Slavko Kalezić (, ; born 4 October 1985) is a Montenegrin actor, singer and songwriter. He took part in ''
X Factor Adria'' but failed to make it to the live shows. He represented
Montenegro in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "
Space
Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...
". In 2017, he took part in the
fourteenth series of ''
The X Factor UK
''The X Factor'' is a British reality television music competition, and part of the global ''X Factor'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Premiering on 4 September 2004, it was produced by Fremantle's British entertainment company, Thames (T ...
'', where he was eliminated from the competition at judges' houses.
Beginnings
Kalezić studied at the Academy of Performing Arts at
Cetinje
Cetinje ( cnr-Cyrl, Цетиње, ) is a List of cities and towns in Montenegro, town in Montenegro. It is the former royal capital ( cnr-Latn-Cyrl, prijestonica, приjестоница, separator=" / ") of Montenegro and is the location of sev ...
,
Montenegro
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and later on becoming part of Ensemble of the
Montenegrin National Theatre. He played various roles in theater and movies, performed at various music events but also at European Pride shows in Tel Aviv, Stockholm, London, and Madrid.
[ He was invited to return to Madrid for World Pride in the summer of 2017, where he performed in the gala finale held at ]Puerta de Alcalá
The Puerta de Alcalá is a Neo-classical gate in the Plaza de la Independencia in Madrid, Spain.
It was a gate of the former Walls of Philip IV. It stands near the city center and several meters away from the main entrance to the Parque del Bu ...
alongside other Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
alumni such as Loreen
Lorine Zineb Nora Talhaoui (born 16 October 1983), known professionally as Loreen (), is a Swedish singer and songwriter. Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, Representing Sweden, she won the Eurovision Song Contest in Eurovision Song Conte ...
, Conchita Wurst
Thomas Neuwirth (born 6 November 1988) is an Austrian singer, fashion designer, human rights activist and drag queen who is known for his stage persona Conchita Wurst (or simply Conchita). He came to international attention after winning the Euro ...
, Barei, Rosa López, Ruth Lorenzo, Suzy and Kate Ryan
Kate Ryan (born Katrien Verbeeck, 22 July 1980) is a Belgian singer and songwriter, and the winner of a World Music Award. She began her singing career in 2001 and later found fame with a string of dance hits. These included covers, mostly of ...
. In the promotional season for the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest, Slavko was invited to perform at both the Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
n preview parties in Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
and Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, making him the first artist from the contest to attend these events.
In 2011, Kalezić released the single "Muza".
Career
In ''X Factor Adria''
In 2013, Kalezić became more prominent by competing in series 1 of '' X Factor Adria'', the Serbian pan-regional version of ''The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
''. During the 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 ...
, Montenegro
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auditions, he sang Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
's " End of Time", successfully advancing to the bootcamp for the "Over 27s" category, mentored by Željko Joksimović
Željko Joksimović ( sr-Cyrl, Жељко Јоксимовић, ; born 20 April 1972) is a Serbian vocalist, composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. He plays 12 different musical instruments including accordion, piano, guitar a ...
. He sang " Get Lucky" and " Cosmic Girl", and was then promoted to the Judges' house stage, where he performed "Ljuljaj me nezno", being mentored by Joksimović, who was assisted by Tony Cetinski
Anthony Cetinski (born 31 May 1969) is a Croatian pop singer.
Biography
Born into a family of musicians in Pula (then SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia), Cetinski began singing when he was 15 years old with various local groups. He moved from Rovinj to ...
, but he failed to make it to the live shows and the Top 14.
After ''X Factor Adria''
In 2014, subsequent to ''X Factor Adria'', Kalezić released the album ''San o vječnosti''. Singles included most notably "Krivac", "Feel the Music" and "Freedom".
Eurovision 2017
Kalezić was confirmed to be internally selected as the Montenegrin entrant to the Eurovision Song Contest 2017
The Eurovision Song Contest 2017 was the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following the country's victory at the with the song " 1944" by Jamala.
Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) an ...
with his song, "Space", on 29 December 2016. He represented Montenegro in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Space
Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...
". It was written by Adis Eminić, Iva Boršić, Momčilo Zeković and produced by Stefan Orn and Jovan Radomir in studios in Stockholm. Montenegro was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 9 May 2017. Performing during the show in position 6, "Space" was placed 16th in the first semi-final with a total of 56 points and therefore was not in the top 10 entries of the first semi-final, so did not qualify to compete in the final.
In UK ''The X Factor''
In July 2017, he auditioned for the fourteenth series of the UK ''The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
''. During his audition he revealed that judge Louis Walsh
Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan (singer), Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s an ...
, who was also at the Contest in Kyiv as a member of the Irish delegation, advised him to audition. He received a "Yes" from three of the four judges and progressed to Bootcamp. He survived Bootcamp and progressed to Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger ( ; ; born June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With ...
's Judges' House. At Judges' Houses he was not selected by his mentor Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger ( ; ; born June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With ...
to go through to live shows and therefore was eliminated from the competition. He was included as a potential wildcard contestant but did not get enough votes from the public.
Eurovision 2018
Kalezić was invited by RTP and OGAE
The (; ), shortened to OGAE, is a non-governmental and non-profit international organisation, consisting of 42 Eurovision Song Contest fan clubs from across Europe and worldwide. It was founded in 1984 in Savonlinna, Finland by Jaripekka Koikka ...
Portugal to travel to Lisbon
Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
and perform at a number of events during the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest. Slavko performed remixes of his Eurovision 2017 song "Space" along with new single "El Ritmo" at the Eurofan Café, Wiwijam, Trumps Lisboa and Euroclub. He also attended the semi-final in which Montenegro were competing as well as the Grand Final.
''Moja Istina''
In April 2018 Kalezić published a book called ''Moja Istina'' (meaning My Truth) documenting his experience at Eurovision 2017 and ''The X Factor''. It was published in Montenegrin with a view to having it translated to English later on. In November 2019, he produced and performed a one-off show at the Ramada Hotel in Podgorica of the same name, telling the story of the book in a musical multi-media show.
Eurovision 2019
Kalezić was invited by OGAE Israel to perform at the Eurofan Cafe during the week of the semi-finals. He stayed for the Grand Final to support the artists competing.
Discography
Albums
Singles
Filmography
* '' L'homme qui voulait vivre sa vie'' (2010)
* '' Lokalni vampir'' (2011)
* '' Budva na pjenu od mora'' (2012/2014) - Roman
* '' The Kids from the Marx and Engels Street'' (2014) - Fake prostitute
Awards
References
External links
Montenegrin National Theatre Profile
IMDB profile Profile
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalezic, Slavko
21st-century Montenegrin male singers
Montenegrin expatriates in England
Living people
1985 births
The X Factor contestants
Musicians from Podgorica
Actors from Podgorica
Gay singers
Gay songwriters
Gay actors
Montenegrin LGBTQ people
Eurovision Song Contest entrants