Montenegro is launching a new national selection show called Montesong to choose its representative for Eurovision 2025. The festival will take place on November 26-27 in Podgorica.
The Montenegrin broadcaster RTCG revealed today (Thursday) the official dates for the new Montesong festival, which will serve as Montenegro’s national selection for Eurovision 2025. The festival will be split into two broadcasts airing on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 26-27, 2024.
Montenegro confirmed its participation on August 7, 2024, after a two-year absence. With today’s announcement, RTCG opens the submission window for songs for the national selection. Local artists can submit their entries to the selection committee until October 1. A committee from RTCG will review the songs and choose 16 competitors to vie for the ticket to Basel.
After the submission window closes, an internal RTCG committee will score the candidates by awarding a maximum of 50 points for melody, 30 points for lyrics, and 20 points for overall production. Additionally, the competition requires songs to include at least 51% of the lyrics in the country’s official language, Montenegrin, and artists must be of Montenegrin origin, though songwriters can be foreign.
Festival Details
Festival director Danijel Alibabić, who was a member of the band “No Name” that represented Serbia and Montenegro in Eurovision 2005, stated optimistically:
“Artists must be Montenegrin citizens, but songwriters can be from anywhere in the world. This will be a production Montenegro has never seen before […] I would like this festival to have a tradition like the Croatian national selection ‘Dora’ and reach that level […] The fact that artists will perform at the festival and be financially compensated is sufficient incentive for artists to come and compete. It’s going to be an amazing show.”
Alibabić is confident that this year’s Montenegrin representative will qualify for the Eurovision final, becoming only the third to do so after a decade of absences and failures to qualify.
Purpose of Montenegro’s National Selection
The national selection, produced by local broadcaster RTCG in collaboration with the Association of Variety Artists and Performers of Montenegro, aims to give a boost to Montenegro’s local music industry. Through this collaboration, the broadcaster will be able to reduce the significant financial burden associated with Montenegro’s Eurovision participation. Under the new partnership terms, the association will bear 80% of the organizational costs involved in Eurovision participation, leaving RTCG responsible for only 20%. This arrangement significantly reduces the financial strain on RTCG.
The Montesong festival will provide a significant opportunity for new artists in Montenegro. It is designed to encourage local talent and allow them to showcase their work to a wider audience. “Organizing this festival is in the high public interest, as it encourages local creators and performers to create new music,” RTCG officials stated. This commitment to nurturing new talent is crucial for developing Montenegro’s music industry.
National Selection Dates
First show: November 26, 2024
Final: November 27, 2024
The festival will be held in Podgorica, Montenegro’s capital. According to festival producer and Montenegro’s Eurovision 2022 representative Vladana Vučinić, the Montenegrin representative will be chosen with maximum transparency and in accordance with Eurovision rules. The scoring will be split 50/50 between a professional jury and public voting.
Vladana encourages young artists in particular: “The jury will include local and international musicians as well as famous and prominent writers […] We want to give musicians support and an opportunity to present themselves. There are few musicians in Montenegro, and I’m in favor of bringing them to the forefront. We would like to hear diverse musical styles, and everyone has a place on stage.”
Regarding Montenegro’s financial situation, Vladana added: “Money has always been Montenegro’s biggest problem, and we need to provide support to young musicians. This is a real opportunity for us.”
When asked about interest from Montenegro’s ministries of culture and communications, Vladana responded negatively. This somewhat relates to Eurovision 2022, in which she participated, where Montenegro invested only 108,000 euros, the lowest amount invested by any country in that competition.
Montenegro in Eurovision 2022
“Breathe” is the name of the song performed by singer Vladana, who represented Montenegro in the second semi-final of Eurovision 2022. The song was written by Vladana herself along with Darko Dimitrov, who has composed 11 songs for the competition over the years for Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro. Dimitrov’s most successful entry is “Proud,” which represented North Macedonia in Eurovision 2019 and reached seventh place. “Breathe” was performed in English and Italian and was dedicated to Vladana’s mother, who had passed away a year earlier from COVID-19. Vladana only reached 17th place (second to last) in the second semi-final with just 33 points. This is one of the most disappointing results Montenegro has experienced in the competition.
Source: RTCG.me
Eurovision 2025: This will be Montenegro’s 13th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Montenegro joined the competition in 2007 achieved its best result in Eurovision 2015 when singer Knez finished in 13th place with the song “Adio”.
