Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
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Serbia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "
Molitva "Molitva" ( sr-Cyrl, Молитва; "Prayer") is a song with music by Vladimir Graić, lyrics by Saša Milošević Mare, and sung by Serbian singer Marija Šerifović. It was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, performed for . ...
" written by Saša Milošević Mare and
Vladimir Graić Vladimir Graić ( sr, Владимир Граић, born 19 February 1968) is a Serbian composer of popular, film and television music. Among other pieces, he composed the song Molitva, performed by Marija Šerifović, which won the 2007 Eurovision ...
. The song was performed by
Marija Šerifović Marija Šerifović ( sr-cyr, Марија Шерифовић, ; born 14 November 1984) is a Serbian singer. Born in Kragujevac as the daughter of Verica Šerifović, she rose to prominence in 2003 with her debut album ''Naj, Najbolja''. Šerifo ...
. The Serbian national broadcaster,
Radio Television of Serbia Radio Television of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Радио-телевизија Србије, sr-Lat, Radio-televizija Srbije, italics=yes; abbr. RTS/PTC) is Serbia's public broadcaster. It broadcasts and produces news, drama, and sports programming thro ...
(RTS) organised the national final ''Beovizija 2007'' in order to select the Serbian entry for the 2007 contest in
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
,
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. The national final consisted of two shows: a semi-final and a final on 7 and 8 March 2007, respectively. Twenty entries competed in the semi-final where the top ten qualified to the final following the combination of votes from a three-member jury panel and a public televote. The ten qualifiers competed in the final which resulted in "Molitva" performed by Marija Šerifović as the winner following the combination of votes from a three-member jury panel and a public televote. Serbia competed in the semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 10 May 2007. Performing during the show in position 15, "Molitva" was announced among the top 10 entries of the semi-final and therefore qualified to compete in the final on 12 May. It was later revealed that Serbia placed first out of the 28 participating countries in the semi-final with 298 points. In the final, Serbia performed in position 17 and placed first out of the 24 participating countries, winning the contest and scoring 268 points. This was Serbia's first win in the Eurovision Song Contest.


Background

On 28 December 2006, the Serbian national broadcaster,
Radio Television of Serbia Radio Television of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Радио-телевизија Србије, sr-Lat, Radio-televizija Srbije, italics=yes; abbr. RTS/PTC) is Serbia's public broadcaster. It broadcasts and produces news, drama, and sports programming thro ...
(RTS), confirmed their intentions to debut at the
2007 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Helsinki, Finland, following the country's victory at the with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah" by Lordi. Organised by the European Broadcasti ...
for the first time as an independent nation following the dissolution of the State Union of
Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
, having previously competed from
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to
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as part of
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
and in
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
and
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as part of Serbia and Montenegro. RTS would also broadcast the event within Serbia and organise the selection process for the nation's entry. Since 2004, Serbia used the ''
Beovizija ''Beovizija'' ( sr, Беовизија) was a music festival established in 2003. Since 2007 it was the national selection for Serbia's representative at the Eurovision Song Contest. ''Beovizija'' is organised and broadcast live each year by RTS1, ...
'' national final in order to select their entries for the Serbian and Montenegrin national final '' Evropesma/Europjesma'' and along with their participation confirmation, the broadcaster announced the organization of ''Beovizija 2007'' in order to select the 2007 Serbian entry.


Before Eurovision


Beovizija 2007

''Beovizija 2007'' was the fifth edition of the ''
Beovizija ''Beovizija'' ( sr, Беовизија) was a music festival established in 2003. Since 2007 it was the national selection for Serbia's representative at the Eurovision Song Contest. ''Beovizija'' is organised and broadcast live each year by RTS1, ...
'' national final organised by
RTS RTS may refer to: Medicine * Rape trauma syndrome, the psychological trauma experienced by a rape victim * Revised Trauma Score, a system to evaluate injuries secondary to violent trauma * Rubinstein–Taybi syndrome, a condition characterized by ...
in order to select the Serbian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. The selection consisted of a semi-final featuring twenty songs and a final featuring ten songs to be held on 7 and 8 March 2007, respectively, at the
Sava Centar Sava Centar ( sr, Сава центар) is an international congress, cultural and business centre of various multi-functional activities located in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is the largest audience hall in the country and entire forme ...
in
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
. Both shows were hosted by Jelena Jovičić and Boda Ninković. The two shows were broadcast on
RTS1 RTS1 (Serbian Cyrillic: РТС1; First program of RTS ( sr, Први програм РТС-а/), First channel of RTS (/ ) or only First (/ )) is a Serbian public mainstream TV channel operated by RTS. Previously on RTS1 Serbian TV series *Ј ...
,
RTS Sat RTS Svet (Serbian Cyrillic: РТС СBEТ, or RTS WORLD ( sr, РТС СBEТ/); Satellite program of RTS (/ )) is a Serbian satellite television channel. It is operated by RTS. Audience The channel is aimed at Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, ...
, in
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
on
RTRS Radio Television of Republika Srpska ( Serbian: ''Радио Телевизија Републике Српске'' / Radio Televizija Republike Srpske or RTRS) is the entity-level public broadcaster which operates radio and television services ...
, via radio on
Radio Belgrade Radio Belgrade ( sr, Радио Београд, ) is a state-owned and operated radio station in Belgrade, Serbia. It has four different programs (Radio Belgrade 1, Radio Belgrade 2, Radio Belgrade 3, and Radio Belgrade 202), a precious archive o ...
as well as streamed online via the broadcaster's website ''rts.co.yu''.


