Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Encyclopedia
Croatia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 and placed twenty-first in the final. Having missed their first Eurovision final, Croatia
hoped for a better result in Belgrade. Ten songs pre-qualified for the final of the Dora that was held in Opatija
on 23 February 2008. They were joined by six qualifiers from a semi-final on 22 February 2008. A jury/televoting mix chose the entry. Kraljevi Ulice
& 75 Cents were declared the winners, even though they had the same number of points as Antonija Šola
, because they were the jury's favorites. Among the performers in competition were Emilija Kokić
the lead singer of the Eurovision Song Contest 1989
winners Riva
and 1996 Croatian entrant Maja Blagdan
.
Before the final there was a Semi-Final with 14 performers competing, with 4 reserves in case of withdrawal or disqualification. The top 6 songs - chosen by a mix of Televoting and jury vote - qualified for the National Final. "Milina", a song by Dino Dvornik
& Bane, was disqualified just 2 nights before the final, so the official scoreboard contained their name and the phone number for televoting, but the votes weren't counted.
In the final they performed 9th following Poland
and preceding Finland
. They gained 44 points and were ranked 21st.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
hoped for a better result in Belgrade. Ten songs pre-qualified for the final of the Dora that was held in Opatija
Opatija
Opatija is a town in western Croatia, just southwest of Rijeka on the Adriatic coast. , the town proper had a population of 7,850, with the municipality having a total 12,719 inhabitants.-Geography:...
on 23 February 2008. They were joined by six qualifiers from a semi-final on 22 February 2008. A jury/televoting mix chose the entry. Kraljevi Ulice
Kraljevi ulice
Kraljevi ulice is a Croatian band founded by Miran Hadži Veljković and Zlatko Petrović Pajo. The band's name translates as "Kings of the Street". They were chosen to represent Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia...
& 75 Cents were declared the winners, even though they had the same number of points as Antonija Šola
Antonija Šola
-Early career:Born in Zagreb to Kaja and Marko Šola, both whom hailed from Tomislavgrad, she studied sociology and Croatian culture before turning to show business. In 1998, she won the regional contest of Miss Croatia as Miss Istria and Kvarner....
, because they were the jury's favorites. Among the performers in competition were Emilija Kokić
Emilija Kokic
Emilija Kokić is a Croatian singer. She was the lead singer of the Yugoslav pop band Riva, which won the Eurovision Song Contest 1989 for Yugoslavia, with the song Rock Me....
the lead singer of the Eurovision Song Contest 1989
Eurovision Song Contest 1989
The Eurovision Song Contest 1989 was the 34th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 6 May 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Switzerland gained the hosting rights after Celine Dion's victory in Dublin the previous year. The presenters were Lolita Morena and Jacques Deschenaux. Riva was the winner of...
winners Riva
Riva
-People:* Antonello Riva, a former Italian basketball player* Emmanuelle Riva, a French actress* Luigi Riva, a former Italian striker* Maria Luisa Riva, an Italian ski mountaineer* Mario Riva, an Italian film actor...
and 1996 Croatian entrant Maja Blagdan
Maja Blagdan
Maja Blagdan is a Croatian pop singer.She began her singing career in a rock band, Stijene, in 1986.Later she had a solo career. Her first solo album was released in 1993....
.
Before the final there was a Semi-Final with 14 performers competing, with 4 reserves in case of withdrawal or disqualification. The top 6 songs - chosen by a mix of Televoting and jury vote - qualified for the National Final. "Milina", a song by Dino Dvornik
Dino Dvornik
Miljenko "Dino" Dvornik was a Croatian singer, songwriter, music producer, actor and reality television star.-Early life:...
& Bane, was disqualified just 2 nights before the final, so the official scoreboard contained their name and the phone number for televoting, but the votes weren't counted.
National final
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Jury | Total | Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dye and the Colors | "Zažmirim i putujem" | 496 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 12 |
| 2 | Hari Rončević | "Ležim na suncu" | 229 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 15 |
| 3 | Emilija Kokić Emilija Kokic Emilija Kokić is a Croatian singer. She was the lead singer of the Yugoslav pop band Riva, which won the Eurovision Song Contest 1989 for Yugoslavia, with the song Rock Me.... |
"Anđeo" | 1554 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 6 |
| 4 | Prva Liga i Druge | "Vila" | 2571 | 14 | 6 | 20 | 6 |
| 5 | Tamara Obrovac | "Amor" | 279 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 6 |
| 6 | Pero Galić | "Otvori mi oči" | 690 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 10 |
| 7 | Antonija Šola Antonija Šola -Early career:Born in Zagreb to Kaja and Marko Šola, both whom hailed from Tomislavgrad, she studied sociology and Croatian culture before turning to show business. In 1998, she won the regional contest of Miss Croatia as Miss Istria and Kvarner.... |
"Gdje je srce tu je dom" | 4119 | 16 | 15 | 31 | 2 |
| 8 | Ivo Gamulin Gianni | "Sanjam" | 1858 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 3 |
| 9 | Alen Islamović Alen Islamovic Alen Islamović is a well-known and popular Bosnian singer in Bosnia and Herzegovina and other former Yugoslav republics... |
"Mirno spava kosa plava" | 193 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 13 |
| 10 | Maja Blagdan Maja Blagdan Maja Blagdan is a Croatian pop singer.She began her singing career in a rock band, Stijene, in 1986.Later she had a solo career. Her first solo album was released in 1993.... |
"Zvala sam ga Anđele" | 247 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 14 |
| 11 | Giuliano | "Plava vještica" | 117 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 11 |
| 12 | Maja Šuput | "Lako zaljubljiva" | 835 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 5 |
| 13 | Kraljevi Ulice Kraljevi ulice Kraljevi ulice is a Croatian band founded by Miran Hadži Veljković and Zlatko Petrović Pajo. The band's name translates as "Kings of the Street". They were chosen to represent Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia... & 75 cents |
"Romanca Romanca "Romanca" was the Croatian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 held in Belgrade, Serbia. The song is performed by the group Kraljevi ulice and 75 Cents with Mia Lisak dancing wearing a red dress and playing percussion with glass bottles towards the end of the song, Mia is barefoot for the... " |
3882 | 15 | 16 | 31+1=32 | 1 |
| 14 | Bonaca & Nera | "Tvoje oko ka' more duboko" | 1246 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 4 |
| 15 | Ivana Banfić Ivana Banfic Ivana Banfić is a Croatian dancer and pop singer. She became famous under the stage name I BEE in the 1990s during the period of popularity of dance music in Croatia.... |
"Mir" | 358 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 9 |
| 16 | Dino Dvornik Dino Dvornik Miljenko "Dino" Dvornik was a Croatian singer, songwriter, music producer, actor and reality television star.-Early life:... & Bane |
"Milina" | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 |
At Eurovision
Croatia took part in the second semi-final on 22 May 2008, qualifying for the final..In the final they performed 9th following Poland
Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Poland competed in the first of the semifinals in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. The Polish National Final Piosenka dla Europy 2008 was held on February 23, 2008. The winning entry was determined by combining the results of a public televote and a jury vote . Both the jury and televoters gave...
and preceding Finland
Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Finland entered the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 after hosting the 2007 contest in Helsinki. To select their entry for the contest, Yleisradio Oy held a national selection, Euroviisut 2008...
. They gained 44 points and were ranked 21st.
Commentators and spokespersons
- Commentators - Duško Ćurlić
- Spokespersons - Barbara Kolar