Just a few days after the triumphant Grand Final of Eurovision 2021, we have another confirmation of participation. Serbia’s RTS has not only confirmed that the Balkan nation will compete next year, but that their national final Beovizija will return. The selection didn’t take place in 2021 due to the re-selection of Hurricane.
Olivera Kovačević, editor-in-chief of the RTS Entertainment, has confirmed that Serbia will be participating in Eurovision 2022, due to be held in Italy. This marks the nation’s seventh consecutive participation in the contest following their non-participation in 2014.
In an interview with Nova S yesterday, Kovačević confirmed the news, in addition to the return of Beovizija. Following the internal selection of Tijana Bogićević in 2017, Beovizija was used by RTS to select their entrants between 2017 and 2020.
She also stated that more details of the selection will be revealed next month. The submissions window for entries will open in June and close in November, with the final set to take place in February 2022.
Success of Hurricane
In 2020, Balkan pop sensation Hurricane won Beovizija 2020 with a maximum total of 24 points from the combined televote and jury scores with their song “Hasta La Vista”. However, just weeks after selection, the EBU had to unfortunately cancel the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
After much media speculation and public desire to see the girls return, RTS finally confirmed the news everyone had been waiting for in November 2020. Earlier this year, RTS made the decision to hold an internal song selection for Hurricane, and later released “Loco Loco”.
Having become a huge regional hit, the semi-final in which the entry qualified scored a 43% viewership share last Thursday. It also surged above its fellow semi two entries in terms of YouTube views. At the Grand Final, Hurricane placed 15th with 102 points, notably placing 9th in the televote.
Are you excited to see Beovizija return? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to the 2022 national final season!
