CROATIA 2025

The Croatian entry was chosen on March 2nd through the show "Dora 2025". There were two semi finals of 12 songs, 8 going through to the final from each show. T50% of the score came from the televote  with 25% each coming from a national and international jury. Going to Basel is Marko Bošnjak with "Poison Cake".

Marko Bošnjak is 21 and is originally from Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Marko started out at a young age and at aged 11 won a children's Serbian talent show called "Pinkove Zvezdice" (Pink's Little Stars) singing songs in both English and Serbian. His first attempt at going to Eurovision occurred in 2022 and came second and this gained him his first HR Top 100 entry. He has since competed at the Split Festival, performed at Serbian Pride, took part in Croatia's version of "Your Face Sounds Familiar" and sang at a charity show for Gaza at Zagreb's Klub Močvara. His Eurovision entry is his ninth single release.

Marko is joined on stage by four female dancers. Marko is in a black suit, with pointed shoulders and a cape The overall look is slightly wicked, Dracula-like. The dancers are dressed like evil chefs in their black tops, peplums, trousers and hats. The five of them appear to be in a kitchen as Marko starts the song sitting on a counter top and the dancers pop up through the windows or through the doors that double as fridges and cupboards. The song and performance is full of extremes with Marko able to switch between vengeful, gothic, spurned lover and camp, happy best friend with ease. The lighting and dance moves also changes between these differing emotions. After verse one comes the two-part pre chorus then chorus. The next verse is slightly longer than the first but continues into the pre chorus and chorus. Finally there is a building refrain before the screaming end where the beat also kicks up a gear and the dancing becomes even more frenetic.

This is one of the more curious entries this year. There is no doubt Marko is a star: his vocal ability is clear and his ability to shapeshift between parts is quite extraordinary. The problem is that this is absolutely bonkers - so bonkers it almost doesn't make sense. This leans into the fairy tale narrative of good versus evil, a trope not new in Eurovision terms, however having one person playing all the parts is. In the way Jacques Houdek played two parts through lighting changes, a split costume and vocal changes, Marko does by changes of facial expression, body language and tone of voice. Although I can see how the staging and dancing fits the song, I almost feel it doesn't go OTT enough. The posse of dancers works well but the choreo is too nondescript and needs to hammer home the storyline. The lyrics are a little basic and contains odd turns of phrase. The chorus is extremely one note (and one lyric) and the shouting at the end is rather disconcerting. The balance inside this entry needs recalibrating - better costumes, more stage space and better technical scope will help. If they do that, they might just get away with it.

ARTIST - Marko Bošnjak

SONG - Poison Cake

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Marko Bošnjak, Emma Gale, Filip Majdak, Ben Pyne, Bas Wissink 

CROATIA 2024

The Croatian act and song was chosen on February 25th through their selection process "Dora". Before the final, there had been 2 semi-finals of twelve songs each with 8 from each qualifying to the final. During the semis, 100% televote was used; in the final a winner was determined by a combination of a European jury (made up of Germany, Iceland, Italy and Ukraine), a national jury (25% each)  and a public televote (50%). Going to Malmö is Baby Lasagna performing the song "Rim Tim Tagi Dim".

Marko Purišić (aka Baby Lasagna), started out as the guitarist for the rock group Manntra. The band took part in Dora 2019 coming a credible 4th with the song "In the Shadows". During this time he was also writing tracks for German gothic rock band Mono Inc. The record reached number one in Germany with many of the songs being released at singles. Purišić pursued a solo career releasing his first song "IG boy" under the pseudonym Baby Lasagna with his second song released in December 2023. Purišić then forwarded "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" for consideration for Dora 2024, however the song was not included in either of the semi-finals. A few days later, after the withdrawal of Zsa Zsa from semi final two, he and his song were given a place in the competition.

The song has a very immediate rhythm which perks your ears up straight away. The title of the song is used in a very different way to most song as it replicates and imitates the guitar riff in the background. Therefore it turns up at any point and even if you don't know the words you can just riff the "Rim Tim Tagi Dim" whenever you can. The song starts with the title interlude before going into the first verse and then back to the title sequence. Verse two and verse three are chopped in half with the title sequence in the middle. The chorus is a little less frantic although the background music barely changes at all from start to finish. At the 2 minute mark the instrumental dies down a little and becomes more synthy than guitary: there is also a short dance routine which keeps the energy up. There is then a final chorus and title interlude to the very end.

