Croatia: HRT kicks off Dora 2021 preparations

Croatia: HRT kicks off Dora 2021 preparations
Wednesday, 14 October 2020

  • The Croatian national broadcaster, HRT, has kicked off the preparations for Dora 2021 setting the submission window to open on October 26. 

    HRT has revealed that the next edition of Dora 2021, the format Croatia uses to select its Eurovision entry will take place  13 February in Opatija. 

    Like all broadcasters , HRT will hold the Croatian national final for Eurovision 2021 adjusted to the covid-19 restrictions. The submission window for songwriters and composers that want to compete in the national final will open on October 26 and close on December 10, 2020. 

    Ms. Ursula Tolj (Croatia's HoD and Project Manager) says:

    What is certain is that the competition for song entries will be announced on the HRT website on October 26 and will be open until December 10, 2020 – and I believe that this year we will continue to increase the total number of songs submitted

    Just as the Eurovision Song Contest will not be canceled, neither will Dora. Croatia is participating in the competition and continues the tradition of selecting its representative via a national competition.

     

    Croatia in Eurovision

    Croatia debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993 with the group Put and their entry Don’t ever cry.  In 1996 Maja Blagdan and in 1999 Doris Dragovic, finished in 4th place in the Grand Final, marking the country’s best results so far in the competition.

    In 2018 Croatia selected internally Franka Batelic to represent the country in Lisbon with her song Crazy. Despite her dynamic performance she failed to qualify to the Grand Final.

    In 2018, Croatia determined its Eurovision act through the return of national selection “Dora”.  Roko won Dora 2019 and represented Croatia at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with his entry The Dream. Despite his amazing vocal performance the Croatian artist didn’t make it to the final.

    Damir Kedzo won this year's national final with his entry "Divlji Vjetre" but never had the chanece to perform on the Eurovision stage in Rotterdam as the contest was cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic. 

     

     News Source/Image: HRT