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North Macedonia: Explains the reasons why it is not participating in Eurovision 2024!

With the EBU’s official announcement of the list of 37 countries that will take part in Eurovision 2024, it also clarified the cloudy landscape regarding the participation of North Macedonia in the upcoming song contest. The small Balkan country for the second year in a row will stay away from the contest. With today’s announcement, they explain the reasons for their abstention.

Earlier it had become clear that North Macedonia might return to Malmö, after its absence this year. Its participation in Junior Eurovision 2023 a few days ago, but also the fact that in the budget of the country’s public television there was also a small amount for participation in Eurovision, were elements that had left open the possibility that the country would return in 2024. Finally all these expectations were denied with the official announcement of the list of countries that will be present in May in Sweden.

 

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Today, with its announcement, the public television of North Macedonia explains the reasons for its abstention for the second year in a row. According to what it posted on its website, MRT justifies its absence from Eurovision 2024, due to its limited budget, which for 2024 it intends to allocate to events for the 80 years of radio and the 60 years of television in the country.

This decision is in the interest of the citizens, considering that next year the MRT will focus on celebrating 80 years of Macedonian Radio and 60 years of Macedonian Television.

North Macedonia’s public television left open the possibility of a return in 2025, if circumstances allow.

In our opinion, the fact that more and more economically weaker countries decide to stay away from the competition due to the increasing participation fees year after year, is an important wake-up call for the EBU, which must deal with the issue. For 2024 four more Balkan countries are absent from the contest:

  • Bulgaria is absent for the second consecutive year due to a tight financial budget.
  • Montenegro is also absent for the second consecutive year, without explanation, although in this case economic reasons are the most likely reason.
  • Bosnia-Herzegovina continues to stay away from the competition, with its last participation being in 2016. A very large debt to the EBU prevents the country from returning.
  • Romania, although it is not certain that it will stay away from Eurovision 2024, was not in the list of countries announced by the EBU. Decisions on Romania’s  participation or not will be made in the next period of time, since discussions continue both within the country’s public television and with the EBU.

Greece, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Albania are the only Balkan countries still participating, with some of them also facing financial issues, which put their future participation in the competition in doubt.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments!

 

North Macedonia: MRT will broadcast Eurovision Song Contest 2023!

Just a while ago, the public broadcaster from North Macedonia, MRT, announced that they are going to broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 as usual, despite the fact that they withdrew from this year’s contest. Citizens of North Macedonia, will be able to watch the two semi-finals in May 9 and 11, as well as the Grand Final in May 13, on MRT1.

North Macedonia is the only one of the three countries that withdrew this year, that has confirmed to broadcast the contest. The other two countries that withdrew (Bulgaria and Montenegro) have not, as of yet, stated anything about the broadcast of the contest. All three countries, will not take part this year, regarding financial issues.


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Junior Eurovision 2022: Listen to North Macedonia’s song for the contest!

The eighth out of 16 countries taking part in Junior Eurovision 2022, to reveal its song is North Macedonia. A few hours ago, the country’s song was released through the contest’s official YouTube channel.

The song will be performed by a trio of young singers, namely Lara, Jovan and Irina, that were chosen internally after an open audition for children of age 9 to 14, taking place in the studios of MRT. Their song is called “Životot E Pred Mene” (Life is Ahead of Me). Initially, Lara and Irina were supposed to perform their song alone, but later it was decided that the young Jovan will join them on stage.

Listen to “Zivotot E Pred Mene!” by Lara, Jovan and Irina for Junior Eurovision 2022:

What do you think about North Macedonia’s song in this year’s Junior Song Contest? Write us in the comments below!

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022, in Armenia!

Source: junioreurovision.tv

 

North Macedonia: MRT Considering Withdrawal From Eurovision 2023?

North Macedonia‘s participation in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest 2023, which will take place in May in the United Kingdom, seems to be uncertain.

With the rumors of the last few days, that they want the country to withdraw from the competition and the negative situation begun months ago, the country’s public television, MRT seems to be facing some serious problems.

According to the channel’s budget, which was made public today, participation in Eurovision 2023 is not mentioned anywhere, only in Junior Eurovision 2022.

This announcement of course brings confusion to the fans of the competition, but nothing is certain yet.

We remind you that the situation was already negative since last May, when the representative of the country, Andrea, threw the country’s flag on the ground, on the turquoise carpet, to the point where it was even requested to block her from the competition.