On stage there is a lot of smoke/dry ice; I don't think this is needed per se but does create an atmosphere straight away. There are 4 other people on stage behind te singer. Two of them are instrumentalists: one on the drums another playing guitar and keyboards.  Another two are dancers whose chorography include doing household chores and incorporating folk dance movements, Everyone is in a slightly anarchic version of folk dress, with puffed sleeves, covered faces and alternative materials. In addition some of the instruments are covered in what looks like doilies. On the back wall there is a myriad of iconic pictures from the outline of farm animals, random flashing colours and dancing neon-coloured cats. The whole presentation is so instant and satiates all the senses without feeling overwhelming. The obvious "Cha Cha Cha" comparisons will come and go but I feel like this stands on its own. As it did in Croatia, this will have no trouble hoovering up televotes but I also feel that this has enough musical merit and performance ability to get a sizable jury support too.

ARTIST - Baby Lasagne

SONG - Rim Tim Tagi Dim

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Marko Purišić

CROATIA 2023

The Croatian final "DORA" was held on February 11th at the Marino Cvetkovic Sports Hall in Opatija, hosted by Mirko Fodor, Mario Lipovšek Battifiaca and Marko Tolja. The votes of 10 regional juries and national televotes were added together to find a winner. That winner was the legendary band Let 3 with the song "Mama ŠČ!!" (Mama, shhhh!)

Let 3 (Flight 3) were formed in 1987 in Rijeka, Croatia although the formation of the band can be traced back much earlier to the punk band Termiti who were active in the '70s. Over the years their line up has changed considerably but currently consists of Dražen Baljak, Ivan Bojčić, Damir Martinović, Zoran Prodanović and Matej Zec. The band is popular across many of the former Yugoslav republics due to their songs full of vulgar lyrics and performances including acts of nudity. They have stirred up many controversies over the years including releasing albums that have no music on them, touring Croatia with a statue of a grandma with a penis, filming music videos parodying Serb & Albanian soldiers and pulling corks out of their rectums during a TV talk show.

To start, 5 of the 6 members are visible spread out on the stage dressed distinctly in frock coats, skirts, jackets and hats with an overall subversive military theme. They are also heavily plied with make up. There is a solitary drumkit on stage but no-one playing them. The background sometimes displays words of the text but mostly shows dancers or the band doing the dance routine. The song starts with a rousing punkish guitar before quietening down for the first two verses. The music then becomes frantic, mirrored by the actions of the band on stage, before going into the chorus. We then have a repeat of verse 2 which ends with the 6th member coming on stage holding what seems to be two rockets or missiles. During the multiple repeats of the chorus, instruments are now being played, the missiles have now become giant firing sprinklers and the original 5 members have stripped down to spangled nude bodysuits. 

The start of this song is insanely catchy. The repetitive lyrics, accompanying dance routine and general silliness is rather infectious and definitely memorable - for either good or bad reasons. The first 40 seconds or so have such power and impact. Vocally the singer has a strong and powerful voice which one might underestimated. However, I would almost say that the strong start almost sets itself up for a fall. The odd breakdown part where they recite the alphabet loses the flow of the song and you start losing the plot a little. The chorus has its positives but is nowhere near as immediate as the verses - the repetition as a crescendo to the end worsk much better. The iron curtain-esque backdrop with the slightly demonic dancers is an excellent idea and I can see the audience in the standing area doing the dance routine too.

The qualification of this really could go either way; this could be seen as too odd, crazy and silly, or as a show of a country's sonic cultural heritage. One also must heed that the song has an underlining political allegory concerning the mama and the tractor. It is a theory that needs some breaking down to understand but I can see this creating a lot of discussion about such a political entry being at Eurovision. This group is well known in the Balkans and the Croatian/Balkan diaspora, which may land them more votes. This is likely to be an entry which will benefit from the 100% televote rule as I would suggest juries may have marked this down. No-one is going to forget this one that's for sure!

ARTIST - Let 3

SONG - Mama ŠČ!

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Damir Martinović Mrle, Zoran Prodanović

 

CROATIA 2021

The Croatian Final was held on February 13th at the Marino Cvetkovic Sports Hall in Opatija, hosted by Daniela Trbovic, Barbara Kolar, Jelena Lešic & Doris Pincic. The winner was chosen by a 50-50 split of  televoting & 10 regional juries. The winning song was "Tick-tock" sing by Albina.

