Belgrade played host to the latest national selection on Tuesday. Semi-final 1 of Pesma za Evroviziju 24 took place as Serbia began the search for a Eurovision star.
We were treated to 14 performances during the semi-final, but only eight of the acts ultimately secured a spot in the grand final.
The lucky contestants included pre-contest favourites Breskvica and Zorja.
Pesma za Evroviziju 24: Semi-final 1 results
The results were determined by a 50:50 split between votes from a jury and the public at home. The top eight of their combined ranking will now move on to Saturday’s grand final.
- Hristina – “Bedem”
- Lena Kovačević – “Zovi me Lena”
- M.Ira – “Percepcija”
- Bojana & David – “No No No”
- Breskvica – “Gnezdo orlovo”
- Marko Mandić – “Dno”
- Keni nije mrtav – “Dijamanti”
- Zorja – “Lik u ogledalu”
Non-qualifiers
- Saša Báša & Virtual Ritual – “Elektroljubav”
- Martina Vrbos – “Da me voliš”
- Filarri – “Ko je ta žena?”
- Ivana Vladović – “Jaka”
- Chai – “Sama”
- Kavala – “Vavilon”
Which of the semi-final 1 acts stood out most to you? Can any of these artists go on to win PzE 24? Share your thoughts below.
Does Constracta have mobility issues? Why did she choose to sit this one out (literally and figuratively) with arguably the best song of the night? I guess the dough in a basin was a cute nod to her prior ESC entry but that got old after 15 seconds. Where was the creativity in visual presentation? I’m scratching my head as she was presented to us a strong imaginative artist a few years ago. What a shame.
I love how none of their eyebrows move
Zorja is a massive bore from the 90s, guys really? we’re in 2024.
A lot of the acts were going by AI and futurism vibes, which ironically made Breskvica’s oldschool wings and kitch stand out. Lol.
I knew Zorja could pull it off! My winner before she even stood on stage and she CERTAINLY is now! However, looking at the Youtube views and hype, there’s still enough to say that Breskvica might win the televote and do decently with the jury to win and go to Eurovision. I actually don’t mind it but yeah Zorja would definitely give Serbia it’s best result this year, especially with the juries. If it goes, it will be THE BEST BALLAD and Serbia have a chance! The staging is waaaay too dark however but the wig and mirrors make sense… Read more »
queen zorja or nothing!
no one can beat that when it comes to singing skills and music quality.
but I know that serbia may have other plans and that this fan base influenced televote could be a factor against her.
this year there is no ballad including all NF with this masterful quality in which all good things come together.
so go zorja!
🙂
She is impressive, but the song itself is pretty meh. Safe final if she goes, but 10-15 in the end.
i like the thought that you think if she win in serbia,the malmö final is safe. 🙂
I think that Malmo final is safe with almost whatever Serbia sends. Even Breskvica wouldn’t flop because there are lots of Serbian people living abroad who like these etno / nationalistic songs. There aren’t many ballads in Semi 1, so if Serbia sends any ballad it will likely go through, since they have Croatia, Slovenia and other Slavic countries here. The only other country that will have a ballad is Portugal, which is a safe NQ whatever they send (Portuguese NF is a complete snooze fest, nothing interesting there). But if we talk about doing well and get some top… Read more »
Portugal is going to the final if Iolanda wins the NF. It will be top ten at the ESC final – a very powerful performance which she delivers with ease. Check out the NF video performance. Wakey, wakey!
How is it meh?
Because you hear parts of this song in every darker Disney song. It is reminiscent of many ballads in the last 30 years. The topic of the song is not groundbreaking either. Who is the character in the mirror, the struggles of finding yourself etc, it is a good topic to put forward always, but we have literally thousands of songs with a similar topic. The staging is literal. I don’t want to bash it too much, she is a great singer, I wouldn’t mind if this goes to Eurovision. But even Eurovision is not creme de la creme of… Read more »
Hristina was very nice surprise! Amazing voice and performance!
Zorja is above everyone in the semi 1 . I’m rooting for her or Konstrakta.
Kind reminder that Breskvica’s song is referring to the tensions between Serbia and Kosovo (alongside Albania). Even one of the songwriters said that the song is about the political status of Kosovo.
Kind of a reminder that this song is based on your perception, and the way you wanna see it …. and that that is the beauty of it . So my friend eat Nutella and spared it over your nose . Best Regards.
Yeah sure, the black eagle’s *nest* mentioned in lyrics is Kosovo (black eagle = Albania), it’s very evident in fact. Also “awaiting the black eagles to leave the land” isn’t convincing enough to whom it refers to?
To be precise, black bird, not eagle. Eagle is mentioned, but as a symbol for Serbia. But I agree it has that type of connotation, but I think it is more broad.
