North Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest | |
---|---|
Participating broadcaster | Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) |
Participation summary | |
Appearances | 21 (9 finals) |
First appearance | 1998 |
Last appearance | 2022 |
Highest placement | 7th: 2019 |
Related articles | |
Skopje Fest | |
External links | |
North Macedonia's page at Eurovision.tv | |
For the most recent participation see North Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 |
North Macedonia [a] has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 21 times since its official debut in 1998. The country had attempted to participate in 1996, but failed to qualify from the audio-only qualifying round. The Macedonian participant broadcaster in the contest is the Macedonian Radio Television (MRT).
Prior to 2019, North Macedonia's best result was a twelfth place finish with "Ninanajna" performed by Elena Risteska in 2006. Having qualified from the semi-final round only once in ten of the previous eleven contests (2008–18), North Macedonia achieved its best result to date in 2019, when "Proud" by Tamara Todevska qualified and finished in seventh place in the final after winning the jury vote. Following a further two non-qualifications, MRT withdrew from the 2023 contest in Liverpool and North Macedonia is yet to return.
The Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) is a full member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) since 1 January 1993, thus eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest since then. It has participated in the contest representing North Macedonia [a] since its 43rd edition in 1998.
Before the country's independence in 1991 from SFR Yugoslavia, RTV Skopje –Yugoslav Radio Television's (JRT) affiliate in SR Macedonia, and MRT's predecessor– participated in the Yugoslav pre-selection called among the JRT affiliates from the other Yugoslav federal units. [1] Also, Macedonian composers wrote songs for candidates from other parts of Yugoslavia. [2] However, the only Macedonian win in the Yugoslav competition, "Vraćam se" by Maja Odžaklievska in 1980, [1] did not compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 due to JRT's decision not to participate that year. SR Macedonia was the only Yugoslav federal state that never sent a Yugoslav entry to the Eurovision Song Contest.
MRT submitted its first entry, "Samo ti" (Само ти) sung by Kaliopi, for the 1996 contest. However, the country failed to qualify through the non-broadcast pre-selection round. Its efforts to enter the contest were again hindered in 1997, when another new system was introduced where countries with the lowest average scores over the previous four years were excluded from participating. The country made its debut in 1998, with "Ne zori, zoro" by Vlado Janevski.
The country's best result before 2019 (and the best result with its old name) was in 2006, with "Ninanajna" (Нинанајна) by Elena Risteska in Athens, who came 12th. It is the only country to have qualified from every semi-final from 2004 to 2007 (other countries have qualified for every final but due to them finishing in the top 10 the previous year, they did not have to compete in the semi-final). Despite never finishing in the top 10, their record of qualifying for every final was broken in 2008, when the jury vote used in the semi-final chose Sweden as a finalist, despite Tamara, Vrčak and Adrian having come 10th in the televote.
MRT has intermittently used the Skopje Fest to select the national entry since the country's debut, although it made several changes in the national final format, so the 2004, 2005, and 2006 national finals were organised outside the Skopje Fest.
For 2019, the country competed for the first time under the name North Macedonia. [3] MRT selected "Proud" by Tamara Todevska as their act of choice. The song managed to qualify through the second semi-final, and reached seventh place in the final, winning the jury vote. This is the first top ten placing as well as the highest placing ever for North Macedonia in the history of the contest.