Albina spends most of the time centre stage wearing black boots, a black top and black strappy trousers. She is joined on stage by four similarly dressed male dancers who do some very energetic and armography-heavy dancing. Behind them, the stage has a lot of strobing/neon motifs which seems to be lending itself to the current 80s nostalgia feel however I actually feel more of a 90s leaning to parts of the production. She has long blonde hair, that does some great flicking, as well as a neon eyeline which fits in well with the background.

The song starts off with a very light intro with prominent glockenspiel type sounds. This then goes into a verse with the backing staying very much the same. As the verse builds up to the chorus, the backing track builds up too. Once into the chorus the beat drops again and the first part of the chorus is almost just a solitary beat under the singing, sort of underlying the name of the song. We are the treated to a rather awkwardly placed 'middle bit' which feels a bit like a verse but isn't and then another chorus. After a half a verse we go back to the chorus - once in Croatian then once in English to end. Under closer inspection it seems like more of the this song is based around the pre chorus/chorus/post chorus parts with random bits stuck around it.

On a continuing theme already, and to be a much repeated phrase this year, "Tick-tock" fits into the up-tempo electronic 80s retro feel that has been rather popular over the past 18 months. It is very radio friendly and repetitive the the prominence of the beat is very clever. The part in Croatian is a bit odd and stands out slightly as it pricks your ears up at the point where one's mind might wander off. It should also be added at this point that Albina is a very popular artist in Croatia having won "The Voice" and this familiarity of phoning up to vote for her would have been nothing different for her fans, followers and viewers.

On the face of it this is not a bad song, but it is also not a very good one either. Yes, it is really contemporary and radio friendly but nothing about how this song sounds stands out. Nothing screams 'vote for me' during the whole 3 minutes. This retro vibe is going to be big this year and there are already songs in the running that do this schtick better. Nothing about this song or performance is bad it just doesn't come across well. The lyrics are a little banal and simplistic and the backing track needs a point of pizazz for it to stand out from the crowd. In soon to be repeated phrase, the backing vocals are VERY high in the chorus to the point where you think 'is she singing or pretending to sing?' Yes I know that this is allowed this year but just because you can doesn't mean you should take advantage. I am also starting to wonder how many entries of this ilk it is going to take before I start wondering when they will start mushing together as one or cancelling each other out when it comes to voting...

ARTIST - Albina
SONG - Tick-tock
WRITING CREDITS - Tihana Buklijaš Bakić, Max Cinnamon, Branimir Mihaljević

18/02/12 CROATIA

On 18^th February the Croatian internal selection was finally revealed during a special Dora show for HRT. The well known singer Nina Badrić was selected as the singer many weeks ago but the song presentation was not revealed until this date. She will be singing “Nebo” (Heaven)

Nina presented her self penned song (although she was clearly miming), a growing ballad in Croatian, to an eager crowd.  The song, meaning heaven, had a very serene backdrop and dress akin to Doris Dragovic in 1987 with a flowing cloak which made the most of the wind machine. She was also able to use clever armography to make the most of her dress and make the most of the highlights of the song. The clever camera work at the begin really grew with the song.

Apart from the use of her dress, there is not much of a performance to the song. If her voice is strong enough to belt it out, not much more will be needed anyway. Plus if they can get a similar backdrop in Baku it would really set the song off. Backing singers appear on the track but were not on stage. I don’t feel she needs dancers either, unless they are need to detract from her voice.

The song will be very popular in the Balkans and may appeal to the Schlager types. The song does grow and have a good overall look and feel to it, however I am very unsure as to how well this will do. I feel that the juries may give it point but not quite enough for an entry to the semis. I really need to hear the song sung live to give a firm decision. It is very unlikely that the song will have a language change for Baku.

To be honest after a couple of listens and views it is certainly memorable, but not singable. Am really on the fence…

SONG  - Nebo (Heaven)

ARTIST – Nina Badrić

COMPOSER – Nina Badrić

LANGUAGE – Croatian

UPDATE 4

Lots of official videos have been released this week.

GEORGIA – As revealed in and earlier update, Eldrine have a new lead singer, Sopho Toroshelidze. They have finally finished the new version of “One More Day” and the new song can beard in their brand new video clip below.




