 For the 11th time Macedonia is going to be represented in the Eurovision Song Contest. The debut entry “Ne Zori, Zoro” by Vlado Janevski (#19) in 1998 did not shape up very well. The best position has been reached by Elena Risteska with “Ninanajna” (#12) in 2006. In the last three years, Macedonia struggled with qualifying, before all Macedonian entries were in the final. This is another argument that not every Balkan country votes for each other, the “Balkan connection” is not working for several countries. Montenegro e.g. failed every year in the semi finals and as a result it does not join the ESC anymore. Music from Macedonia is closely connected with Balkan and also Greek influences, very interesting though. Each year there is the Skopje Festival and the winner is determined to represent Macedonia in the ESC. The Macedonian entry is called “Rusinka” and performed by Vlatko Ilievski. This is more a typical Balkan-styled song, more modern than traditional, probably a realistic reflection of the music in Macedonia at the moment. “Rusinka” is a funny song with an interesting hook. Not too bad for a qualifier. Where else can we watch songs from Macedonia? These are usually not played in the radio stations in Germany, UK or France. At Eurovision a major argument is to appreciate the other country’s difference and that’s what the Europeans can be proud of. |
Participant(s): Vlatko Ilievski
