Montenegro: Rehearsals Begin for Eurovision National Selection, Voting Rules Revealed

As rehearsals commence for today’s Eurovision national selection, Montenegro unveils the voting rules for “Montesong 2024”.

Today at 20:00 (CET), Montenegro’s Eurovision national selection “Montesong 2024” will take place, culminating in the selection of Montenegro’s representative and song for Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland. Rehearsals for the national final began two days ago (Monday) in Podgorica, Montenegro’s capital, with sixteen competing artists arriving yesterday for their first full rehearsals.

Danijel Alibabić from Montenegro’s Entertainment Association stated:

“The performers have become familiar with the large stage and the sound. We are trying to use modern technology to make it easier for the performers to sing and perform. We will have 16 real Eurovision performances, and whoever wins from the 16 will be a deserving winner. We should all stand by the winner who will be sent to Basel so they can do as well as possible at Eurovision.”

Montenegro is holding its national selection after a two-year absence from the Eurovision Song Contest. The winner of the final will be chosen through a combination of public voting (50%) and jury voting (50%), with songs required to include at least 51% Montenegrin language content.

Regarding public voting, voters will be allowed only one vote per phone number. Voting will be conducted via SMS at a cost of 1 Euro. The voting window will be open for 20 minutes, after which the total votes will be converted into points from 1 to 7, 8, 10, and 12.

In the event of a tie for first place, the winner will be determined by which song received the most 12 points from the judges. If a tie still persists, the song with the most 10 points from the judges will win, and so on. If there is still a tie after this process, the president of the jury will decide the winner.

The competition will be held at the Voco Sports Hall in Podgorica, Montenegro’s capital. The festival is organized in collaboration between Montenegro’s national broadcaster and the local artists’ association, aiming to provide exposure to local artists while primarily intended to reduce the financial burden on the national broadcaster. A significant portion of the production costs will be funded by the association.

Running Order of Montesong

The list of contestants and their songs includes:

Click on the song title to listen!

Notable Participants and Songwriters

Among the well-known artists competing in “Montesong” is Nina Žižić, who represented Montenegro at Eurovision 2013 alongside the duo Who See. They performed the song “Igranka,” finishing 12th in the first semi-final, though many believe the song deserved to qualify for the Eurovision final.

Several renowned songwriters are contributing to the Montenegrin Eurovision selection. These include:

Sanja Vučić: Serbia’s representative at Eurovision 2016 (18th place) and part of the band Hurricane. This year, she will be among the songwriters for Milena Vučić.
Leontina Vukomanović: Writer of “Lane Moje,” performed by Željko Joksimović, who represented Serbia and Montenegro at Eurovision 2004 (second place). This year, she will be among the songwriters for Isak Šabanović.
Katarina Bogićević: Competed in Montenegro’s national final for 2018 with “Neželjena” (2nd place). This year, she will be among the writers of her own song, which she will perform under the stage name Kejt.
Kristina Kovač: Backing vocalist for Baby Doll, Yugoslavia’s representative at Eurovision 1991 (21st place), and writer of “Čaroban,” performed by Nina at Eurovision 2011 (14th place). This year, she will be among the songwriters for Đurđa.
Violeta Mihajlovska: Among the writers of “No No No,” performed by Bojana x David in the Serbian national final for 2024 (7th place). This year, she will be among the songwriters for Nina Žižić.
Boris Subotić: Competed in the Serbian national final for 2023 with “Nedostupan” (13th place) and was among the writers of “No No No” in 2024. This year, he will be among the songwriters for Nina Žižić.
Darko Dimitrov: A prominent Eurovision songwriter from the Balkans, with entries for multiple countries over various years. This year, he will be among the songwriters for Nina Žižić.

Selection Process and Event Details

The winner will be determined by a combination of 50% jury voting and 50% public voting. Songs must include at least 51% Montenegrin language content. The competition will take place at the Voco Sports Hall in Podgorica, Montenegro’s capital. The event promises to deliver a spectacular and emotional show, with the winner to be announced live towards the end of the evening after the vote tally.

The festival is organized in collaboration between Montenegro’s national broadcaster and the local artists’ association, aiming to provide exposure to local artists while primarily intended to reduce the financial burden on the national broadcaster. A significant portion of the production costs will be funded by the association.

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:

Eurovision 2025: This will be Montenegro’s 13th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Montenegro joined the competition in 2007 and achieved its best result in Eurovision Song Contest 2015 when singer Knez reached 13th place with the song “Adio”.