These regional music legends represented their countries at Eurovision

As European countries prepare for a new Eurovision season and decide how they will select their representatives, one question is once again being asked: which major regional star could be the next to take on the Eurovision challenge?

Although Eurovision is often seen today as an opportunity for young and not yet fully established performers, some of the biggest names in regional music have represented the countries of the former Yugoslavia over the decades.

From Tereza Kesovija and Zdravko Čolić to Doris Dragović, Dino Merlin and Toše Proeski, as well as Željko Joksimović, Marija Šerifović, Severina and Konstrakta, many major careers have been connected to Europe’s biggest music stage.

Below, we highlight some of the biggest and most recognisable regional names who accepted the Eurovision challenge during their careers.

From Tereza Kesovija to Zdravko Čolić

Tereza Kesovija holds a special place in the region’s Eurovision history because she represented two different countries at the contest.

She first appeared in 1966 as Monaco’s representative with the song “Bien plus fort”. She finished 17th at the contest in Luxembourg. Six years later, she returned to Eurovision, this time representing Yugoslavia. In Edinburgh, she performed “Muzika i ti”, written by Nikica Kalogjera and Ivica Krajač, and finished in ninth place.

At the time, Tereza was already building an international career, particularly in France, making her participation one of the earliest examples of a performer from the former Yugoslavia arriving at Eurovision with experience outside their domestic music market.

The following year, Yugoslavia was represented by Zdravko Čolić with “Gori vatra”, composed by Kemal Monteno.

Although he would later become one of the biggest male pop stars in the history of Yugoslav and regional music, his Eurovision result was fairly modest. Čolić finished in 15th place. Nevertheless, “Gori vatra” outlived its contest result, while Čolić’s career reached heights in the following years that few performers from the region have managed to match.

His example remains one of the best demonstrations that a Eurovision result does not have to determine an artist’s future. Čola did not conquer Europe, but he would later win over audiences throughout the former Yugoslavia.

Zdravko Čolić’s Eurovision 1973 performance

Daniel Popović, Doris Dragović and Novi fosili

The 1980s brought some of Yugoslavia’s most successful Eurovision performances. Daniel Popović performed “Džuli” in Munich and finished fourth, which was one of Yugoslavia’s best results at the contest at that time.

Unlike many Eurovision entries that would quickly be forgotten, “Džuli” continued to live on after the contest. The song became a major hit in Yugoslavia and in several European countries, while an English-language version entitled “Julie” was also recorded.

Doris Dragović appeared at Eurovision twice, during two different political eras. She first represented Yugoslavia in Bergen in 1986. With the song “Željo moja”, she finished in 11th place.

Thirteen years later, she returned to the Eurovision stage as Croatia’s representative. “Marija Magdalena” was one of the biggest favourites of the 1999 contest, and Doris finished fourth in Jerusalem. In doing so, she equalled Croatia’s best result at the time, previously achieved by Maja Blagdan three years earlier.

Doris therefore connected Yugoslav and Croatian Eurovision history, while “Marija Magdalena” remains one of the most recognisable songs Croatia has ever sent to the contest.

Novi fosili represented Yugoslavia in 1987 with “Ja sam za ples”. One of the most popular groups of the era also finished fourth, while the song became one of the most recognisable Yugoslav Eurovision hits. “Ja sam za ples” is still regarded as one of Yugoslavia’s most joyful and memorable Eurovision performances.

Doris Dragović’s Eurovision 1999 performance

Tajči and Bebi Dol – performances that are still remembered

Following Riva’s victory in 1989, Yugoslavia earned the right to host Eurovision in Zagreb. The host country was represented in 1990 by Tajči with “Hajde da ludujemo”. Her energetic performance, striking pink dress and memorable chorus made the song one of the symbols of the Zagreb contest. Tajči finished seventh with 81 points. The music was composed by Zrinko Tutić, while the lyrics were written by Alka Vuica.

Although she did not manage to repeat Riva’s victory, the performance brought her enormous popularity and cemented her status as one of the biggest young stars of the period.

A year later, Yugoslavia was represented by Bebi Dol with “Brazil”. Her performance was completely different from the traditional Yugoslav ballads and festival pop songs. Inspired by Latin American rhythms and the singer’s distinctive style, “Brazil” was one of Yugoslavia’s most unusual Eurovision attempts.

The contest took place during a period of deep political crisis and the increasingly certain break-up of the country, which is why her poor result has often also been viewed through the political circumstances of the time. Yugoslavia received only one point, awarded by the Maltese jury, and finished 21st among 22 participants.

Despite the result, the song later gained cult status among part of the Eurovision audience, while Bebi Dol remained one of the most original names on the Yugoslav pop scene.

Bebi Dol’s Eurovision 1991 performance

Croatian stars at Eurovision

Tony Cetinski represented Croatia in 1994. At the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, he performed “Nek’ ti bude ljubav sva” and finished 16th with 27 points.

The result gave little indication of the career that would follow. Over the next several decades, Tony became one of Croatia’s most successful pop performers, with numerous hits, albums and concerts throughout the region. In his case, Eurovision was merely one of the first major stops on a long musical journey.

