In a perhaps surprising move, Slovenia’s national broadcaster, RTV Slovenija has opted for an internal selection and chosen pop-rock band Joker Out to represent the country in Liverpool next year.
About Joker Out
Hailing from Ljubljiana, Joker Out were announced by RTV Slovenija as the country’s representatives for Eurovision 2023. The five-piece band, comprising of Bojan Cvjetićanin on vocals, Jure Maček on drums, Kris Guštin and Jan Peteh on guitar and Nace Jordan on bass are well-loved in their home country, where they have also dominated the charts domestically for various years.
In addition to their chart success, they have also been recognised in the fields of Slovenian popular music, namely with the Zlata Piščal, which is given for outstanding achievements in entertainment music. Since 2020, they have been recognised with various ‘Track of the Year’, ‘Album of the Year’, and ‘Artist of the Year’ wins and nominations.
Photo Credit: Zlata piščal Facebook
Discography and style
Joker Out was founded in 2016, and are the first young Slovenian band to gain nationwide popularity in the past two decades. Ever since their formation, they have helped to revive the live music scene with their energetic and seductive style, which has taken the domestic nation by storm with nine singles and over two studio albums to their name.
Ever since the release of their debut studio album, Umazane Misli, they have taken over radio and streaming charts and toured across their country. They describe themselves as having a “Shagadelic” rock sound which they aim to define and implement themselves. Although they are inspired by nostalgic influences of the past, they also strive to create a new sound and look for the future in music. They describe the result of this combination as authentic confessions in their mother tongue that roar with raw energy.
What can we expect from Joker Out?
Joker Out’s hottest tracks include Umazane misli, and Gola, which have both amassed over 600,000 and 560,000 streams on Spotify and 1.5 and 1.2 million views on YouTube respectively. They have also had a total of 9.7 million views on YouTube for their entire discography.
Their latest track Demoni, which is actually in Serbian, may serve as a taster of what we can expect from the band in Liverpool next year. It is accompanied by a visually stunning video that showcases Joker Out’s innovative and groundbreaking music and performance style. They describe Demoni as an experimental track that mixes guitar and drums with club elements in an attempt to create an audio experience for the listener that evokes the beats of our surroundings and an escape from reality.
Joker Out’s Eurovision entry
According to RTV Slovenija, Joker Out’s entry will be released on Saturday 4 February in a special show presented to the public.
Speaking to Eurovision.tv, members of the band expressed their excitement about the opportunity and their love for the contest. However, they also promised to stay true to their roots to showcase their uniqueness as a band and what musical styles truly define them by singing in their native tongue. The band will be recording their Eurovision song this weekend in Germany.
‘All members in the band are big fans of the Eurovision. It is our wish to perform there for some time now, but we were waiting for the right moment. Although we are young, the fast progress of our career has brought us loads of experience, motivation and creative energy: we are ready for this challenge. Regarding the style of music present at the Eurovision Song Contest – we need to say that it is well past being defined or limited to just one genre. We are staying true to our distinctive Joker Out sound, no matter where and when we perform.’
Joker Out, via Eurovision.tv
Moving to an internal selection
Apart from 2013 and 2021 (the latter due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Slovenia has always selected their Eurovision representative through their national selection, EMA, which is often known for having a broad range of both contemporary, traditional and genre-bending songs.
Whilst fans might miss EMA, RTV Slovenija’s Entertainment Division Head, Vanja Vardjan promised that the move to an internal selection for 2023 was a great chance to showcase Slovenia’s best musical talent to the world.
“We have chosen Joker Out, who, like Magnifico and the bands Siddharta and Big Foot Mama before them, bring good quality popular music to the Slovenian music scene to the delight of the broadest of audiences. We were looking for a good sound and popularity, and I’m convinced that we have found them.“
Vanja Vardjan, via Eurovision.tv
Joker Out will follow in the footsteps of LPS, who represented Slovenia at Eurovision in Turin earlier this year with their song “Disko”, who finished with a total of 15 points, placing 17th.
Are you excited to see Joker Out represent Slovenia? How do you feel about the country’s move to an internal selection in 2023? Let us know by leaving a comment below! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram, @escxtra on TikTok and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify for the latest music from your favourite ESC and JESC acts.