Following two non-qualifications in 2021 and 2022, MRT confirmed its absence in the 2023 contest, citing financial constraints. [4] However, MRT still broadcast the 2023 contest with a view to return in 2024. [5] The broadcaster's intention to return was stated in a budget plan published in September 2023. [6] [7] However, in late October 2023, the programme planning chair of MRT, Smilka Janeska Sarkanjac, clarified that a decision was yet to be made and the plan was still awaiting the approval of the government. [8] North Macedonia ultimately did not appear on the final list of participants. [9]
2 | Second place |
X | Entry selected but did not compete |
Year | Artist | Song | Language | Final | Points | Semi | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1996 | Kaliopi | " Samo ti " (Само ти) | Macedonian | Failed to qualify [b] X | 26 | 14 | |
1998 | Vlado Janevski | " Ne zori, zoro " (Не зори, зоро) | Macedonian | 19 | 16 | No semi-finals | |
2000 | XXL | " 100% te ljubam " (100% те љубам) | Macedonian, English | 15 | 29 | ||
2002 | Karolina | " Od nas zavisi " (Од нас зависи) | Macedonian | 19 | 25 | ||
2004 | Toše Proeski | "Life" | English | 14 | 47 | 10 | 71 |
2005 | Martin Vučić | "Make My Day" | English | 17 | 52 | 9 | 97 |
2006 | Elena Risteska | "Ninanajna" (Нинанајна) | English, Macedonian | 12 | 56 | 10 | 76 |
2007 | Karolina | " Mojot svet " (Мојот свет) | Macedonian, English | 14 | 73 | 9 | 97 |
2008 | Tamara, Vrčak and Adrijan | "Let Me Love You" | English | Failed to qualify | 10 [c] | 64 | |
2009 | Next Time | " Nešto što kje ostane " (Нешто што ќе остане) | Macedonian | 10 [c] | 45 | ||
2010 | Gjoko Taneski | " Jas ja imam silata " (Јас ја имам силата) | Macedonian | 15 | 37 | ||
2011 | Vlatko Ilievski | " Rusinka " (Русинкa) | Macedonian, English | 16 | 36 | ||
2012 | Kaliopi | " Crno i belo " (Црно и бело) | Macedonian | 13 | 71 | 9 | 53 |
2013 | Esma and Lozano | " Pred da se razdeni " (Пред да се раздени) | Macedonian, Romani | Failed to qualify | 16 | 28 | |
2014 | Tijana | "To the Sky" | English | 13 | 33 | ||
2015 | Daniel Kajmakoski | "Autumn Leaves" | English | 15 | 28 | ||
2016 | Kaliopi | "Dona" (Дона) | Macedonian | 11 | 88 | ||
2017 | Jana Burčeska | "Dance Alone" | English | 15 | 69 | ||
2018 | Eye Cue | "Lost and Found" | English | 18 | 24 | ||
2019 | Tamara Todevska | "Proud" | English | 7 | 305 | 2 | 239 |
2020 | Vasil | "You" | English | Contest cancelled [d] X | |||
2021 | Vasil | "Here I Stand" | English | Failed to qualify | 15 | 23 | |
2022 | Andrea | "Circles" | English | 11 | 76 |
Year | Performer | Host city | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Martin Vučić | Kyiv | |
2018 | Eye Cue | Lisbon |
Each participating broadcaster in the Eurovision Song Contest assigns a head of delegation as the EBU's contact person and the leader of their delegation at the event. The delegation, whose size can greatly vary, includes a head of press, the performers, songwriters, composers, and backing vocalists, among others. [12]
Year | Head of delegation | Ref. |
---|---|---|
2005 | Ivan Mircevski | |
2012–2021 | Meri Popova |
Year | Head of press | Ref. |
---|---|---|
2019 | Toni Cifrovski |
For the show's broadcast on MRT, various commentators have provided commentary on the contest in the Macedonian language. At the Eurovision Song Contest after all points are calculated, the presenters of the show call upon each voting country to invite each respective spokesperson to announce the results of their vote on-screen. [18]
From 1961 until 1991, SR Macedonia was part of Yugoslavia and JRT's affiliate RTV Skopje broadcast the contest there with Macedonian commentary.
Year | Channel | Commentator(s) | Spokesperson | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | MTV | Unknown | Evgenija Teodosievska | |
1999 | Did not participate | |||
2000 | Sandra Todorovska | |||
2001 | Did not participate | |||
2002 | Biljana Debarlieva | |||
2003 | Did not participate | |||
2004 | Karolina Petkovska | |||
2005 | Karolina Gočeva | |||
2006 | Karolina Petkovska | Martin Vučić | ||
2007 | MTV 1 (all shows) | Unknown | Elena Risteska | |
2008 | MRT (all shows) | Ognen Janeski | ||
2009 | Karolina Petkovska and Aleksandra Jovanovska | Frosina Josifovska | ||
2010 | Karolina Petkovska | Milica Roštikjl | ||
2011 | MTV 1 (all shows) | Eli Tanaskovska | Kristina Talevska | |
2012 | MRT 1 (all shows) | Karolina Petkovska | ||
2013 | Dimitar Atanasovski | |||
2014 | MRT 1, MRT SAT, Radio Skopje (all shows) | Marko Mark | ||
2015 | MRT 1, MRT SAT, Radio Skopje, MRT 2, MRT 2 SAT (all shows) | |||
2016 | MRT 1 (all shows) | Dijana Gogova | ||
2017 | Ilija Grujoski | |||
2018 | MRT 1, MRT 2, Radio Skopje (all shows) | Jana Burčeska | ||
2019 | MRT 1 (all shows) | Toni Cifrovski | Nikola Trajkovski | |
2020 | Not announced before cancellation | N/A | ||
2021 | MRT 1, MRT 2 (all shows) | Eli Tanaskovska | Vane Markoski | |
2022 | Jana Burčeska | |||
2023 | MRT 1, MRT 2, Radio Skopje (all shows) | Aleksandra Jovanovska and Eli Tanaskovska | Did not participate | |
2024 | MRT 1, Radio Skopje (all shows) | Aleksandra Jovanovska | ||
2025 | TBA |
Show | Commentator | Channel | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light | Aleksandra Jovanovska | MRT 1 |
Macedonia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Ninanajna" (Нинанајна), composed by Darko Dimitrov, with lyrics by Rade Vrčakovski, and performed by Elena Risteska. The Macedonian participating broadcaster, Macedonian Radio Television (MRT), organised the national final Specialen Evroviziski Den in order to select its entry for the contest. Twenty entries competed in the competition on 4 March 2006 where "Ninanajna" performed by Elena Risteska was selected exclusively by a public televote, receiving 6,999 votes.
