Back in May, Serbia’s RTS confirmed that the Balkan nation will compete at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest. Along with the confirmation came the announcement of Beovizija’s return. Although submissions for the selection were slated to open in June, the broadcaster has published a submissions form this week.
Back in May, 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.
Although further details and the submission information were due in June, RTS has only posted a submissions form for entries this week. Notably, there is no mention of a national final or the Beovizija brand on the form. Whether this marks a change of plan from the broadcaster will likely be clarified soon.
Following the internal selection of Tijana Bogićević in 2017, Beovizija was used by RTS to select their entrants between 2017 and 2020.
Serbia at Eurovision 2021
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.
Who would you like to see represent Serbia next? 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!
