Montenegro, which was once part of Yugoslavia, participated in the Eurovision Song Contest twice as “Serbia & Montenegro” in 2004 and 2005. Both entries were highly successful: „Lane Moje“ by Željko Joksimovic (2004) placed 2nd, and „Zauvijek Moja“ by No Name (2005) came 7th. Montenegro made its debut as an independent nation at the 2007 contest in Helsinki with „Adje Kroci,“ but unfortunately, it did not qualify for the Grand Final, finishing in 22nd place.

Since its independence, Montenegro has only managed to qualify for the Grand Final twice, in 2014 and 2015. It also took a break from the contest in 2020 and 2021. The most recent Montenegrin entry, „Breathe“ by Vladana, finished in 17th place in the 2022 Turin semi-final, reflecting the country’s struggle to make a strong impact, despite the „Balkan Block Voting.“

Other Montenegrin entries have mainly been unremarkable rock songs, such as „Ajde Kroci“ by Stevan Faddy (22nd in 2007 semi-final) and „Zauvijek Volim Te“ by Stefan Filipović (14th in 2008 semi-final). It’s possible that the song styles didn’t resonate with the broader European audience. One standout exception was „Igranka“ by the group Who See, a unique performance featuring astronaut costumes, but the song failed to qualify for the Grand Final in Malmö, finishing 12th in the semi-final.

Currently, Montenegro’s chances of reaching the Grand Final seem increasingly slim.