Montenegro in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019

Montenegro participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Heaven" written by Dejan Božović and Adis Eminić. The song was performed by the group D mol. The Montenegrin broadcaster Radio i televizija Crne Gore (RTCG) organised the national final Montevizija 2019 in order to select the Montenegrin entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel. Five entries competed in the national final on 9 February 2019 where the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the top two entries advanced to the superfinal following the combination of the votes of an international jury, a Montenegrin jury, a radio jury and public televoting. In the superfinal, "Heaven" performed by D-moll was selected as the winner entirely by a public televote, gaining 62% of the votes. The group was later renamed as D mol for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Eurovision Song Contest 2019
Country Montenegro
National selection
Selection processMontevizija 2019
Selection date(s)9 February 2019
Selected entrantD mol
Selected song"Heaven"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • Dejan Božović
  • Adis Eminić
Finals performance
Semi-final resultFailed to qualify (16th)
Montenegro in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2018 2019 2022►

Montenegro was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 14 May 2019. Performing during the show in position 2, "Heaven" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Montenegro placed sixteenth out of the 17 participating countries in the semi-final with 46 points.

Background

Prior to the 2019 contest, Montenegro had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest as an independent nation ten times since its first entry in its own right in 2007.[1] The nation's best placing in the contest was thirteenth, which they achieved in 2015 with the song "Adio" performed by Knez. In 2018, Montenegro failed to qualify with the song "Inje" performed by Vanja Radovanović.. The nation briefly withdrew from the competition between 2010 and 2011 citing financial difficulties as the reason for their absence.

The Montenegrin national broadcaster, Radio i televizija Crne Gore (RTCG), broadcasts the event within Montenegro and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. RTCG confirmed that Montenegro would participate at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 on 26 September 2018.[2] Montenegro has used various methods to select the Montenegrin entry in the past, such as internal selections and televised national finals to choose the performer, song or both to compete at Eurovision. For 2019, the broadcaster returned to using a national final format to select the Montenegrin entry; RTCG opted to internally select both the artist and song that would represent Montenegro between 2009 and 2017.[3]

Before Eurovision

Montevizija 2019

Montevizija 2019 was the national final organised by RTCG in order to select the Montenegrin entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. Five entries competed in a televised final on 9 February 2019, which was held at the RTCG studios in Podgorica and hosted by Ajda Šufta and Ivan Maksimović. The show was televised on TVCG 1, TVCG SAT and TVCG HD as well as broadcast online via the broadcaster's website rtcg.me.[4]

Competing entries

On 28 October 2018, RTCG opened a submission period where artists and songwriters were able to submit their entries until 28 November 2018. Songwriters of any nationality were allowed to submit entries, but artists were required to be citizens of Montenegro and each songwriter was able to submit a maximum of two entries.[5][6] RTCG received 27 entries at the closing of the deadline. A selection jury that consisted of Radio Montenegro music editor Vladimir Maraš, music teacher and solo singing professor Aleksandra Vojvodić Jovović, TVCG music editor Branka Banović and composers Slobodan Bučevac and Mihailo Radonjić evaluated and marked the received submissions against a number of criteria: up to 50 points for composition, up to 30 points for lyrics and up to 20 points for the production potential of the composition.[7][8] The top five entries were selected for the national final and announced on 18 December 2018.[9]

Artist Song Songwriter(s)
Andrea Demirović "Ja sam ti san" (Ја сам ти сан) Andrea Demirović, Michael James Down, Primož Poglajen, Adam Featherstone, Will Taylor
D-moll "Heaven" Dejan Božović, Adis Eminić
Ivana Popović-Martinović "Nevinost" (Невиност) Slavko Milovanović, Ivana Popović-Martinović
Monika Knezović "Nepogrješivo" (Непогрјешиво) Vladimir Graić, Snežana Vukomanović
Nina Petković "Uzmi ili ostavi" (Узми или остави) Bojan Momčilović, Nina Petković, Zoran Radonjić

Final

The final took place on 17 February 2018. The five competing entries were performed and the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the combination of the votes of an international jury (25%), a Montenegrin expert jury (25%), a radio jury (25%) and public televoting (25%) selected the top two entries to proceed to the second round, the superfinal. In the superfinal, "Heaven" performed by D-moll was selected as the winner entirely by public televoting.[10] The international jury panel consisted of Ruslana (winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 for Ukraine), Eldar Gasimov (winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 for Azerbaijan), Lea Sirk (represented Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018), András Kállay-Saunders (represented Hungary in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014), Ira Losco (represented Malta in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 and 2016) and Jovan Radomir (Swedish television presenter), while the Montenegrin jury panel consisted of Vjera Nikolić (professor at the Music School "Vasa Pavić"), Verica Čuljković (violinist), Saša Barjaktarović (conductor), Igor Perović (composer) and Marko Pešić (represented Montenegro in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 as a member of Highway).[11][12] In addition to the performances of the competing entries, the show also featured a guest appearance by 2006 Bosnian Eurovision entrant Hari Mata Hari.[13]

