Lisbon 2018

No more dancing alone as FYR Macedonia joins for Lisbon

In a surprise statement today, EBU have confirmed that itโ€™s 43 for Lisbon. FYR Macedonia are now officially on the list of participants. No more dance alone!

No withdrawal or confirmation

Soon after EBU published the list of participating countries for Lisbon, one question arose. Where were the Macedonians? Did they withdraw? Did EBU ban them from participating? No one really knew. All we knew was that MRT and EBU had been having some financial struggles together. In the Eurovision.tv article however, no mention was made of FYR Macedoniaโ€™s withdrawal. Then again, they also didnโ€™t appear on the listโ€ฆ
And now we know why. There must have been discussions going on between Geneva and Skopje. Sorting out the issues they had, EBU did not want to give a final say on the matter just yet when they released the list a while ago. That has now changed with the matter at least seemingly being resolved by both parties. They have managed to sort out the issues to at least the extent of FYR Macedonia being able to send an act to Lisbon.

FYR Macedonia’s selection method

MRT have not revealed how they will choose their Eurovision act for Lisbon. An internal selection seems likely, as that is what they have done since 2012, with the exception of 2015. The last time the Macedonians managed to qualify for the final was back in 2012, when Kaliopiโ€™s Crno I Belo convinced Europe enough for a place in the Baku final.
In 2017, fan favourite Jana Burceska represented FYR Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest. Despite high hopes, her Dance Alone failed to qualify. For Jana, it didnโ€™t matter: She left Kyiv with an engagement ring around her finger, whilst also announcing her pregnancy.
Are you happy 42 is now 43? Who do you want to see representing FYR Macedonia? Let us know below or on social media, such as Facebook and Twitter!

Nick van Lith

I'm one of the founding members of ESCXTRA.com. Eleven years after the start, I'm proud to say that I am now the Editor-in-Chief of this wonderful website. When I'm not doing Eurovision stuff, you should be able to find me teaching German to kids... And cheering on everything and everyone Greek, pretty much. Pame Ellada!

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