ITALY – the official video clip for the Italian Eurovision entry has been released. As well as showing Raphael and his trumpeter, it also shows inserts of a film. The song is slightly different to the one Raphael sang at San Remo it has been re-written with a few more lines in English, but is also still a bit too long.




FINLAND –We have not heard much from the Finnish entry since it was chosen back in January, however Paradise Oskar has released his official video clip. The video tries to focus on the environmental message of “Da Da Dam” as well as focusing on the artist.




UK – Just 2 days after the song “I can” was premiered on the BBC, Blue have released their pop video. The song is centred around the skyline of London, possibly with some very subconscious references to the upcoming Olympics. 2012 could be a very British year !




ROMANIA – It was way back on New Year Eve when Hotel FM was announced as the Romanian entry. They group has been doing a lot of promotion (as well as being involved in a minor sex scandal!) but they have finally released their promotional clip for the song “Change”. Like last years video, a lot of video trickery is used as well as being a ‘Visit Romania’ showcase!




ALBANIA – It was further back in December when Aurela Gace was voted as the Albanian winner for the ticket to Germany. However it was announced that an English version would be presented at the contest. The preview clip of the new song “Feel the Passion” has been released. The video shows lots of views of Albania whilst Aurelia, in a very strange dress flies about. Note also that the clip is still way over 3mins.




CROATIA – As suggested on the previous update, Daria’s song has had a total overhaul. “Lahor” was changed to “Break a leg” and that English version has been re-written to make the finalised entry “Celebrate” The track has been available for a while but the promo video has just been released. The clip has a party atmosphere as well as lots of costume changes.

UPDATE 2

A few more odds and sods news stories from the last few days

SWEDEN – the “andre chansen” round of Melodifestivalen seemed to be in the middle of a voting fiasco. Many viewers and internet groups seemed to be a little surprised by the voting outcomes of the second chance round. From further viewing, it appears that not once, not twice but three times during the programme the wrong voting numbers were put up below certain songs. STV have maintained that this did not affect the end result and the result stands. Not all ESC fans will find this acceptable. I think this may run, even past the final on Saturday...


SLOVAKIA - Still no footage of the girls singing live, but they have released their official video. Am starting to wonder if no live performance up to now is suggesting they can’t do one… Still 2 months before they can hide no more!




CROATIA – it looks like the Croatian entry is getting a total overhaul and makeover. It also looks like the strange title “Break a leg” will be no more! Although the melody will be the same, the song will be re-written for the title “Celebrate” Lyricist Boris Djurdjevic has been working with Daria to make a final version of the song in time for the submission date of March 14th. Hopefully a video clip will be on the internet soon.

CROATIA

The Croatian final took place on the 5th of March at the HRT TV Studios in Zagreb.
The Croatian selection was not eh normal “DORA” as usual. The Croats decided to follow Germany’s lead last year and chose and song and singer similar to the “Unser star fuer Oslo”. After several weeks of knockout rounds, 3 songs were to be sung by the two finalists. The winning combination was German-born Daria Kinzer singing “Lahor”

The song revolves quite strongly around the use of a prop – at first it just looks like a spangly magicians table but ends up being used much more than that. Daria appears from behind it and starts singing. Concealed inside are her two backing singer/dancers who then join her on the stage proper. Then a DJ joins behind and starts spinning decks on the table. She is then further joined by two male break dancers who come on from the wings.

The songs starts off with Daria showing off her lower range, this also makes sure that as the song progresses she can show off the rest of the vocal range and that the song has somewhere to go, vocally. When the chorus kicks in the song really starts to come together. It also gives a chance for the backing track to kick up a gear. The broken down bit in the middle does break the flow of the song slightly and does feel a little out of place. However if more time is takes to make the visuals and choreography of this it fit in, it might make it really stand out as an entry.
This is actually not a bad song and does have quite a few memorable qualities. You actually feel like some car and attention and thought has gone into the song and performance itself. Daria may also benefit from some better choreography as well as a much more flattering dress!

As a winning reprise for having the winning song and being the selected singer, Daria sings it again (or should I say, mime) at the end – but this time in English. The English version is bizarrely called “Break a leg” :o/ I do hope they stay with the original version – or they re-write the English version to one that makes sense! Both entries can be found below so you can make your own minds up!


SINGER – Daria Kinzler
SONG – Lahor (Breeze) / Break A Leg
MUSIC – Boris Đurđević
WORDS – Andrea Čubrić