Macedonia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Make My Day", written by Dragan Vučić and Branka Kostić, and performed by Martin Vučić. The Macedonian participating broadcaster, Macedonian Radio Television (MRT), organised the national final Makedonski Evrosong 2005 in order to select its entry for the contest. Five artists were presented to the public in November 2004 and an eight-member jury panel and a public televote selected two artists to qualify to the compete in the competition on 19 February 2005, where "Ti si son" (Ти си сон) performed by Martin Vučić was selected following two rounds of voting from a twelve-member jury panel, an audience vote and a public televote. The song was later translated from Macedonian to English for Eurovision and was titled "Make My Day".
North Macedonia has participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 19 times since their debut in the inaugural 2003 contest. Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) is responsible for the country's participation in the contest. North Macedonia has participated in every contest with the exceptions of 2012, 2014 and 2020 contests.
Skopje Fest, officially Festival na zabavni melodii Skopje, is one of the main musical events in North Macedonia, and formerly in Yugoslavia. The show, organized by national broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television (MRT), involves some of North Macedonia's most popular performers, singing original tracks usually accompanied by the orchestra of MRT.
Macedonia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Life", composed by Jovan Jovanov, with lyrics by Ilija Nikolovski, and performed by Toše Proeski. The Macedonian participating broadcaster, Macedonian Radio Television (MRT), selected its entry through Skopje Fest 2004, after having previously selected the performer internally. The broadcaster returned to the contest after a one-year absence following their relegation from 2003 as one of the bottom five entrants in 2002. Toše Proeski's appointment was announced on 7 June 2003. Eight songs competed in the competition on 14 February 2004 where "Angel si ti" (Ангел си ти) was selected following the combination of votes from an eleven-member jury panel, Proeski himself and a public televote. The song was later translated from Macedonian to English for Eurovision and was titled "Life".
Macedonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Let Me Love You" written by Rade Vrčakovski. The song was performed by Tamara, Vrčak and Adrian. The Macedonian broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) organised Skopje Fest 2008 in order to select the Macedonian entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia. Fifteen entries competed in the competition on 23 February 2008 where "Vo ime na ljubovta" performed by Tamara, Vrčak and Adrian was selected following the combination of votes from a five-member jury panel and a public televote. The song was later translated from Macedonian to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Let Me Love You".
"Nešto što kje ostane" is a song by the Macedonian band Next Time. It was the Macedonian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia, but it failed to qualify for the final round. The English version of the song is titled "The Sweetest Thing That Will Remain".
Risto Apostolov is a Macedonian songwriter, composer, and music producer. He is also guitarist, singer, and leader of rock band Vodolija.
Macedonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Crno i belo" written by Kaliopi and Romeo Grill. The song was performed by Kaliopi, who was internally selected by the Macedonian broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) to compete for Macedonia at the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. Kaliopi's appointment as the Macedonian representative was announced on 19 November 2011, while her song, "Crno i belo", was presented to the public in a television special titled Evrosong 2012 on 29 February 2012.
Macedonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Pred da se razdeni" written by Darko Dimitrov, Lazar Cvetkoski, Simeon Atanasov and Magdalena Cvetkoska. The song was performed by Esma and Lozano, which were internally selected by the Macedonian broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) to compete for Macedonia at the 2013 contest in Malmö, Sweden. Esma and Lozano's appointment as the Macedonian representatives were announced on 29 December 2012, while their song, "Imperija", was presented to the public in a television special on 27 February 2013. "Imperija" was later withdrawn due to negative reactions from the public and replaced with the song "Pred da se razdeni", which was presented to the public on 15 March 2013.
Macedonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "To the Sky" written by Darko Dimitrov, Lazar Cvetkoski and Elena Risteska. The song was performed by Tijana, who was internally selected by the Macedonian broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) to compete for Macedonia at the 2014 contest in Copenhagen, Denmark. Songwriter Elena Risteska represented Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Ninanajna" where she placed twelfth in the grand final of the competition. Tijana's appointment as the Macedonian representative was announced on 22 February 2014, while her song, "To the Sky", was presented to the public in a special edition of the MRT show Hit na mesecot.
Barbara Popović, also known as simply Barbara, is a Macedonian singer. She is known for representing her country at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013.
Macedonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 with the song "Autumn Leaves" written by Joacim Persson and Robert Bilbilov. The song was performed by Daniel Kajmakoski. The Macedonian broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) organised Skopje Fest 2014 in order to select the Macedonian entry for the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. Twenty entries competed in the competition on 12 November 2014 where "Lisja esenski" performed by Daniel Kajmakoski was selected following the combination of votes from seven international jury groups and a public televote. The song was later translated from Macedonian to English for the Eurovision Song Contest and was titled "Autumn Leaves".
Macedonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Dona" written by Kaliopi and Romeo Grill. The song was performed by Kaliopi, who was internally selected by the Macedonian broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) to compete for Macedonia at the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. Kaliopi previously represented Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Crno i belo", placing thirteenth in the final of the competition. At the time of Kaliopi's selection, the last time Macedonia qualified to compete in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest was when she represented the nation in 2012. Kaliopi's appointment as the Macedonian representative was announced on 24 November 2015, while her song, "Dona", was presented to the public in a television special titled Kaliopi za Makedonija on 7 March 2016.
Macedonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Dance Alone" written by Borislav Milanov, Alex Omar, Joacim Persson and Florence A. The song was performed by Jana Burčeska, who was internally selected by the Macedonian broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) to compete for Macedonia at the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Jana Burčeska's appointment as the Macedonian representative was announced on 21 November 2016, while her song, "Dance Alone", was presented to the public during the MRT programme Stisni Plej on 10 March 2017.
Macedonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Lost and Found" written by Bojan Trajkovski and Darko Dimitrov. The song was performed by the group Eye Cue, which were internally selected by the Macedonian broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) to compete for Macedonia at the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. Eye Cue's appointment as the Macedonian representative was announced on 13 February 2018, while their song, "Lost and Found", was presented to the public on 11 March 2018.
North Macedonia originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "You" written by Nevena Neskoska, Kalina Neskoska and Alice Schroeder. The song was performed by Vasil, who was internally selected by North Macedonia's public broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) to compete for North Macedonia at the 2020 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Vasil's appointment as the Macedonian representative was announced on 15 January 2020, while his song, "You", was presented to the public on 8 March 2020.
North Macedonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy, with the song "Circles" performed by Andrea. North Macedonia's public broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) organised the national final Za Evrosong 2022 in order to select the country's entry for the 2022 contest. Six entries competed in the national final and "Circles" performed by Andrea was announced as the winner on 4 February 2022 following the combination of votes from a five-member international jury panel and a public vote.
"Circles" is a single by Macedonian singer Andrea. The song represented North Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy after winning Za Evrosong2022, North Macedonia's national final.
The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025 is set to be the 23rd edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The contest is expected to take place in Georgia, following the country's victory at the 2024 contest with the song "To My Mom" by Andria Putkaradze. If confirmed, this will be the second time that Georgia will host the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, the first being in 2017.
Програмата на Македонската Радио Телевизија во 2024 година ќе биде одбележана и со учеството на Изборот за песна на Евровизија 2024 година каде што ќе бидат презентирани македонските музички вредности преку песната - учесничка на овој фестивал.[The program of the Macedonian Radio Television in 2024 will also be marked by the participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, where Macedonian musical values will be presented through the song competing in this festival.]