Croatia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest since 1993, following the breakup of Yugoslavia. Their debut entry, “Don’t Ever Cry” by the group Put, placed a respectable 15th. Croatia had to enter an international pre-contest that year, held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and only Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Slovenia were able to qualify for the ESC in Millstreet, Ireland. The inclusion of all the new countries from the former Eastern bloc posed a challenge in terms of integrating them into the established rules of the competition without overloading it.

The 1990 Eurovision Song Contest in Zagreb was a memorable event for Croatia and the entire former Yugoslavia. Thanks to the band Riva with the song „Rock Me“, the contest went to Yugoslavia. The contest was held in the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall, which was decorated beautifully for the occasion. The hosts Oliver Mlakar and Helga Vlahović did a great job, and the interval act featured traditional Croatian music and dance.

The Eurovision Song Contest has been providing an international platform for artists from various countries, including the ex-Yugoslav countries, to showcase their music and talent to a wider audience. While there have been criticisms regarding voting patterns among the Balkan countries, it is important to note that music tastes and cultural connections often play a role in the voting process. Furthermore, the ESC has been instrumental in promoting unity and understanding between different cultures and nations through music.

Croatia’s best results were achieved between 1995 and 2002, with six top 10 places. However, in recent years, Croatia’s interest and success in the contest have decreased significantly. Croatia failed to qualify for the Grand Final four times in a row and even took a break from the competition in 2014 and 2015. In more recent years, only Nina Kraljić (2016) and Jacques Houdek (2017) were able to make it to the Grand Final.

Last year Mia Dimšić could not reach the Grand Final of Turin with “Guilty Pleasure”. She just missed the qualification and came 11^th in the semi-final. Great to see that the well-established DORA festival has been revived.