Dobra večer Europo i dobro jutro Australija! Before we get on to another week at work, school and waiting for Eurovision, we have just enough time to squeeze in Croatia’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 – it’s time for Dora!!

Sit back and relax, and let Eurovision Ireland’s own James Scanlan entertain and inform you. As always, feel free to tell me what you think and give your opinions about tonight’s Final and who your favourites are! I might even shout out to you in the blog!

In a break with Dora tradition, tonight’s show is coming to us live from Zagreb, Croatia’s charming capital and the TV Studios of HRT. Hosted by Duško Čurlić, Maja Ciglenečki and Anja Cerar, there are 16 songs hoping to be the lucky winner who will fly Croatia’s flag in Sweden this May. In running order, they are:

1. Natalie Balmix – “Dijamanti”
2. Mario Battifiaca ft. Robert Ferlin – “Vodu piti trizan biti”
3. Lana Mandarić – “More”
4. Boris Štok – “Can We Talk”
5. Stefany – “Sretnih dana dat’ će Bog”
6. Pavel – “Do mjeseca”
7. Saša Lozar – “Ne plačem zbog nje”
8. Lara Demarin – “Ne vjerujem ti”
9. Let 3 – “Babaroga”
10. Alen Đuras – “A Tamburitza Lullaby”
11. Eugen – “Tišine”
12. Vatra – “Slatke suze, gorka ljubav”
13. Damir Kedžo – “Voljena ženo”
14. Baby Lasagna – “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”
15. Marcela – “Gasoline”
16. Vinko – “Lying Eyes”

The way results will be calculated tonight is also a break from Dora tradition. It will still be a 50/50 mix of jury and public votes: but rather than the juries being the various regions of Croatia, only Osijek, Rijeka, Split and Zagreb will be casting their votes. International juries from Germany, Iceland, Italy and Ukraine will also add to the jury vote, before the Croatian public have their say. Whoever wins, will be the next representative of Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest!

If you want to watch along at home (and why wouldn’t you?!) you can watch either HERE ON HRT ONLINE or  HERE ON YOUTUBE from 20:15CET / 19:15 GMT. The show is scheduled to finish at 23:05 CET/ 22:05GMT, but for those of you who survived San Marino’s selection last night, you know live TV rarely runs to schedule! Take it with a truckload pinch of salt!

Last year in Liverpool saw Croatia return to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time since 2017 – is there an act here tonight who can keep that moment going? Is there even someone here who can outright win Eurovision for Croatia?

You know the drill: Just refresh this page to get the comments, points of view and all that Eurovision Ireland goodness you know and love!

LIVE BLOG STARTS HERE!!

Mnogo si rano! Vratiti se oko 20:00 CET za sva zabavnosti iz Zagreba i od Dore 2024. ! You’re really early! Come back at 19:00 GMT for all the fun from Zagreb and from Dora 2024!

15 minutes till showtime! Get your snacks and sit back – perhaps some lasagne? ;-)

Full disclosure, I’ve heard precisely one of tonight’s hopefuls – so you’ll be getting my genuine first impressions, completely uncensored… and I don’t think anything could have prepared me for Let 3… even seeing them last year in Liverpool!!!

Mi smo živi! We are live!

Ooooh Sensation! I remember drinking that in Bosnia… even brought a couple of bottles home, I loved it that much! <3

Tonight’s contestants talk about their feelings after qualifying from the semi finals earlier this week and heading into the grand final. I was a little worried when I heard Dora was leaving Opatija for a TV studio in Zagreb, but seems like they’ve kept the same scale production, which is great!

Curious though how it’s the opposite of what Lithuania did… they moved their show FROM a small TV studio TO a well known arena on the coast! Especially as February in the seaside in Croatia will still be quite balmy, compared with February on the edge of the Baltic Sea…

Here’s the stage – I can screengrab this year, which I haven’t been able to do for the last few Doras!

Duško Čurlić, Maja Ciglenečki and Anja Cerar… guessing that’s Duško in the middle…

They’re talking about one of the most famous Swedes who lives in Malmö – Zlatan Ibrahimović…

These are the numbers you’ll need to vote tonight. I’m guessing you’ll also need to be in Croatia, but in this age of VPNs and such, perhaps not…

Well that was quick… I forgot Dora likes to go to advert breaks at unusual points in proceedings

At least that ad-break was short, it’s on to Song #1 of the night!