Overall it says Serbia is a victim of injustice, and there will be time when justice will come.
It can relate to Croatia, Kosovo, USA, Bosnia, or everything mentioned. Not only Kosovo, that would be too narrow.
No it is a white eagle’s nest and “black birds” which attack the nest and destroy it from above. So the “black birds” are bomber planes. But it talks about it happening repeatedly, so it is referencing WWII and WWI, and perhaps earlier battles where there was bombardment (though not from planes).
Looks like Zarja likely to win for now, unless someone from Semi Final 2 snatch it. There is some good songs in Semi Final 2
Breskvica might still win the televote based on Youtube views and likes alone.
This was such a great show, production, stagings, particularly voices! Ah, what great singers omg! Zorja, well, no words to explain that! Winning vibes, she has everything one quality and good song needs to have!! Enjoyed a lot! Can’t wait for more! Thanks, Serbia 😀
Zorja’s staging was nothing like I expected. It’s boring, monotone, too dark… The camera angles were not dramatic at all…
All in all, it’s not even close to her 2022. performance, which is quite sad since the song itself is better this year. If she wins, RTS should hire someone else to stage her performance since this gives a low budget vibes. The queen like herself shouldn’t let amateurs stage this.
I was expecting more staging akin to Estonia 2018 or Moldova 2013 with a big lit up dress. Instead it was too dark. However, the mirrors matched the lyrics of the song.
Idk I quite liked it, the only thing I didn’t need in the performance were her faces of LED which never works, but apart from that performance was quite good.
Yes, she can be an evil queen or a vain angry person with a colorful dress and jewels too. And then taking them off at the end, the simple woman would be a big contrast.
Is Zarja A Man At Birth ? Genuily Asking Because I Can Not Tell
Who is Zarja?
It’s very interesting how many Croats came to comment and hate this SPECTACULAR PZE and GREAT singers…Most of them also telling it was pre-recorded AHHAHAHA what a joke!
Yes, the Croat winner Baby Lasagna’s song is a sample.
Breskvica’s outfit looks like she got it from AliExpress. The whole performance was disappointing – quite boring.
The photo of Zorja used on this article gives me Vicky Leandros 1972 vibes.
Breskvica, amazing, lyrics and performer but the staging was disappointing. She is also performing third in the final, which in all honesty does not mean anything, people are going to vote for their favourite regardless of the running order so yeah she is still a possible PZE winner
Zorja’s song reminds me of the golden era of Serbia at Eurovision from 2000s, it feels very personal and vocally it’s just perfect. She would be serious contender to be jury winner at Eurovision if she wins PZE! I think jury loves when an artist develops some kind of character on the stage. Loreen, Barbara Pravi, Sam Ryder, Tamara and Cesar all had that moment.
Latvia, France and Serbia would be the big three jury ballads at Eurovision if this went but I think Serbia would just about have the edge
Belgium says hello
I wouldn’t say Belgium is a ballad, though
Zorja can and should win this. This performance was out of this world
We still have semifinal two to go through so we’ll see if she has it in the bag or we have stiff competition
We have stiff competition ?
The ? is wiwi being unable to render smilies
She should definitely win the whole thing but Breskvica will probably do really well with the televote plus have a good jury score…
Zorja and Hristina are the winners in this semi-final. Amazing performances, great vocals. Well done girls! Also, I really liked Marko Mandic and Lena Kovacevic and I am so happy to see them in the final. Breskvica was very obvious qualifier, but she disappointed me the most. Vocally, she was ok, but that performance was 1$. Looked very cheap and dated! M.IRA is the shock qualifier in this semi, while Fillari is the shock non-qualifier tonight. His performance was amazing!
Breskvica actually impressed me more than the studio version, which I thought was bland.
M.IRA qualified because one of her dancers was in Serbian version of Survivor and it’s really popular here.
This wasn’t actually that good. Zorja’s performance was monotone and boring, the camera angles weren’t doing her a favor either. Her vocals were on point though I wish she held that one note longer as in the studio version. Overall, a massive downgrade in comparison to her last appearance, which is sad since this song is way better than “Zorja.”
”Zorja’s performance was monotonous”??? Have you only watched the postcard before the song??? She could wake you up from the dead…well, not you clearly, but a person whose hearing may not be that impaired…really…some people…
I really want three serbian entries this year (Zorja, Breskvica, Teya Dora)
Sama obviously too subtle for the masses. Bit sad that didn’t progress to the final. Beautiful chords.
5 of my favourites after the live performances qualified…song 2 and 3 in the running order were horrible and shouldnt have qualified. I preferred Filarri as it was such a beautiful visual staging and song was ok, and I also liked the second to last song in the running order a lot. Sad to see it gone.
