Inje / Vanja Radovanović / Montenegro | Review

In the doldrums? Vanja Radovanović

After several years of internal selections, Montenegro decided that they would return to a national final in 2018 - their first since 2007. The result, five contenders battling for the ticket to Lisbon on the show, Montevizija. Following a super-final, the only male contender - Vanja Radovanović - triumphed over his competitors with the song Inje.

To date, Montenegro has only progressed to the Grand Final on two occasions, both times with typically dramatic Balkan ballads - a trend that Radovanović will hope continues with his equally brooding song.

Inje certainly bears all the hallmarks of a classic Balkan composition. The powerful instrumentation, the gathering storm arrangement, the anguished, tragic lyrics. It's very similar to what we've heard in the past when Montenegro submits this type of entry. Even Vanja's voice could be interchanged with the vocals from 2014/5 which somehow adds to the sense of déja vu.

Is this inevitably a misstep though? As far as Montenegro is concerned, probably not. In the long run, if the Balkan ballad concept hasn't already excited your senses, then Inje is highly unlikely to do anything to change that. However, in a contest which features ever fewer ethnic contributions, these bursts of ethnicity display an all too welcome shift from what has become the 'norm'.

With that said, is there any reason to feel hopeful about a positive outcome for Radovanović? It possibly fails to capture the uplifting passion that made Moj svijet and Adio such striking entries in their particular years, but this is a sensitive performance. It's certainly not 2018's winner, but with some striking staging, Montenegro could well surprise a few doubters and qualify for the Grand Final.

MONTENEGRO 

Artist: Vanja Radovanović

Song: Inje 

Semi-Final 2 | Second Half