Slovenia: Ana Soklič's Eurovision 2021 entry has been selected internally ; The song will be released on February 27

Slovenia: Ana Soklič's Eurovision 2021 entry has been selected internally ; The song will be released on February 27
Friday, 05 February 2021

  • RTVSLO, Slovenia's national broadcaster has revealed that Ana Soklič's Eurovision 2021 entry has been internally selected and will be released on February 27.

    Instead of holding a song selection between three songs, the broadcaster decided with the covid-19 pandemic still on, to internally select the country's Eurovision 2021 entry, marking the first time since 2013 the Eurovision song to be determined without a national final.

    due to the measures, RTV Slovenia had to adjust the planned broadcast of EMA 2021 and reduce the number of participants in the broadcast to a minimum. The show will be dedicated to Ana Soklič's preparations for Emo and the Eurovision Song Contest, and the show will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the former common state's first appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest, which was also Slovenian, as the author of the song Neke davne zvezde was the legendary leader of RTV Ljubljana. Jože Privšek, and other Slovenian performances at this largest music competition in Europe.

    Ana Soklič will present only one song at Ema 2021, with which she will represent RTV Slovenia at this year's Eurovision Song Contest. The song was chosen from 191 participants who arrived at the public invitation and at the invitation of the authors by this year's Eurovision representative.

    All submitted songs were evaluated by two expert commissions. In the first round, the members of the commission were two-time Eurovision Song Contest participant, associate professor at the University of Ljubljana, Darja Švajger, author of the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest winner (Prayer) Vladimir Graić and this year's Eurovision representative Ana Soklič. . In the second round, a commission consisting of Darja Švajger, head of ZKP RTV Slovenia Mojca Menart and musician, author of music, lyricist and singer Matevž Šalehar Hamo decided between three songs sung by Ana Soklič.

    As one of the members of the expert commission summed up: "The song that is selected is Ana!". Ana Soklič state on her preparations for Eurovision 2021: 

     “I sincerely thank everyone who contributed their works, we had a hard time choosing and choosing. In fact, the song may sound great in the other singer’s interpretation, but in my vocal performance it sounds completely different. I am very happy with the chosen song, I hope you will all be too. We also made good use of the unique opportunity with recorded backing vocals, which is allowed by this year's Eurovision rules due to all the measures. I can’t wait to be able to share the song with you. And, no, it's not a ballad. "

    The song will therefore be heard for the first time in the show EMA 2021, which will be broadcast on February 27, 2021 at 8 p.m. The song is in English  and the the author of it has many hits on his record. He has also collaborated with Miley Cyrus, for example, and his song has already won Eurovision in the last decade.

    The EMA 2021 event will be hosted by Lea Sirk and Nejc Šmit from Studio 1 TV Slovenia.

    The EMA 2021 event will be hosted by Lea Sirk and Nejc Šmit from Studio 1 TV Slovenia. Photo: Adrian Pregelj / RTV Slovenia

     Photo: Adrian Pregelj / RTV Slovenia

     

    Slovenia in Eurovision

    Slovenia participated at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993 with 1X Band and hasn’t won yet the competition. The country’s best results in the contest is a 7th placing, achieved  in 1995 (Darja Svajger) and 2001 (Nusa Derenda).

    Slovenia has competed 24 times in the contest since their debut in 1993, and has only missed out the contests of 1994 and 2000 when it had to stay out of the event due to the rules of the competition at that time. In 2018 Slovenia opted to select its Eurovision act and entry via its traditional national selection EMA. Lea Sirk flew to Lisbon with her entry Hvala, ne!, placing 22nd in the Grand Final.

    In 2019 the country was represented in Tel Aviv by the duo, Zala Kralj and Gašper Šantl and their entry “Sebi” which finished in 15th place in the Grand final, marking Slovenia’s fourth semi final qualification the last six years of participation.

    Last year, Ana Soklič  won the national final with her entry ‘Voda’, EMA 2020, back in February and earned the right to represent Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam. Unfortunately the Slovenian act saw her Eurovision journey stay incomplete as the contest was cancelled due to the covid-19 outbreak. 

     

    News Source/Images: RTVSLO