Serbia, the stage is yours! Don’t feel misguided by the title, Luke Black’s mission is not to make you feel sleepy. Are you ready for a dystopian sci-fi trip?

“I like it better when I dream”

Luke Black

Luke Black is a Serbian singer and songwriter, born on 18 May 1992 in Čačak, FR Yugoslavia. He started pursuing his interest in music at the age of 12 and began creating and producing music a few years later. His stage name, “Luke,” comes from the anglicisation of his first name, while “Black” comes from his teenage expression of forty days of mourning for the “death of the Serbian music scene.” His music combines classic pop influences with experimental, electronic, and indie sounds, influenced by artists like Queen, Elton John, Stromae, Lady Gaga, Maria Callas, and Eartha Kitt. In January 2023, he was announced as one of the contestants of Pesma za Evroviziju ’23, the Serbian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with the song “Samo mi se spava”. He won the competition, receiving the most points out of sixteen finalists by coming second on both the televote and the jury vote, thereby becoming the Serbian representative for the contest in Liverpool.

The second rehearsal

During Luke Black’s second rehearsal, we are captivated by the numerous video game references on the screen that we missed during his first performance on Sunday. Luke takes the stage to sing his indie/techno song, which contains both English and Serbian lyrics. For staging, Luke has brought the enormous prop resembling a bed/oyster shell from the Serbian National Finals.

Chloe Hashemi / EBU

Additionally, four masked dancers are present, trailing long hoses. The throbbing bass, video game graphics, and eerie, surreal, and mesmerizing atmosphere make for an unforgettable performance. Luke also unleashes smoke from the backpacks worn by his backup dancers, particularly during the final chorus, which adds to the already apocalyptic feel of the performance.