Neonoen, commonly stylized as NeonoeN, is a Montenegrin rock band formed in 2012 in

Podgorica Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...

. They were initially selected to represent Montenegro in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2025 The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 was the 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Basel, Switzerland, following the country's victory at the with the song "The Code (Nemo song), The Code" by Nemo (singer), Nemo. Organised ...

with the song "

Clickbait Clickbait (also known as link bait or linkbait) is a text or a thumbnail hyperlink, link that is designed to attract attention and to entice users to follow ("click") that link and view, read, stream or listen to the linked piece of online cont ...

", but later withdrew due to a controversy over having previously performed their song in June 2023.

History

Neonoen, founded in

in early 2012 under the name Neon, is the result of the collaboration between singer Marko Vukčević and guitarist Ilija Pejović. After the passage of several other musicians, the lineup was definitively solidified with the recruitment of bassist Filip Vulanović and drummer Milan Vujović. Despite their long activity on the local music scene, Neon released their debut single "Ti i ja solo" in 2018, finally starting to write original songs. In the same year, they were guests on the

RTCG Radio and Television of Montenegro ( cnr-Cyrl-Latn, Радио и Телевизија Црне Горе, Radio i Televizija Crne Gore; abbr. /) is the public service broadcaster of Montenegro. A state-owned company with its headquarters in Podgor ...

music program ''Obrati pažnju'', where they performed some covers of famous songs, such as Lonely Boy by

The Black Keys The Black Keys are an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, Singing, vocals) and Patrick Carney (Drum kit, drums). The duo began as an Independent music, independent act, record ...

, "Za laku noć" by Perper, and "Još ne sviće rujna zora", a Montenegrin patriotic song. About three years later, in 2022, they collaborated with Ivan Dečak, frontman of the Croatian band Vatra, for the song "Daleko odavde". In 2023, on the occasion of their tenth anniversary, Neon decided to change their name to Neonoen in order to avoid confusion with other bands both nationally and internationally. This change was accompanied by the production of two unreleased singles, which were premiered at the Zabjelo Cultural Festival. With the release of the song "Dok ne udahnem te", the band announced that they are working on their first album, which was scheduled for release in 2024. On 10 October 2024, Neonoen's participation in Montesong 2024 was made official, an event dedicated to the selection of the Montenegrin representative at the

, where they sang the song

. On 27 November, during the final of the contest, the group triumphed after obtaining second place from both the jury and the televote, thus securing the right to represent Montenegro on the Eurovision stage in Basel. Following the final of Montesong, it emerged that Neonoen had performed "Clickbait" in June 2023 at a music festival in Zabjelo, which was a breach of the rules of both Montesong and the Eurovision Song Contest. On 4 December 2024, the band announced their withdrawal as Montenegro's representative in the contest.

Musical style

In an interview for the publication ''All About The Rock'', Marko Vukčević described the band's music as indie rock containing elements of

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rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

, heavy metal,

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

, and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

Members

Current members

* Marko Vukčević – vocals * Ilija Pejović – guitar * Filip Vulanović – bass * Milan Vujović – drums

Discography

Singles

* 2018 – ''Ti i ja'' * 2018 – ''Tattoo'' * 2019 – ''Mit'' * 2022 – ''Daleko odavde'' (feat. Ivan Dečak) * 2023 – ''Dok ne udahnem te'' * 2023 – ''Dječak sa vjetrom u kosi'' * 2024 – ''

Notes

References

{{Authority control 2012 establishments in Montenegro Alternative rock groups Indie rock groups Montenegrin rock music groups Musical groups established in 2012