Natalie Balmix – Dijamanti

Well, if you’re going to sing about diamonds, appearing on stage as one is probably a good idea! The first thing I’m struck by (other than the glare) is Natalie’s connectivity to the camera – that’s how you do it!! She’s singing every note to the public at home, which is fantastic. Stylistically, I’m put ever so slightly in mind of Čaroban by Serbia’s Nina in 2011, it’s fun, upbeat, has a little touch of retro to it… vocally it feels like it could be stronger, but in terms of working the camera and costume, she’s got this bang on! Brava Natalia, a fine start to proceedings tonight!

Mario Battifiaca ft. Robert Ferlin – Vodu Piti Trizan Biti

They’re not hanging about tonight, so spare a thought for my poor fingers and the repetitive strain of fast typing! This is unusual, it’s striking visually with the red and black costumes against a navy background, but feels a bit more performance art/dramatic monologue set to music rather than a song. Occasionally feels like a rap and while I won’t deny it has a hypnotic quality with its gentle piano and monotonous drive of the repeating lyrics, I’m not sure this will suit a Eurovision stage. As performance art, captivating. As a Eurovision song, I fear it’s a little too niche and understated to have the desired impact.

Lana Mandarić – More

Don’t confuse English More (moor) with Croatian More (mor-rey), which means Sea! Wearing a single trouser leg (!), Lana sings with conviction and while the staging is rather basic, there are moments she does stare down the camera with her sultry dark eyes to good effect, but these moments are a bit few and far between. Musically, this kind of ballad can feel like a long 3 minutes if it’s not your kind of music and with not much going on on the stage, attention does start to wonder. If this goes to Sweden, will need a substantial rethink for staging.

Everyone start applauding, maybe they won’t notice someone missed their cue and the stage is empty! I love Live TV hahaha

Boris Štok – Can We Talk

Our first English language song of the night, wherever Boris was, he’s on stage now! Hmmm… while I think that this kind of falling out of love song can potentially reach a wide audience at Eurovision, and the staging puts me in mind of Arcade (a Eurovision winner!), there’s a lot about this performance that needs work. I get Boris is going for the relaxed laissez-faire staging, but it’s a fine line between “Yeah, I’m cool, I don’t care” and “I don’t really know what to do with myself” – and it’s veering more towards the latter. Some of the choreography (if we can call it that) looks very awkward and like your dad dancing at a wedding after you’ve begged him not too… another entry that I think would need a lot of reworking if it’s going to Eurovision…

Stefany – Sretnih Dana Dat’ Će Bog

Stefany is clearly ready for the Happy Days God will give – she’s in a bridal gown! Flanked by dancers in lycra, the staging is memorable without being garish and Stefany has a rich and solid voice that she puts to good use. I’d like to see her connect to the camera more though. Musically it might not be the most exciting entry we’ve had tonight, but after a run of songs with quite lacklustre staging, this feels like a step in the right direction. A pleasant, easy to listen song!

Pavel – Do Mjeseca

The moment this started, this put me in the mind of a well-known Scandi entry, or possibly a national selection near miss… but for the life of me, I can’t remember the name of the song!! It’ll come to me… it’s sweet, and the band seem to be having a great time together which always helps on a Eurovision stage! This is the kind of song that if it entered in the early 2000s, it would have been winner material. In what’s nearly the mid-2020s, I’m wondering if while fans are likely to go gooey for it, the juries will hear it as dated. I enjoyed it though

EDIT: All Of Luck, Iceland 1999! Think it was something in the chords… is it just me?

Saša Lozar – Ne Plačem Zbog Nje

Don’t cry because of her, Saša implores, looking every inch the jilted lover – if he’s acting, then bravo! He’s doing a very convincing job! He connects well to the camera and sings with conviction, which distracts you from the fact there’s very little happening on the stage – which is how you do it, tone down the staging and let the performer do their thing! It’s a well trod genre, but it’s quite a soulful little number and he sells it very well! I wouldn’t be surprised if this does well!

Lara Demarin – Ne Vjerujem Ti

An orchestral start that breaks into a more modern sound, Lara proclaims she doesn’t believe you (probably not you personally!) as dancers wheel around dance fighting through a frame – it has instant impact! After a run of slower songs, this made me sit up and pay attention. The electronic voices dubbed in gives it a bit of a late 90s/early 00s feel to it, Lara performances competently and confidently – I really enjoyed that! Another song that I feel may have walked to victory in another time, but still a very solid performance!

Let 3 – Babaroga

And we thought they were bonkers last year… this is colourful mayhem and quite frankly the more I watch it, the less I understand it haha I think this would stroll into a Eurovision final, much to the fury of musical purists. My one concern is that coming back so soon rarely works out well, and it’s even more out their than last year’s offering… but I have to hand it to these guys, they’re doing what they love and if you can terrify a few people along the way, then why not!!

