Slovenia: RTVSLO receives 108 submissions for EMA 2018

This afternoon, RTVSLO has revealed that 108 applications have been submitted for next year’s edition of EMA. For the fifth consecutive year, EMA will be in charge of selecting Slovenia’s entry for the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest.
EMA first launched in 1996. Over the years, the competition has chosen many Slovenian Eurovision entries. There’s also been a bit of drama here and there too! Check out our previous feature where we looked back at the history of Slovenia’s Eurovision national selections here.

A significant rule change for 2018

For EMA 2018, RTVSLO announced a significant rule change. Songs must be submitted in the Slovenian, or a recognised minority, language. Nevertheless, that hasn’t turned musicians away. Indeed, the 108 submissions is an increase on the 90 received for this year’s edition of EMA, won by Omar Naber.
https://www.facebook.com/EMAEvrovizija/posts/10154866262786927
The full rules of EMA 2018 will be published before the end of this month. Then, a jury will select the best songs from the 108 submissions. The entries that will take part in EMA 2018 will be revealed no later than December 8th.

Mixed fortunes for Slovenia

Unfortunately, Omar was unable to qualify for the 2017 Eurovision grand final with his ballad On My Way. Slovenia’s Eurovision record since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004 has been unimpressive. Indeed, Slovenia has only qualified for the final on four occasions since 2004. Those qualifications came courtesy of Alenka Gotar, Maja Keuc, Tinkara Kovač and Maraaya. Slovenia’s best result remains the 7th places achieved by Darja Švajger and Nuša Derenda in 1995 and 2001 respectively.
Are you looking forward to EMA 2018? Which Slovenian artists are you hoping to see participate next year? Let us know in the comments below!