Finally, over the summer, the MRT Planning Board heard Head of Mission (HoD) Meri Popova’s proposal to improve the country’s image in the competition, results and preparations for the future.

After reviewing the report, the council tasked the MRT management to provide its own report on how the recommendations have been implemented, documents showing revenue generated from Eurovision advertising over the past 4 years, and also asked the MRT general manager a final decision on disciplinary actions for the 2022 delegation. At the end of the discussion, the report was approved by the council unanimously.

In 2022 North Macedonia was represented by Andrea and “Circles”, finishing on the 11th place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvOihqB4eKk

Stay tuned in Eurovisionfun for all the updates regarding Eurovision!

 

 

 

 

North Macedonia: MRT considering changes and improvements for upcoming contests!

On June 8, the MRT Planning Board heard Head of Delegation (HoD) Meri Popova’s proposal to improve the country’s image in the competition, results and preparations for the future. The report given by Popova was detailed, addressing a range of issues together with reasoned solutions.


In her report, Popova underlined that preparations for the Eurovision must start from the MRT no later than September, which includes the process of a selection method and the finalization of its structure. According to Popova, this will give enough time to organize for the competition, select an artist using an established process and most importantly, give artists enough time to prepare their entry.

She also called for an expansion of the delegation, which he claimed was “always a headache”. Popova believes the delegation is too small and constantly changing, making it difficult to achieve consistency and the necessary cohesion and cooperation. She went on to state that their small numbers make members work on many projects and programs at the same time.

Two recommendations were related to economic factors surrounding the contest, which would immediately elevate their proposals for Eurovision. The first was to increase the broadcaster’s budget for Eurovision, which “has been a significant obstacle to the country’s nominations” for years. Popova continued that the budget should be firmed up and shared by September so the delegation can plan accordingly in May.

She also suggested a way to cover Eurovision costs by suggesting that the MRT start selling advertising time during the show. She also called for a unified marketing strategy (both country and participation/artist) that would compete with the promotional efforts of other agencies.

Finally, she called for the establishment of a public relations committee to curb the scandal that has plagued the country for the past two years and boost public enthusiasm around the contest. He argued that the backlash surrounding the Bulgarian flag in Vasil’s music video and Andrea’s downplaying of the significance this year had damaged the public’s image of Eurovision.

The Council’s next steps

After reviewing the report, the council tasked the MRT management to provide its own report on the manner of the recommendations, documents showing revenue generated from Eurovision advertising over the past 4 years, and also asked the MRT general manager . a final decision on disciplinary actions for the 2022 delegation. At the end of the discussion, the report was approved by the homofon council.

In 2022 North Macedonia was represented by Andrea and “Circles”!

https://youtu.be/zvOihqB4eKk

Source: escunited.com

Stay tuned in Eurovisionfun for all the updates regarding Eurovision!

North Macedonia: MRT considers withdrawing from Eurovision!

The North Macedonian broadcaster, MRT considers withdrawing North Macedonia from Eurovision 2023.

Following the incident at the Turquoise Carpet, during which Andrea threw North Macedonia’s on the floor. In the video we saw of the vocalist, it does not seem that the singer intended to show disrespect and just wanted to move the flag because of the photo-shoot with the press. However, showing disrespect to national symbols is a crime in North Macedonia, which means Andrea could face legal trouble for her action.

The broadcaster says it has made the decision to remain in the 2022 competition, stating that:

Such a step at a time when all the deadlines for withdrawal have passed would cause great financial damage and other sanctions that should not be neglected. In particular, the cancellation would jeopardize the participation and deviation of the television rights in all other events that MRT receives as a member of the European Broadcasting Network

The Macedonian Radio Television will take all legal decisions and disciplinary measures after the return of our delegation from Turin, after the members will submit reports on the events of the ceremony.

Due to the reporting on the incident within North Macedonia, the broadcaster is considering withdrawing from the event in 2023:

Due to the negative public image Eurovision has brought to the broadcaster, the MRT Editorial Board is considering the possibility that the Macedonian Radio Television will no longer compete in the Eurovision Song Contest from 2023.

Andrea will compete tomorrow in the 11th place of the second semi-final with her entry “Circles”, you can listen to her entry here:

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Image Source: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett SourceMRT 

North Macedonia: The final version of “Circles” by Andrea has been released!