Useless fact for you – I have a pair of those ŠČ! socks that I bought in Zagreb… the guy in the shop was speechless that a Brit got the reference hahaha

Alen Đuras – A Tamburitza Lullaby

Yes… you’re watching a man sing flanked by two dancers dressed as cats while a big man plays a mandolin… welcome to the Eurovision Song Contest! More accessibly mental, Alen is easy on the eyes and works the camera well, while the cat motif is enough to be memorable without sending people running for cover. Musically as well, it’s light, has a good melody and rhythm and makes you want to dance. Croatia could do worse than sending this to Sweden! I can also think of at least 2 cat loving friends of mine who would probably really enjoy that – I know I certainly did!

Eugen – Tišine

This actually infuriates me because so much about this works and is really good… it’s got a haunting traditional ballad feel to it, Eugen is so likeable, he smiles and shrugs sweetly at the camera, making every Croatian baka want to take him home and knit for him… BUT he sings a lot of this with his eyes closed, especially when the camera is in his face!! What frustrates me about that is that when his eyes are open, he has the audience eating out of this hand!!! Grr Eugen!! Open your eyes!! Other than that, I have no notes. It’s Eurovision ready bar one small/huge thing! Bravo sir though, if you opened your eyes that would be perfect!

Vatra – Slatke Suze, Gorka Ljubav

So thanks to some connectivity issues (and still being exasperated by Eugen!), I missed a fair bit of this performance. But what I did see, the group seemed to be having the time of their lives, a song with a fun country twang, and who doesn’t love a bit of pyro? They did seem to be playing to the studio though, which a lot of bands who gig a lot do… forgetting the camera is where your points are coming from!

Damir Kedžo – Voljena Ženo

He’s back! After 2020 cruelly conspired against us all, Damir lost out his chance to sing at the contest and bless his cotton socks has been trying to get back on that stage ever since. Belting out a dramatic ballad with his trademark emotive and powerful voice, with a bit of the wet Mr Darcy look going for him, this ticks a lot of boxes… will the Eurovision Gods be kinder to Damir this time? I think he’ll definitely be in the running for Sweden – the audience definitely love him!

Baby Lasagna – Rim Tim Tagi Dim

Croatia, your Käärijä is showing!! So I knew this was one of the fan-favourites heading into tonight and after that, I can see why! Baby Lasagna looks every inch a glam rocker with the frills and leather and belts out his song to an audience who are losing it for him. Is it particularly deep and erudite? No, not at all. Is it a colour romp, fun and energetic and a bit of mayhem that Eurovision fans are going to love? Oh yes. I know the fans online seem to have already made up their mind…

Marcela – Gasoline

Marcela is giving us a very 80s pop-rock track and she’s doing it well! Following Baby Lasagna was never going to be an easy task, but I’m impressed that she seems unfazed by it and is belting her song out and giving us a very commanding performance that is also well choreographed. It’s a well trod genre at Eurovision, but that was a very good example of it! As always Croatia, you’re not making this easy!

Vinko – Lying Eyes

For me at least, this seems to be an unusual choice to end the night on… the song closing the show is the viewers lasting impression of the night and while Vinko is pouring his heart and soul into this beautiful and classical ballad, considering some of the mayhem that’s proceeded, this feels very understated and like ending on a “meh”… had this had another slot in the running order, I think this could have been a contender for the trophy, but closing the show after several quite in-you-face numbers… I’m left wondering if the televote are going to remember it. Let’s hope the juries are noting down his obvious talent! Well done Vinko! Please make more music!

My goodness Croatia, 16 songs in about 90 minutes! You really made me work for it tonight!

Tri… Dva… Jedan… SAD!! Croatia, start voting now! You have 15 minutes!

While Croatia start casting their votes and have a recap of tonight’s performances, I’m going to compile my thoughts and try to work out tonight’s victor – brb!

The reason I volunteer to live blog Dora every year isn’t just because I studied Croatian at university, but because I’m always impressed by the music, the show and the production values that Croatian bring to this event – brava, Hrvatska! Can’t wait to see what you’ll do with a Croatian-run Eurovision!

As always, tonight has been a stellar show but there are still some stand-out performances. I want to shout out to Pavel, Saša Lozar, Lara Demarin, Let 3, Alen Đuras, Eugen, Damir Kedžo, Baby Lasagna and Mircela in particular – yes, a Top 9… anyone who has followed my Dora blogs in the past will know that’s very restrained for me! So let’s whittle it down…

Pavel was sweet, but I don’t see it doing anything on the scoreboard. Let 3 I think might fall flat in a case of “You went last year, let someone else go!” and while I’d say Damir has the talent, I fear for his chances against Baby Lasagna (I’ve had 3 people message me to say that needs to win… and the term “Croatian Käärijä” has already come up!)