Final – 9 February 2019
Draw Artist Song Jury Televote Total Place
Intl. Expert Radio
1 D-moll "Heaven" 5 2 5 5 17 1
2 Andrea Demirović "Ja sam ti san" 1 3 3 0 7 3
3 Monika Knezović "Nepogrješivo" 2 1 0 1 4 5
4 Ivana Popović-Martinović "Nevinost" 3 5 1 3 12 2
5 Nina Petković "Uzmi ili ostavi" 0 0 2 2 4 4
Detailed International Jury Votes
Draw Song
UKR

AZE

SLO

HUN

MLT

SWE
Total Points
1 "Heaven" 213212 115
2 "Ja sam ti san" 455143 221
3 "Nepogrješivo" 134434 192
4 "Nevinost" 341321 143
5 "Uzmi ili ostavi" 522555 240
Detailed Radio Jury Votes
Draw Song
Andrijevica
Cetinje
Bar
Ulcinj
Budva
Tivat
Kotor
Herceg Novi
R98
CG1
Nikšić
Danilovgrad
Bijelo Polje
Glas Plava
Rožaje
Berane
Petnjica
Total score
Points
1 "Heaven" 11535311441522211 425
2 "Ja sam ti san" 42122225225211423 423
3 "Nepogrješivo" 23353454134455345 630
4 "Nevinost" 55414532313133552 551
5 "Uzmi ili ostavi" 34241143552344134 532
Superfinal – 9 February 2019
Draw Artist Song Televote Place
1 D-moll "Heaven" 62% 1
2 Ivana Popović-Martinović "Nevinost" 38% 2

Promotion

D mol made several appearances across Europe to specifically promote "Heaven" as the Montenegrin Eurovision entry. On 6 April, D mol performed during the Eurovision in Concert event which was held at the AFAS Live venue in Amsterdam, Netherlands and hosted by Edsilia Rombley and Marlayne.[14] The members of D mol later split into two groups of three to take part in additional promotional activities; Mirela Ljumić, Željko Vukčević and Rizo Feratović performed during the PrePartyES 2019 event, which was held on 21 April at the Sala La Riviera venue in Madrid, Spain and hosted by Tony Aguilar and Julia Varela, while Tamara Vujačić, Ivana Obradović and Emel Franca performed during the Moscow Eurovision Pre Party 2019, which was held on 24 April at the Vegas City Hall in Moscow, Russia and hosted by Alexey Lebedev and Andres Safari.[15][16][17]

At Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 28 January 2019, an allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Montenegro was placed into the first semi-final, to be held on 14 May 2019, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.[18]

Once all the competing songs for the 2019 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Montenegro was set to perform in position 2, following the entry from Cyprus and before the entry from Finland.[19]

The two semi-finals and the final were broadcast in Montenegro on TVCG 1, TVCG 2 and TVCG SAT with commentary by Dražen Bauković and Tijana Mišković.[20] The Montenegrin spokesperson, who announced the top 12-point score awarded by the Montenegrin jury during the final, was Ajda Šufta.

Semi-final

D mol during a rehearsal before the first semi-final

D mol took part in technical rehearsals on 4 and 9 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 13 and 14 May. This included the jury show on 13 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.[21]

The Montenegrin performance featured the members of D mol on stage in white and red outfits. The performance began with the group members scattered throughout the stage before meeting up to the middle of the stage to form a circle during the chorus. At the end of the song, the group performed a simulation that involved five of the members supporting the remaining member Mirela Ljumić who was about to fall to the floor.[22][23] The stage director for the performance was Gorčin Stojanović and the choreographer was Staša Stanković.[24]

At the end of the show, Montenegro was not announced among the top 10 entries in the first semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Montenegro placed sixteenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 46 points: 15 points from the televoting and 31 points from the juries.