Circles“, the entry of North Macedonia in Eurovision 2022, underwent a production revamp. The final version of the song, along with the music video, was uploaded on the official Eurovision YouTube channel.

MRT, the Public Broadcaster of North Macedonia, allocated a budget of 2,000 euros to improve the production of the song, after Andrea‘s victory in Za Evrosong, as the country is one of those that offer financial support to their representative after winning their national selection.

Watch the music video of “Circles”:

Andrea won Za Evrosong after a draw with Viktor Apostolovski with a total of 20 points each. Andrea was selected as the winner, having received more points from the jury.

North Macedonia will compete in the second half of the second semifinal on May 12th.

Did you like the revamp of “Circles”? Comment below!

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the developments regarding the participation of Northern Macedonia in Eurovision 2022!

North Macedonia: With a new version of “Circles” to Eurovision 2022!

“Circles” the North Macedonian entry for Eurovision 2022 will undergo a production revamp ahead of the contest in Turin, Italy.

MRT the public broadcaster of North Macedonia has allocated a budget of 2,000 Euro to improve the production of the nation’s entry for Eurovision. The budget is part of a package of support that Andrea will be offered following her victory in Za Evrosong on Friday night.

Andrea won Za Evrosong after tieing with Viktor Apostolovski with a total of 20 points each. Andrea was selected as the winner in the tie-break having received more points from the jury,

Andrea will compete in the second half in the second semi-final on May 12.

Here you can listen to the studio version of “Circles” :

Source: MRT

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest news regarding the North Macedonian participation in Eurovision 2022!

North Macedonia: Listen to the participating songs of Za Evrosong!

As it was already known through the broadcaster’s Facebook account, the public television of North Macedonia, MRT, revealed earlier tonight the songs for Za Evrosong, the national final of North Macedonia for Eurovision 2022.

The six artists who will participate in the national final are (click on the song title to listen to the songs):

As a reminder, online voting is now open and will run for 7 days, until 4 February. The national final will take place on February 4 and the winner will be determined by the results of the online voting, as well as by the vote of the international jury of experts in a 50%-50% ratio.

Source: MRT

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the latest news regarding the North Macedonian participation in Eurovision 2022!

North Macedonia: The artists that will compete on the national final!

The public broadcaster, MRT, received proposals for the contest from December 10, 2021 until January 16, 2022. That means after years of absence North Macedonia returns with a national final to pick its representative for Turin instead of an internal selection. The channel received a total of 47 submissions for the contest, from which an expert commission chose the best six to take part in the National Final, this year named Za Evrosong 2022.

Of course here in Eurovisionfun, we had revealed all these information in our previous exclusive article!

The selected 6 original songs, which the commission considers meets the expected criteria for participating and presenting MRT and the country to the European public in the most spectacular contest are as follows:

 

1. Performer:  Kalina Velkovska  –  Kaly

Composition title:  “LOVE AND LIGHT”

Author of music: Davor Jordanovski

Author of the text: Vesna Malinova

Arrangement: Nikola Vaskov – Nino, Davor Jordanovski, Petar Luzic

 

2. Performer:  Yon Idy

Composition title:   ” DREAMS”

Music and lyrics: Yon Idy

Arrangement: Angel Ḱosev, Yon Idy

 

3. Contractor:  Lara Ivanova

Composition title:   “ FLOWER OF SORROW”

Music author: Robert Bilbilov

Author of the text: Robin Zimbakov

Arrangement: Robert Bilbilov and Darko Dimitrov

 

4. Contractor:  Viktor Apostolovski

Composition title:   “SUPERMAN”

Author of music: Vladimir Dojcinovski

Author of the text: Vladimir Dojcinovski and Viktor Apostolovski

Arrangement: Vladimir Dojcinovski

5. Contractor:  Andrea Koevska – Andrea

Composition title:   ” CIRCLES”

Author of music: Aleksandar Masevski

Author of the text: Aleksandar Masevski and Andrea Koevska

Arrangement: Aleksandar Masevski

6. Performer:  Boris Cvetanovski – Ris Flower

Composition title:   ” FLYING TO BERLIN”

Author of music: Boris Cvetanovski – Ris Flower

Author of the text: Boris Cvetanovski – Ris Flower

Arrangement: Mustafa Janbazlar

 

All songs will be released on January 28 during the TV show Стисни Плеј on 22:00, CET. There will be an online voting that will last for 7 days.

Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun, for all the latest developments regarding North Macedonia’s entry for Eurovision 2022!