I haven’t entirely ruled out juries siding with Lara, Vinko or Saša, but then it’ll depend how much the jury will give to Baby Lasagna, which I can see being minimal… but I can see it topping the televote… so will that leave the path clear for someone to come up the middle and snatch victory? As I was typing that, Mircela came to mind… I could also see Alen getting enough love from both to cancel out someone that one vote really tanks…

While a lot of you think this is Baby Lasagna’s to lose, I don’t think it’s going to be that clear cut… but then again, I said the same about Let 3 last year… hmmm… I think once the results come in, we’ll all go “Oh yeah…” – but right now, I can’t call it!

Tri… Dva… Jedan… GOTOVO! Croatia, stop voting now! Your Eurovision fate is sealed ;-)

And fresh from performing tonight, Let 3 give us a reprise of their winning entry from Dora 2023 and Croatia’s Eurovision entry last year “Mama ŠČ!” – someone’s vocals are even more gravelly than usual!

I remember having to explain this to Muggles (non-Eurovision fans)… you can imagine what that conversation sounded like…

Please tell me someone else saw the penguins on the screens behind them? Please… anyone!#

Imagine trying to explain this picture to someone out of context…

Duško asks the band about their experiences in Liverpool and their thoughts on their result there

Another ad break – remember to buy things you don’t need to impress people you don’t like do your bit to help the economy!

Tony Cetinski is performing at the Zagreb Arena on my birthday… hmmm…

And we’re back, but before any results we’re looking back at Dora’s humble beginnings in Opatija in 1993 when Croatia first entered the Eurovision Song Contest. Nowadays, belligerent internet fans would scream that “Don’t Ever Cry” is too political to be allowed to compete, but I’d argue this gentle and moving ballad is a Eurovision classic

Moja Štikla, my nephew’s favourite Eurovision song! <3

Croatia have a brilliant back catalogue at Eurovision, they really should have reached the final much more than they have in recent years!

And the votes are in! How did I manage to screen grab the moment that NO ONE is looking at the camera?!

Baby Lasagna gets 12 from Osijek… I think this might be more of a landslide than I anticipated…

Our first international jury is 3 time Eurovision winner Ukraine, who give 12 to Vinko – said the juries would like that!

Rijeka is up next, and their 12 go to Baby Lasagna

Iceland are up next, and flattering the Croatian people for their sporting prowess! They award their 12 points Baby Lasagna too… yup, this is going to be a landslide…

Split now, 12 points go to Baby Lasagna too!

Another 3 time Eurovision winner up next, Italy giving their points. One of Italy’s victories of course being claimed in Zagreb in 1990. Italy’s 12 go to Vinko, like Ukraine’s did

Now, far be it from me to be unkind, but if you’re aim is to WIN the Eurovision Song Contest… surely there are countries you’d go to for advice BEFORE Germany??? Eugen gets 12 from the German jury

Our last jury, Zagreb voting now. They also give 12 to Baby Lasagna

Here’s our scoreboard after the votes from the national and international juries. Baby Lasagna has a 15 point lead over 2nd place Vinko, (not as huge as it could have been!) with Let 3, Damir and Mircela rounding off the Top 5. Pavel much higher than I expected, while Lana much further down than I thought… surprised Saša only got a single point!

A few more adverts before the televote results… Rod Stewart is performing in Ljubljana?

And we’re back in Zagreb… is a result incoming?

Yes, it’s time for the televoting results. They will be revealed in Eurovision style, with the contestants that got the fewest jury points first

Only 5 points to Saša… ouch…

These are all quite lower scores… whoever has won seems to have by a big margin! And I think we all suspect we know who that is…

Alen currently 2nd

Oh Damir, always the bridesmaid…

Let 3 have a 5 point lead over Baby Lasagna… strongly suspect he’ll have more votes than that!

Well, that was fairly decisive, wasn’t it? Baby Lasagna wins!!!

So there we have it, Baby Lasagna will sing for Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest this May! Thank Croatia for a brilliant evenign as always – Zagreb put on quite a show! AND we even finished ahead of schedule! Hope you’re watching, Italy!! :P

Thank you for reading along with me tonight, hope you’ve enjoyed my thoughts on goings on in Croatia – thank you Europe and goodnight!

Author: James Scanlan
Source: HRT