At Eurovision 2017 he achieved Croatia’s best result in recent years with his hybrid pop-opera ballad “My Friend”.
We haven’t heard much from Jacques Houdek since his success at Eurovision, but now he’s breaking the silence with the release of his latest single “Pravi Sretnik” (True Happiness).
“Pravi Sretnik” swerves away from his Eurovision track, going for a more modern and uplifting beat with a hint of tropical house.
What doesn’t change is Jacques’ strong and bold voice, which shines throughout the song and fits gloriously above that beat.
In the video, we see Jacques singing and wearing his signature black clothing (as when he performed “My Friend”). Joining him is plus-size model Lucija Lugomer wearing a long white dress, which flutters along with the song. There is also a mime artist, drummer and dancer…because why not?
Speaking of the song, Jacques said that he believes in that first, instinctive musical experience, and “Pravi Sretnik” immediately impressed him. “This is a real pop and energetic song — makes you energised, to dance and celebrate love and happiness”, he said.
CROATIA AT EUROVISION 2018
Recently, it has been reported that Croatia will not bring back its national final Dora and that it will be internally selecting an artist for this year, with three names being rumoured.
Croatia used its national final Dora to select its acts from its Eurovision debut in 1993 to 2011. From 2012 onwards, Croatian acts have been internally selected by the broadcaster.
The change of tack has worked for HRT. Since Croatia’s comeback in 2016, they have qualified for the grand final in each year. In Kyiv, Jacques Houdek placed 13th, Croatia’s best Eurovision result in a decade.
What do you think of Jacques’ new music video? Let us know in the comments section below!
Really cool song – loving the mixture of instruments in the back; it’s definitely more chill than his eurovision song, and it’s more upbeat than some of his other stuff. It’s just easy listening really.
Can’t wait for the 2018 entry to be announced though from Croatia – I wish they’d do something akin to what Finland’s doing this year and release a couple of songs from an internally selected artist so that the people have some choice, whilst ensuring they had a quality performance.
Who else is gonna talk about Croatia than Antony Roso, cheeers ??