOn My Way (2017)Stop (2005) Biography Omar Naber, born in Ljubljana, is a Slovenian musician and singer. He originates from a Slovenian mother and a Jordan father. In the first grade of elementary school, Omar joined the school choir and soon took on the role of soloist. In the sixth grade, he gave his first solo performance at a school event. He continued his singing career in the youth choir of RTV Slovenija, and shortly afterwards in the mixed youth choir of Ljubljana high school students, called Veter, which is still active today. He started writing his own music at the age of sixteen. In 1999, he founded a band that is still active today with minor personnel changes, with which he has recorded over 800 performances, of which over 100 are for charity. In 2001, he took second place at the music competition ‘Kdo bo osvojil Triglav‘ and immediately afterwards signed a contract with Nika Records. He worked as a backing vocalist for many Slovenian performers, both in studio recording and at performances. He recorded backing vocals for various albums. Omar achieved wider media recognition at the end of 2004 by winning Bitka Talentov in the show Spet Doma. The prize for winning the Bitka Talentov was participation in EMA 2005, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. Omar won EMA and in the same year represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest with his own composition “Stop” and reached 11th place in the semi-finals. In the same year, he released his self-titled debut, an album with the simple title “Omar”, from which he recorded no less than seven hits, most of which he is the author of: “Vse, kar si želiš”, “Krasen dan”, “Stop”, “Polje tvojih sanj”, “Skrivaj sanjava”, “Omar ti teslo” and “Ves tvoj svet”. The record was a great springboard for further musical journey. The album sold more than 10,000 copies. In this year, he performed a lot outside the borders of Slovenia; in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Italy, Austria, Ukraine, Spain and Slovakia. In 2005, he was the most played author in Slovenia. As a performer, he was nominated for Viktor in 2006 along with Siddhartha and Neisha. In 2006, he also recorded and released his debut album in Serbia. He released his third original album called “Kareem” in 2007. It contained 15 original tracks, tjree of which were released on single: “Poseben dan”, “Vse, kar imam” and “Vladarjev um”. In 2009, Omar participated in EMA again. He managed to reach the 2nd place in the final with the song. Along with several other songs released between 2008 and 2012, the song could be found on the 2014 album “Na glavo”. Same goes for “Bistvo skrito je očem”, the song Omar sang at EMA 2011. Unfortunately, he was less succesfull with this song, not reaching the final. In 2014, he released his fourth original album, simultaneously in Slovenia and England. The Slovenian version is called “Na glavo”, while the English version is called “No Helmet”. In 2015 and 2016 Omar released a total of 6 singles. On February 25, he won EMA 2017 with “On My Way.” He represented Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv, where he unfortunately did not reach the final. In the same year, he teamed up with Slovenian rapper Vauks for the song “Placebo” and with Bojan Cvjetićanin for the song “Aleppo”. In 2018 Omar released two singles: “I still believe in you” and “Rad bi spet verjel”. Two years later, in 2020, his song “Fight for victory” appeared in the Irish indie film Bad Boyz. He also released two other singles: “Mamma Maria” and “Cesta in nebo”. On May 20, 2022, his song “Ogenj!” was released on video. Three months later he teamed up with Saša Lešnjek for the new song “Glas srca” Entries On My Way Country🇸🇮 Slovenia Year2017 LanguageEnglish LyricsOmar Naber MusicOmar Naber Backings– Results Semi Points: 36Position: 17Running order: 17 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/vbGub2klcV4 Stop Country🇸🇮 Slovenia Year2005 LanguageSlovenian LyricsOmar Naber MusicOmar NaberUrša Vlašić BackingsTeja Saksida Results Semi Points: 69Position: 12Running order: 23 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/qUTIYik9cRA

Maraaya

About Quick Facts MembersMarjetka VovkAleš Vovk (Raay) Founded2014 Nationality🇸🇮 Slovenian National SelectionEMA 2015 In Eurovision2015 Vienna SongHere For You (2015) Biography Maraaya is a Slovenian pop duo founded in 2014 by Marjetka Vovk and Raay. The name is a combination of their names. Before music author and producer Raay (real name: Aleš Vovk) and singer Marjetka Vovk (born Jurkovnik) started working as Maraaya, they were members of the bands Turbo Angels and Tangels. In 2014, they released their first single “Lovin’ Me” under the name Maraaya. The song experienced great success on the iTunes charts in Belgium, Germany, Italy and Slovenia. It was among the twenty best-selling singles in Italy. It was among the ten best-selling singles in Italy, and was also included on the Polish compilation “Bravo Hits Zima 2015”. It reached the German DJ’s Dance Top 100 singles chart. The highest rankings of the song “Lovin’ Me” on the most important official national single charts: on the Slovenian SloTop50, it ranked 13th. It also reached the charts in Italy and Belgium. They won the 2015 EMA, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest with their second single “Here for You” and thus qualified for Eurovision, where they reached the final. The song reached the #1 spot in the Slovenian charts. It also became a hit in Austria, Slovakia, Belgium, Sweden and Germany. In September 2015, they premiered their third single “Living Again” at the Red Cross charity concert in Cankarjev dom. At EMA 2016, they presented their fourth single “Nothing Left for Me” as special guests. On May 26, 2017, Maraaya, in collaboration with BQL, performed live on Cankarjeva cesta in Ljubljana, where they premiered their fifth single “It’s Complicated” and at the same time the music video. On June 10, 2017, Maraaya performed at the Croatian festival CMC Vodice 2017, where they presented a Croatian version of the single “Sjaj”, which was officially released the day before. In fall, Maraaya signed a contract with Warner Music, one of the biggest labels in the world. On September 22, their sixth single “Diamond Duck” was released. In the official SloTop50 ranking, they took first place already in the first week of airing. So far, only BQL has managed to do this. In 2018, they performed again at the CMC Vodice festival, in a duet with Domestikus with the song “Noć (Mi corazón es tuyo)”. They recorded it in Croatian – “Noć (Mi corazón es tuyo)” – and English – “Mi corazón es tuyo” – version (both also have Spanish lyrics). The music video for the Croatian version was uploaded to YouTube on June 8, 2018. In fall, they started the Maraaya & Jazzilaz project, in which they perform world hits in a swing-jazz guise. In September 2020, they released their first song in Slovenian, “Obujem nove čevlje”. They shot a video, in which the Croatian dancer and tiktoker Luciano Plazibat performs. The ballad “Drevo” followed in November. In March 2021, their new single “Dobr’ gre” was released. The song reached the no.1 spot in the Slovenian charts. Marjetka became a judge in Slovenia Ima Talent in the 2021 season. Meanwhile, the duo teamed up with Jan Plestenjak for the song “V naju še verjamem”. It was followe in November by the song “Zdaj pa greš”. Both songs became no. 1 in the trending for music list. Maraaya teamed up with Kvatropirci for the song “Življenje”, which was released in September 2022. One month later, Maraaya’s own single “Le ob tebi” was released. On 6 June 2023, Maraaya released a brand new single, “Nebesa”. Entries Here For You Country🇸🇮 Slovenia Year2015 LanguageEnglish LyricsRaayCharlie Mason MusicRaayMarjetka Vovk BackingsManca ŠpikNika ZorjanKarin ZemljičLara Slekovec (Violin) Results Semi Points: 92Position: 5 Running order: 16 Results Finals Points: 39Position: 14Running order: 1 https://youtu.be/y1c7gDOaFY0