I have to say that I was so surprised by the beautiful and simplistic staging of Hristinas song…that was amazing.
The fact that this whole show and performances are pre-recorded is quite disappointing to be honest. Yes, it’s a great production but make it great while doing it live,that’s a challenge .
Interval acts are prerecorded, nothing else.
Anything that stops anti-Kosovo sentiments from winning is good in my books honestly lol
Queens of fillers
Zorja will perform 11th, a good draw for her.
Breskvica is doomed, she will perform 3rd.
I hope Croats won’t vote for Peach-ka like they voted for Luke last year.
Nevermind, they will draw their positions after all.
Mostly good results. However, Filarri not qualifying was an absolute CRIME. His staging stood out BIG time and he improved his vocals. The song pops and is the only one other than Zorja’s song that I stream. Saša Báša & Virtual Ritual’s song also had the ability to go viral.
Also, the dancing Minotaurs are a vibe that we wont be getting…
I’m surprised than none of those you mentioned went to the final. Those acts are like a breath of fresh air in between all those neverending female ballads…
Yeah, the male acts are really shaking it up this year. In comparison, they’re giving the females ballads and pop numbers, mostly stale apart from a few obvious ones! Though I do think a good ballad will stand out at Eurovision this year!
Aren’t the artists going to draw their Final positions like the last time? What happened?
Breskvica and Marko Mandic are my faves for now. Looking forward to the other half.
They were the right results, unless I’m forgetting someone.
Blaaah no Filarri, no Electroljubav, not even dancing Taurus …
Dissapointed.
Oh, they left Zorja for last, they’re savage, lol.
Fillari is out, which is a surprise.
It was so obvious they’d leave her for last, I just wondered who the first 7 would be.
ok but why hasn’t zorjs qualified yet??
Is this a vote for the worst 8 songs?
Will it be the same pre-recorded performance we see in the final, or will there be a repeat pre-record?
Are you saying we won’t see them singing all live at all,?
I don’t know.
Why do you believe that it’s prerecorded???? It’s a live show dude ???? by the EBU regulations RTS is organising this and the first rule is show is live, singing live.
Malta broke the t. that rule this year, if it exists. Anyway, the show was live as far as hosting and results, but the performances were pre-recorded I believe. Just for logistical reasons, nothing sinister.
The only reason that sounded like that to you as all voices are INCREDIBLE! Period …I am sorry but your comment is either Chidish or someone who cannot hear actually, at all.
You are just a little hater, nothing else.
Do stop …
The show is not prerecorded, only the interval acts. Or you think that they just gathered at 1 AM local time for the finalists draw, while everything else was filmed before? Or they were just sitting there for 3 hours as well and watching their prerecorded performances while Kristina and Stefan were “entertaining” them? Both versions make sense.
Nice, Lena did it: love the smooth cape-verdian music-like kind of song
No, no, no, no3 qualified… 🙁
Shocking
I wonder how much RTS are milking from YT for the livestream revenue
They are dragging this way too long. And it’s obviously prerecorded with no audience.
It has no audience and it aint live, my biggest problem with PZE. When Beovizija was still around everything felt more geniuine
Well, that is actually a compliment, Serbia can thank you. When you say that ( and its obvious that everything IS live) that only means they are GREAT! 🙂
It’s not prerecorded, and it didn’t have audience in previous years either and they are not even hiding it. Interval acts are prerecorded, and the applause is recorded. Everything else is live. Like it was last year as well.
”livestream”
Right ? I find it very disappointing, it is so prerecorded from vocals to whole show.
Serbians are the best at doing tribute medleys in their National final whenever a different country is hosting Eurovision. They’re truly dedicated and I respect them so much about that. The ABBA tribute tonight was very good.
I remember now they did the same last year to celebrate Liverpool musical heritage.
Crikey, I started this stream over two hours ago, went out to the pub, came back and it’s still going. Long show for a semi…
When will the finalists be announced and how many of them will go to the final?
8 out of 14
No idea when …
We’re now enjoying a freestyle a Capella version of Take A Chance On Me, please don’t interrupt.
A little bit too much of Abba if you ask me …
There is NO SUCH THING as too much ABBA.
Unless Senhit is involved.
Money money money balkans version is pretty cool as well
We’re back to regular ABBA style for Dancing Queen, sadly.
I like that this ABBA medley, a ouija pop rock Gimme Gimme Gimme, an opera Fernando, child ballerinas, a traditional Celtic jamboree Does Your Mother Know… at least it’s different.
Now a Buranovskiye Babushki version of Money Money Money… it only gets better!
Complete with brass section!