The Final of Serbia’s Pesma za Evroviziju 2024 was a fun and varied show, even if the
conclusion was nearly foregone and the green room interview segments were insufferably
long. Serbian superstar and ESC double-dipper, Željko Joksimović, provided the interval
act. But this night was all about who would move on to Malmö in May.
Despite her enormous success in 2022, Konstrakta couldn’t claim another victory with
her self-referential performance of “Nove, Bolje” (New, Better). (It’s supposed to look
just like “In Corpore Sano.” That’s the point! Or so the internet told me.)
The other 15 finalists brought songs in new and traditional styles about the usual topics:
Love (found, lost, or troublesome), Fitting in, Getting Drunk, and best of all: Themselves.
A glorious level of narcissism provided my favorite highlights on Saturday, including:
• Lena Kovačević’s “Zovi me Lena” (Call Me Lena)
• Zorja’s “Lik u ogledalu” (Face in the Mirror)
• Zejna’s “Najbolja” (She’s the Best)
Sadly, Zejna’s not-so-subtle voting instructions (“Zejna is the best, Zejna Zejna is the
best...”) were not heeded. And Zorja’s powerhouse vocals just barely netted her a tie for
second place.
National pride would reign instead, with the most support going to two early favorites
about the resilience of the Serbian people.
Breskvica and her manic bagpiper entranced the audience with a turbo-folk jam about an
"epic battle between good and evil, about the hope that good always wins in the end.”
The wide support for “Gnezdo orlovo” (The Eagle’s Nest) is quite an accomplishment for
a song written in 7/8 time! Ultimately Breskvica received more than 40% of the televote
for 12 points in the tally. But she stumbled with the juries, getting only 5 points (behind
the winner and all of the performers named above). Could that be blamed on early
controversy over the bellicose lyrics or the uncomfortable title? Who can say?!
It was Teya Dora who emerged victorious with 12 points from the jury vote, and 10 in the
televote, with “Ramonda.” This subdued ballad is an ode and plea to Natalie’s Ramonda
(a flower named after Queen Natalie of Serbia when it was discovered), the symbol of
Serbia’s survival after the devastation of WWI.
Teya Dora will represent Serbia in Malmö and her many fans are hopeful that this
heartfelt somber tune may stand out among the mostly upbeat competition.
Of note to American ESC fans: Teya Dora continues a trend of former Berklee College of
Music students competing at Eurovision, including Maro (Portugal 2022), Monika Liu
(Lithuania 2022), and winning songwriter Luísa Sobral (Portugal 2017), among others.
However, my favorite trend at PzE? Co-Host Kristina Radenković followed in the
footsteps of Eurovision hosts Alesha Dixon, Mika, and Laura Pausini, reminding us that
hot pink truly is The Color of the Decade!
