 Bosnia & Herzegovina is had its debut in the ESC in 1993 in Millstreet at the end of the Balkan war, it has been highly appreciated to welcome a country under these circumstances with a great respect. The country has been part of the former Yugoslavia. “Rock me” by Riva in 1989 could win it for the first time. The Balkan music has its influences all over the Balkan region, so it cannot be divided it into countries or states. If there is a popular singer from Sarajevo, he will be popular in Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro and Macedonia as well and even beyond. That’s probably one of the reasons why the entire Europe is envious of the “Balkan connection” when it comes to the voting. By the way it is proofed that many other regions have their “connection” as well, like the Scandinavian countries with Finland and Iceland, Greece with Cyprus, the Caucasian countries and so on. The music from the Balkan is always a heart thing, soulful, folkloristic and melancholic, sometimes ultra modern. There are many cultural influences in that region, especially in the melting pot Sarajevo. In this there is also inspiration and creativity, which can be found in the entries of Bosnia & Herzegovina. The most striking entries were “Putnici” by Dino & Beatrice (#7) in 1999, “Lejla” by Hari Mata Hari (#3) in 2006 and “Pokušaj” by Laka (#10) in 2008. Last year’s entry “Thunder and Lightening” by Vukasin Brajic came 17th in the final, an impressive rock ballad. Even if other countries struggle, Bosnia & Herzegovina has always been qualifying for the final. The official song presentation has been shown on TV with several show acts like Jalisse from Italy #4 in 1997 with “Fuimi di parole”, the singer Dino has already been determined by the BiH Television. Dino is not new to Eurovision; he had a great success with Beatrice back in 1999, with a very extraordinary song. “Love in rewind” does not come close to “Putnici”, unfortunately. It’s a totally different song and has another atmosphere, happy and frolic, with a lovely melody. This song might appear a bit too verdantly for Dino, but he really seems to love with that song and merges with it in a way. The unusual stage performance is not a plus and should be changed for Düsseldorf. Even if it’s star position #1, this has a good chance to qualify. Good luck Dino anyway. |
Participant(s): Dino Merlin