Danijela Martinović appeared at Eurovision twice. She first participated in 1995 as the lead singer of the group Magazin. Together with opera singer Lidija Horvat Dunjko, Magazin performed “Nostalgija” and brought Croatia sixth place.

Only three years later, Danijela returned as a solo artist. With the ballad “Neka mi ne svane”, she opened the 1998 Eurovision final in Birmingham and finished fifth with 131 points. In addition to her emotional performance, the staging was also remembered for a costume change during the song. “Neka mi ne svane” became one of the biggest hits of Danijela’s career and one of Croatia’s most beloved Eurovision entries.

When Severina won Dora in 2006, her participation attracted enormous attention throughout the region. In Athens, she performed “Moja štikla”, which combined pop music, folk influences and elements of a major stage spectacle. Croatia shared 12th place in the final with North Macedonia, with both countries receiving 56 points.

Severina arrived at Eurovision as one of the biggest Croatian and regional stars, making her participation one of the most closely followed media events of the 2006 Eurovision season. Although the result did not meet the high expectations of some fans, “Moja štikla” remained an essential part of her career.

Croatian Radiotelevision internally selected Nina Badrić in 2012, at a time when she already had two decades of a successful career behind her. In Baku, she performed the self-written song “Nebo”.

Although she was considered one of the best-known names among that year’s participants, Nina failed to qualify for the final. She finished 12th in the second semi-final with 42 points, just two places below the qualification line. Her performance once again demonstrated that major popularity throughout the former Yugoslavia does not guarantee a strong Eurovision result.

Severina’s Eurovision 2006 performance

Dino Merlin and Hari Mata Hari – Bosnia and Herzegovina’s biggest stars at Eurovision

Bosnia and Herzegovina has also been represented at Eurovision by two major names in regional music.

Dino Merlin is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most successful Eurovision performers. He first appeared in 1999 alongside French singer Béatrice Poulot. Their song “Putnici” finished seventh in Jerusalem.

Dino returned to the contest in Düsseldorf in 2011 with “Love in Rewind”. This time, he finished sixth with 125 points. In addition to his two appearances as a performer, Dino Merlin was also connected to independent Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first Eurovision participation. He composed the music and was one of the lyricists of “Sva bol svijeta”, performed by Fazla in 1993.

The group Hari Mata Hari represented Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2006 with “Lejla”. The music was composed by Željko Joksimović, while the lyrics were written by Fahrudin Pecikoza and Dejan Ivanović.

Hari Mata Hari finished second in the semi-final before taking third place in the grand final with 229 points. This remains Bosnia and Herzegovina’s best result in Eurovision history. Over time, “Lejla” became one of the most famous Balkan ballads in the history of the contest and a song that Eurovision fans still frequently rank among the best compositions never to have won.

Hari Mata Hari’s Eurovision 2006 performance

Željko Joksimović – performer, composer and host

Few regional artists have careers as closely connected to Eurovision as Željko Joksimović. In 2004, Željko represented Serbia and Montenegro with “Lane moje”. He won the semi-final and finished second in the grand final, behind Ukraine’s representative Ruslana.

He returned to the contest as a performer in 2012. Representing Serbia with “Nije ljubav stvar”, he finished third. Between his two appearances, he composed “Lejla” for Hari Mata Hari, which finished third in 2006, as well as “Oro”, performed by Jelena Tomašević for Serbia in 2008.

That year, Željko also hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade alongside Jovana Janković. His Eurovision record includes two top-three finishes as a performer, three notable songs composed for other representatives from the region and a role as one of the hosts of the contest held in Belgrade.

Željko Joksimović’s Eurovision 2012 performance

From Marija’s victory to the Konstrakta phenomenon

Serbia debuted at Eurovision as an independent country in 2007 and won the contest on its very first attempt. Marija Šerifović performed “Molitva” in Helsinki, written by Vladimir Graić and Saša Milošević Mare, and finished in first place.

The victory gave Serbia the right to host Eurovision in Belgrade the following year. “Molitva” was also the first winning song since the widespread introduction of televoting to be performed entirely in a language other than English since 1998. Marija’s performance brought Serbia its most significant Eurovision result and one of the country’s greatest musical victories in recent history.

A year after Marija’s victory, Serbia hosted Eurovision in Belgrade. The host country was represented by Jelena Tomašević with “Oro”, composed by Željko Joksimović. She was joined on stage by Bora Dugić.

Jelena finished sixth in the final with 160 points, meaning that Serbia achieved a victory and another top-six result in its first two years of independent participation. “Oro” remains one of the most successful examples of combining traditional influences with contemporary Eurovision production.

Before Pesma za Evroviziju 2022, Ana Đurić Konstrakta was respected on the alternative music scene and known as a member of the group Zemlja gruva, but she did not have the status of a major commercial star. Everything changed following the victory of “In corpore sano”.

