Nova deca / Sanja Ilić and Balkanika / Serbia | Review

Sanja Ilić and Balkanika to represent Serbia

Countries which formed the former Yugoslavia usually bring a distinctive quality to the Eurovision Song Contest, something which is increasingly appreciated in a competition that sometimes feels like it has sold out to a repetitively bland template of 'one size fits all' Western music. That's not to say that it is ALL bad, but the uplifting recognition of regional differences should always remain a vital element of the Eurovision phenomenon.

With Montenegro having served up its slice of Balkan balladry, all eyes turned to Serbia to see what they would produce. For fans of world music, the winner of Beovizija - the Serbian national final - is heaven sent.

Sanja Ilić and Balkanika is a project which has been around since the turn of the century and one which specializes in combining elements of traditional Serbian music with a modern urban flavour. The Serbian Eurovision entry, Nova deca (Our Children) could be described as exactly that.

Starting out with nearly a full minute of wailing and moaning by the female vocalists, the song shifts gears as the sound of pounding drums intensifies over an insistent clamour of voices combined with an ethnic wind instrument. Now, a Eurovision hit needs to grab the listener's attention pretty quickly, and stalling any hook until halfway through the song is effectively a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, by the time Nova deca begins to get more appealing, many voters will have lost interest.

Songs from the Balkans usually take the listener on a truly dramatic journey. They tend to develop and intensify over the passage of three minutes. This Serbian entry, while no doubt captivating to a local audience, feels as if it could be two compositions cobbled together and is therefore not entirely satisfying.

Unfortunately for Serbia, it will probably go the way of similar ethnically sounding examples of recent years - think Macedonia 2013 for instance - and fail to make it to the Grand Final. Hopefully, this kind of result will not deter countries from continuing to enter colourful examples of their regional tradition. For Eurovision, it's just finding the right one.

What do you think?

Eurovision 2013: Serbia: Ljubav je svuda

The 2013 Eurovision song for Serbia is Ljubav je svuda (Love is Everywhere : Љубав је свуда) sung by the female trio Moje 3.

This year's song is composed by the same guy who put together the winning entry for Serbia in 2007: Molitva. Whereas the presentation of that song had class stamped across it, this one has taken a different route. While one cannot deny that these girls are easy on the eye, it seems they have opted for the trashy alternative in the hope of securing more votes.

You can have a great voice and look as sexy as you want, but if you're singing just an OK composition, it's never going to work. Visually and vocally the trio have it in the bag, but there is a disconnect when one includes the most important thing: the song. It has the hallmark of "we've heard this all before" in its construction and thus comes across as an out-of-date piece of electronic Euro pop. It's only saving graces are that it is in a ballad laden semi-final where it will be performed in last place. My gut tells me that this will be the last time it will be heard in Malmö.

Moje 3 will perform in sixteenth place in the first semi-final on May 14.

What are your feelings about the Serbian song?

Eurovision 2010: Serbia and Sweden Song Entries

Last night saw both Serbia and Sweden select the entries that will represent them at this year's Eurovision Song Contest.

Serbia chose the song Ovo je Balkans (This is the Balkans) which will be performed by Milan Stanković.

Sweden decided on the song This is My Life sung by vocalist Anna Bergendahl.

So, what do you think of the Serbian and Swedish Eurovision songs?