Lea Sirk

© EBU/Andres Putting About Quick Facts Name Lea Sirk Born 01 September 1989 Nationality ???????? Slovenian National Selection EMA 2018 EMA 2010 EMA 2009 In Eurovision 2018 Lisbon Song Hvala, ne! (2018) Biography Lea Sirk is a Slovenian singer. She was born in Koper, Slovenia. Lea Sirk studied flute at the Geneva Conservatory of Music. In 2004, she performed at the festival of FeNS with the song “Kitarist” and a year later with the song “Pustite me živeti”. In 2005, she was awarded the Most Promising Singer Award at the Cologne International Competition for Orchestras and Soloists. Lea became known to the general public through her participation in Season 3 of the Bitke Talentov. After this, the door to all major Slovenian music festivals opened. In 2007 she performed on Melodijah Morja in Sonca, in a duet with Jasno Jug. In 2009 and 2010 she participated in EMA, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2011, she attended the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest as a member of the group Leaparfume, but dropped out after the first appearance. Lea has also sung extensively as a backing vocalist. In 2014 she accompanied Tinkara Kovac at the Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen and in 2016 ManuElla in Stockholm. She also writes songs herself. Between 2012 and 2014, she sang in the house band of the show Moja Slovenija. In 2014, her debut album “Roža” came out. In 2018, she won EMA and represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon with the song “Hvala, ne!”. In the same year, her 2nd album “2018” was released. In 2021, she took part in the Slovenska popevka festival. Entries Hvala, ne! Country ???????? Slovenia Year 2018 Language Slovenian Lyrics Lea Sirk Music Lea Sirk Tomy Declerque Backings Karin Zemljič Karin Putri Tajda Kožamelj Veronika Škrlj Anja Möderndorfer Results Semi Points: 132 Position: 8 Running order: 17 Results Finals Points: 64 Position: 22 Running order: 3

zalagasper

© EBU/Thomas Hanses About Quick Facts Members Zala Kralj Gašper Šantl Founded 2018 Nationality ???????? Slovenian National Selection EMA 2019 In Eurovision 2019 Tel Aviv Song Sebi (2019) Biography zalagasper (stylized with a small initial) is a Slovenian music duo from Maribor, composed by singer Zala Kralj and multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Gasper Šantl. They have been making music together since 2017. From April 2018 to June 2019, they were known as Zala Kralj & Gašper Šantl . Together they released the singles “Valovi” in 2017 and “Baloni” in 2018. Initially, the performer on Youtube was Gasper Šantl, featured by Zala Kralj”, since Zala Kralj was then merely a guest vocalist. Until that time, Šantl worked with other guest vocalists as well. They met through a mutual friend. Since April 2018, they have been performing live as equal members of Zala Kralj & Gašper Šantl. Under that name, they have signed a contract with Universal Music Slovenia.In October 2018, they released their third single, “S teboi”. In 2019, they contracted with EMI. They released an EP called “Štiri”. In the same year, Zala Kralj & Gašper Šantl represented Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Sebi”. At the beginning of June 2019, they officially changed their name to “zalagasper”, without capital and diacritics, to make it easier for people to write the name. On June 7, their fifth officially released song and the first in English, “Come to Me,” was published. This was followed by “Signals” in October. As guest performers, together with Ezra, they collaborated on the song “Dream Killers” by the Dravle Records collectiv. In 2020, their first feature album 4 was released. It was followed in 2022 by a second album, “Love letters”. Entries Sebi Country ???????? Slovenia Year 2019 Language Slovenian Lyrics Zala Kralj Gasper Šantl Music Zala Kralj Gasper Šantl Backings – Results Semi Points: 167 Position: 6 Running order: 5 Results Finals Points: 105 Position: 15 Running order: 10