Voting

Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1–8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results will be released shortly after the grand final.[25]

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Montenegro and awarded by Montenegro in the first semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:

Points awarded to Montenegro

Points awarded to Montenegro (Semi-final 1)[26]
Score Televote Jury
12 points  Serbia
10 points  San Marino
8 points  Serbia
7 points  Slovenia
6 points
5 points  Greece
4 points  Cyprus
3 points
2 points
1 point

Points awarded by Montenegro

Detailed voting results

The following members composed the Montenegrin jury:[25]

  • Vjera Nikolić (jury chairperson)  music professor
  • Verica Čuljković  music professor
  • Marko Pešić  musician, represented Montenegro in the 2016 contest as member of Highway
  • Saša Barjaktarović  music professor
  • Igor Perović  musician, journalist
Detailed voting results from Montenegro (Semi-final 1)[26]
Draw Country Jury Televote
V. Čuljković M. Pešić S. Barjaktarović V. Nikolić I. Perović Rank Points Rank Points
01  Cyprus242363874
02  Montenegro
03  Finland12131016111215
04  Poland9121315141513
05  Slovenia14161211910138
06  Czech Republic4579108383
07  Hungary6114475614
08  Belarus16101410131465
09  Serbia3852147112
10  Belgium8141614121111
11  Georgia1078859216
12  Australia739586547
13  Iceland1166747456
14  Estonia13151512161692
15  Portugal1591113151312
16  Greece12162112101
17  San Marino51313210210
Detailed voting results from Montenegro (Final)[27]
Draw Country Jury Televote
V. Čuljković M. Pešić S. Barjaktarović V. Nikolić I. Perović Rank Points Rank Points
01  Malta1264455619
02  Albania1632323847
03  Czech Republic1015816810118
04  Germany11252425232326
05  Russia151113210210
06  Denmark417209138317
07  San Marino2626266261938
08  North Macedonia255564756
09  Sweden8121315221720
10  Slovenia1910191471574
11  Cyprus24461846514
12  Netherlands2013127912101
13  Greece2572526252023
14  Israel17192324212525
15  Norway5221722121413
16  United Kingdom21182121202424
17  Iceland6241019141392
18  Estonia2323911151821
19  Belarus13161420242216
20  Azerbaijan1411710161183
21  France18212223192622
22  Italy79158179265
23  Serbia12321112112
24   Switzerland9141112181611
25  Australia381813107415
26  Spain22201617112112

References

  1. "Montenegro Country Profile". EBU. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
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  3. Jiandani, Sergio. "Montenegro: RTCG to hold a national final in February". ESCtoday. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
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  5. Granger, Anthony (28 October 2018). "Montenegro: RTCG Launches Eurovision 2019 Song Submissions". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  6. Knoops, Roy (23 October 2018). "Montenegro: RTCG presents preliminary Eurovision 2019 submission process". esctoday.com. ESCtoday. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
  7. Granger, Anthony (5 December 2018). "Montenegro: Montevizija 2018 on 17 February; 31 entries submitted". eurovoix.com. Eurovoix. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
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  9. "Montenegro: RTCG unveils the five Montevizija 2019 finalists". INFE. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  10. Juhász, Ervin (8 February 2019). "Here's How The Winner Of Montevizija Is Going To Be Selected!". ESCBubble.
  11. Granger, Anthony (9 February 2019). "Montenegro: International Jurors Revealed Ahead of Montevizija 2019". Eurovoix.
  12. "2019. - Podgorica". eurosong.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  13. "Montevizija, večeras od 21 sata na Javnom servisu". Standard. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  14. "This was Eurovision in Concert 2019 in Amsterdam". Eurovision.tv. 6 April 2019.
  15. Escudero, Victor M. (25 April 2019). "This was PrePartyES 2019 in Madrid". eurovision.tv. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  16. Roso, Antony (24 April 2019). "Montenegro's D mol at Madrid's #PrePartyES: "We want to share love and a people positive message"". wiwibloggs. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  17. "Moscow Eurovision Pre Party 2019: Record number of participants confirmed for April 24 concert". Wiwibloggs. 9 April 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  18. Jordan, Paul (28 January 2019). "Eurovision 2019: Which country takes part in which Semi-Final?". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  19. "Exclusive: This is the Eurovision 2019 Semi-Final running order!". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  20. "Tel Aviv – Evrovizija 2019". rtcg.me (in Montenegrin). RTCG. 14 May 2019. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  21. "Eurovision 2019: Rehearsal Schedule in Tel Aviv". eurovisionworld.com. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
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  23. "LIVE DAY 1 REVIEW: 🇲🇪 D mol keep it focused on their harmonies – Montenegro 🇲🇪". escXtra. 4 May 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  24. "EVROVIZIJA: ,,D-moll" danas putuje u Tel Aviv". Montenegro magazin (in Bosnian). 3 May 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
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