In Turin, Konstrakta attracted attention with her unusual performance, washing her hands on stage, her memorable lyrics and the question: “What could be the secret of Meghan Markle’s healthy hair?” Serbia finished fifth in the final, while Konstrakta also received the Marcel Bezençon Artistic Award. Eurovision transformed her into one of the most recognisable musical names in the region and demonstrated that a performance outside the usual pop conventions could also achieve major success.

Nastup Marije Šerifović na Evroviziji 2007

Toše, Kaliopi and the great Macedonian stars

Toše Proeski represented what was then Macedonia in Istanbul in 2004. “Angel si ti” won the national selection, but an English-language version entitled “Life” was prepared for Eurovision. Toše finished tenth in the first Eurovision semi-final in the contest’s history and qualified for the final. He then finished 14th with 47 points.

The result did not fully reflect his popularity. Toše was already a major name in North Macedonia, and over the following years he became one of the most beloved performers in all the countries of the former Yugoslavia.

His premature death in 2007 turned him into an enduring symbol of a generation, while “Life” is still remembered as part of his rich musical legacy.

Kaliopi first earned the opportunity to represent Macedonia in 1996 with “Samo ti”. However, the country failed to pass the preliminary audio-only qualification round, meaning Kaliopi did not appear in the televised final. She finally reached the main Eurovision stage in 2012 with “Crno i belo”. She qualified for the final and finished 13th with 71 points.

Four years later, she returned with “Dona”, but finished 11th in the semi-final and narrowly missed out on qualification. In both of her Eurovision performances, Kaliopi demonstrated the distinctive vocal power that has made her one of the most significant names in Macedonian music for several decades.

Karolina Gočeva also represented North Macedonia twice. She first appeared in Tallinn in 2002 with “Od nas zavisi” and finished 19th. Five years later, she returned with “Mojot svet”. She qualified from the semi-final and finished 14th with 73 points in the final held in Helsinki.

In the meantime, Karolina also built a successful career outside North Macedonia, particularly among audiences in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

One of the most internationally recognisable names the region has sent to Eurovision was Esma Redžepova. The singer, who was often referred to as the “Queen of Romani Music”, represented North Macedonia in 2013 alongside Vlatko Lozanoski. They performed “Pred da se razdeni”, which included sections in both Macedonian and Romani. They finished 16th in the second semi-final with 28 points and did not qualify for the final.

Although the result was unsuccessful, Esma’s appearance held particular significance because of her decades-long career and international contribution to the promotion of Romani music.

Tijana Dapčević, well known to audiences throughout the region, represented North Macedonia in Copenhagen in 2014. She performed “To the Sky”, but failed to qualify for the final. She finished 13th in the second semi-final with 33 points.

At the time of her participation, Tijana had already spent years building her career primarily in the Serbian music market, which meant that her appearance also attracted attention outside the country she represented.

Toše Proeski’s Eurovision 2004 performance

Montenegrin stars on the big stage

In 2012, Montenegro decided to take a completely different approach to Eurovision. Rambo Amadeus, one of the best-known and most original artists from the alternative music scene of the former Yugoslavia, was internally selected as the country’s representative.

In Baku, he performed the satirical song “Euro Neuro”, which commented on the economic crisis, European bureaucracy and modern society. Rambo failed to qualify for the final. He received 20 points, including 12 from Albania and eight from San Marino. The performance divided audiences, but it remains one of the most conceptually unusual entries Montenegro has ever sent to the contest.

Sergej Ćetković represented Montenegro in 2014 with “Moj svijet”. He finished seventh in the first semi-final and became the first representative of independent Montenegro to qualify for the grand final. In the final, he finished 19th with 37 points. Although the final placing was not particularly high, qualifying held historic significance for Montenegro, which had previously been unable to overcome the semi-final hurdle as an independent country.

Only one year after Sergej, Montenegro once again selected a major regional name. In Vienna in 2015, Knez performed the ballad “Adio”, composed by Željko Joksimović, with lyrics written by Marina Tucaković and Dejan Ivanović. He finished ninth in the semi-final and 13th in the final. This remains Montenegro’s best-ever Eurovision result.

“Adio” also once again confirmed the strength of Željko Joksimović’s songwriting legacy throughout the region’s Eurovision history.

Knez’s Eurovision 2015 performance

A result is not always a measure of greatness

The history of regional stars at Eurovision demonstrates that the result was often not decisive for their future careers.

Zdravko Čolić finished 15th, Bebi Dol received only one point, Tony Cetinski finished 16th and Nina Badrić did not qualify for the final. Nevertheless, all of them built major and long-lasting careers.

On the other hand, Eurovision brought some performers the greatest moments of their careers. Marija Šerifović became a winner, Željko Joksimović finished among the top three twice, Hari Mata Hari achieved Bosnia and Herzegovina’s best-ever result, while Konstrakta became a regional phenomenon.

From Tereza and Čolić to Toše, Severina, Dino, Željko and Marija, Europe’s biggest music stage has been an important part of the careers of numerous regional stars.

It remains to be seen which major name from the former Yugoslavia could be the next to take on the Eurovision challenge.