Competing entries

Artists and songwriters were able to submit their entries between 28 December 2006 and 29 January 2007. Artists were required to be Serb citizens and submit entries in Serbian, while songwriters of any nationality were allowed to submit songs. At the closing of the deadline, 200 submissions were received. A selection committee reviewed the submissions and selected twenty entries to proceed to the national final. The selection committee consisted of RTS music editors Anja Rogljić, Ana Miličević, Zoran Dašić, Jelena Ilić, Nikola Dojčinović, Miki Stanojević and
Bilja Krstić Biljana "Bilja" Krstić (Serbian Cyrillic: Биљана "Биља" Крстић, Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: ǐʎana bǐːʎa kř̩ːstitɕ born 9 November 1955) is a Serbian singer. She was born in 1955 in Niš and brought up on the folk t ...
. The selected competing entries were announced on 7 February 2007.


Semi-final

The semi-final took place on 7 March 2007 where twenty songs competed. The ten qualifiers for the final were decided by a combination of votes from a jury panel consisting of Branimir Dimitrijević (television director), Aleksandar Lokner (composer) and Maja Japundža-Nikolić (television host), and the Serbian public via SMS voting. The duo
Flamingosi Flamingosi ( sr, Фламингоси) was a popular Serbian- Montenegrin duo. Its members were the Serbian TV presenter Ognjen Amidžić (a.k.a. Renato) and actor Marinko Madžgalj (a.k.a. Valentino). The group was founded in the summer of 2005. ...
were featured as the guest performer during the show.


Final

The final took place on 8 March 2007 and featured the ten qualifiers from the preceding semi-final. The winner, "
Molitva "Molitva" ( sr-Cyrl, Молитва; "Prayer") is a song with music by Vladimir Graić, lyrics by Saša Milošević Mare, and sung by Serbian singer Marija Šerifović. It was the winning song of the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, performed for . ...
" performed by
Marija Šerifović Marija Šerifović ( sr-cyr, Марија Шерифовић, ; born 14 November 1984) is a Serbian singer. Born in Kragujevac as the daughter of Verica Šerifović, she rose to prominence in 2003 with her debut album ''Naj, Najbolja''. Šerifo ...
, was decided by a combination of votes from a jury panel consisting of Sandra Šuša (RTS entertainment editor-in-chief), Zafir Hadžimanov (singer-songwriter and actor) and
Dragana Šarić Dragana Todorović ( , / ; born 2 October 1962), better known under the stage name Bebi Dol (), is a Serbian singer and songwriter. Born in Belgrade, she made her debut in 1981 with the single "Mustafa". Bebi Dol rose to further prominence by ...
(represented
Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1991 Yugoslavia made their penultimate Eurovision entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1991, held in Rome, Italy. Before Eurovision Jugovizija 1991 The Yugoslav national final to select their entry was held on 9 March 1991 at TV Studio A in Sar ...
as
Bebi Dol Dragana Todorović ( , / ; born 2 October 1962), better known under the stage name Bebi Dol (), is a Serbian singer and songwriter. Born in Belgrade, she made her debut in 1981 with the single "Mustafa". Bebi Dol rose to further prominence by ...
), and the Serbian public via SMS voting. Eurovision contestants
Marija Šestić Marija Šestić ( sr-cyr, Марија Шестић; born 5 May 1987) is a Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian-Serb singer and musician. She is most known for representing Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Eurovision Song Contest, Bosnia and Her ...
,
Dado Topić Adolf "Dado" Topić (born 4 September 1950, Siverić at Drniš) is a rock musician from Croatia and the former Yugoslavia. He was the lead singer and founder of Time, a 1970s progressive rock band. From 1970 to late 1971, he was also the lead sin ...
and
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,
Karolina Gočeva Karolina Gočeva ( mk, Каролина Гочева, ; born 28 April 1980), sometimes credited as Karolina Gocheva or known only as Karolina, is a Macedonian pop singer. Gočeva launched her music career in 1991 with a performance at a local ch ...
,
Stevan Faddy Stevan Faddy ( cnr, Стеван Фeди, Stevan Fedi; born 2 September 1986, in Kotor) is a Montenegrin musician. He took part in Montevizija 2005, with "Utjeha". He also participated in Sunčane Skale 2003 singing "Poslednja obala". On 25 Fe ...
and Alenka Gotar, which would represent
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
,
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
, Macedonia,
Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...
and Slovenia in 2007, respectively, singer
Bilja Krstić Biljana "Bilja" Krstić (Serbian Cyrillic: Биљана "Биља" Крстић, Serbo-Croatian pronunciation: ǐʎana bǐːʎa kř̩ːstitɕ born 9 November 1955) is a Serbian singer. She was born in 1955 in Niš and brought up on the folk t ...
, and the band Zana were featured as guest performers during the show.


At Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country, the " Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom) and the ten highest placed finishers in the
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
contest are required to qualify from the semi-final on 10 May 2007 in order to compete for the final on 12 May 2007; the top ten countries from the semi-final progress to the final. On 12 March 2007, a special allocation draw was held which determined the running order for the semi-final and Serbia was set to perform in position 15, following the entry from
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
and before the entry from
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. The semi-final and the final were broadcast in Serbia on
RTS1 RTS1 (Serbian Cyrillic: РТС1; First program of RTS ( sr, Први програм РТС-а/), First channel of RTS (/ ) or only First (/ )) is a Serbian public mainstream TV channel operated by RTS. Previously on RTS1 Serbian TV series *Ј ...
and
RTS Sat RTS Svet (Serbian Cyrillic: РТС СBEТ, or RTS WORLD ( sr, РТС СBEТ/); Satellite program of RTS (/ )) is a Serbian satellite television channel. It is operated by RTS. Audience The channel is aimed at Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, ...
with commentary by
Duška Vučinić-Lučić Duška Vučinić-Lučić is a Serbian television journalist, presenter, and director who is currently head of Press and Public Relations at RTS. Since 2003 she has provided national television commentary for the Eurovision Song Contest The ...
. The Serbian spokesperson, who announced the Serbian votes during the final, was Maja Japundža-Nikolić.


Semi-final

Marija Šerifović took part in technical rehearsals on 4 and 6 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 9 and 10 May. The Serbian performance featured Marija Šerifović performing in a white and black shirt with black trousers together with five backing vocalists in black costumes. The performance began with the backing vocalists at the back of the stage turned away from the audience with Šerifović at the centre stage. The backing vocalists gradually joined Šerifović, holding hands and ultimately placing their hands on Šerifović. The stage lighting and background LED screens predominately displayed red colours and a burning sun. The five backing vocalists that joined Marija Šerifović on stage were:
Ksenija Milošević Ksenija Milošević ( sr-Cyrl, Ксенија Милошевић, born April 26, 1982, Belgrade, Serbia, former SFR Yugoslavia) is a Serbian singer and violinist, and a member of the girlband Beauty Queens, which was formed by gathering backing ...
, Sanja Bogosavljević,
Suzana Dinić Suzana Dinić ( sr-cyr, Сузана Динић, born 1 June 1986 in Zaječar, Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Serbian singer and pianist and a member of the girlband Beauty Queens, which was formed by gathering backing vocalists of Marija Šerifo ...
,
Ivana Selakov Ivana Selakov ( sr-cyr, Ивана Селаков, ; born 8 November 1978) is a Serbian singer. She was a member of the girlband Beauty Queens, which was formed by gathering backing vocalists of Marija Šerifović after victory in the Eurovisi ...
and Ana Milenković. At the end of the show, Serbia was announced as having finished in the top 10 and subsequently qualifying for the grand final. It was later revealed that Serbia placed first in the semi-final, receiving a total of 298 points.


Final

The draw for the running order for the final was done by the presenters during the announcement of the ten qualifying countries during the semi-final and Serbia was drawn to perform in position 17, following the entry from
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and before the entry from
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. Marija Šerifović once again took part in dress rehearsals on 11 and 12 May before the final and Šerifović performed a repeat of her semi-final performance during the final on 12 May. Serbia won the contest placing first with a score of 268 points. This was Serbia's first victory in the Eurovision Song Contest, making Serbia the second country to win with a debut entry after Switzerland's win at the inaugural edition in
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.


Voting

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Serbia and awarded by Serbia in the semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Hungary in the semi-final and the final of the contest.


Points awarded to Serbia


Points awarded by Serbia


References

{{Beovizija
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 2007
Eurovision The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...