Albina will represent Croatia at Eurovision 2021 with her song “Tick-Tock”.
Albina earned the right to fly the Croatian flag in Rotterdam after winning Dora 2021. And now, she’s heading to The Netherlands, with hopes of bringing Croatia its first song contest victory as an independent state.
But who is the woman behind the song? We’ve compiled 10 facts you need to know about Albina. Let’s do this!
Croatia at Eurovision 2021: Facts about Albina
1. She’s from Split
Albina Grčić was born on 6 February 1999. She grew up in the resort town of Split. Located on Croatia’s sunny Adriatic coast, it’s the country’s second-largest city after Zagreb. Speaking to our William, Albina described her hometown as a beautiful city. “It’s quite a small city”, she says, “but it has a soul”. Croatia’s Eurovision 2019 singer Roko is also a native of Split. They’ve talked about Eurovision and he has warned Albina that the contest can be a bit like Game Of Thrones. However, he also advised that she should enjoy the whole experience and try not to worry too much.
2. She has a tattoo in Spanish
During their interview, William became one of the first people to have the privilege of seeing Albina’s new tattoo. It’s of a Spanish phrase and it’s located on her forearm. “I’ve always been a quite positive person”, explains Albina. “And sometimes, maybe, even unrealistic in some aspects. That’s why I have this tattoo here. It’s actually in Spanish… it means I will dream awake… That’s my motto in my life”. She has a number of other tats, which she shows off from time to time on her Instagram page.
View this post on Instagram
3. She speaks Spanish
Albina learned Spanish in school, so she’s a big fan — hence the tattoo. “I speak Spanish, sometimes even better than English. Even though I’m an English student”, she says.
4. Her dream collaboration would be with Aitana
In a Q&A session on the Eurovision Instagram, Albina revealed that “I would really like to collaborate with a Spanish pop artist. Her name is Aitana. I think we’re very similar in genre and I can see myself in her. So I think our collaboration would be really great!”. Dedicated Eurovision fans will recall that Aitana first came to fame when she competed in Spain’s Eurovision 2018 selection process. Along with Ana Guerra, she enjoyed a monster hit with “Lo Malo” — one of her national final songs. And while the pair lost out to Amaia and Alfred, Albina still has fond memories of the number. She even sang a bit of the song during a live stream.
@Aitanax mira como Albina canta tu exito "Lo Malo". Que menos que unas palabras de apoyo eres su gran idola #PalanteConAitana pic.twitter.com/D6jLzoKI9p
— ?? (@rocachonda) April 19, 2021
5. She quit the X Factor
Albina entered the second season of the pan-Balkan talent show X Factor Adria in 2015. She auditioned as a solo artist with “Ako izgubim te ja” by Oliver Dragojević. She impressed the judging panel, which included Serbian Eurovision legend Željko Joksimović, and advanced to the next round. However, she quit soon after when producers decided they wanted her to be part of a girl group.
6. She reached the final of The Voice
A couple of years later, Albina returned to the world of TV talent shows when she entered the third season of The Voice Hrvatska in 2019. She fared significantly better this time round, finishing third in the final. “I wasn’t that confident before…I really didn’t believe in myself that much before the competition”, she tells William. “I had growth when it comes to my personality and when it comes to my qualities as a performer and an artist. That really helped me also in Dora”.
7. Her Dora 2021 journey began in 2020
Albina performed during the interval of Dora 2020 with her fellow The Voice finalist Filip Rudan. The pair recreated their duet from the Battles stage of The Voice — a cover of Billie Eilish and Khalid’s “Lovely”. It was here that Branimir Mihaljević, the composer of “Tick-Tock” first noticed her. “He suggested that he had the vision for me, he had a direction of how he wants me to represent myself”, Albina explains to our William. “We connected on that level.” Albina and Branimir soon set to work on their new project, drafting in French singer Max Cinamon to help with the lyrics. Branimir and Max were already friends from their studies in London.
8. She’s already enjoying major success
Once The Voice ended in spring 2020, Albina was promptly signed to Universal Music. Her debut single “Imuna na strah” (No More Tears) proved to be a hit, peaking at eleven in the charts. “Tick-Tock” would go on to do even better. Not only did it top the national chart, it also reached number one on all five regional charts which make up the HR Top 40. All this success has led to her being nominated for Best New Artist at the Porin Awards, Croatia’s answer to the Grammys.
9. She has many Eurovision favourites
Albina is a major Eurovision fan. And she’s very clued into the song contest and its history. On the Eurovision live stream, she revealed that her favourite entry from the past five years is Ukraine’s Jamala with “1944”. “When I’m listening to that song”, she tells fans, “I’m really getting the vibe as if I’m watching some movie such as Schindler’s List. I think it’s a really strong song and her interpretation was, wow, fascinating”. As for Croatia’s most iconic moments, Albina has two standouts — Doris Dragović with “Marija Magdalena” in 1999 and Danijela Martinović’s dress reveal in 1998.
View this post on Instagram
10. She gets the best of both worlds… just like Hannah Montana
In her wiwibloggs interview, Albina explains that her music video for “Tick-Tock” is reflective of her life in general. “At the beginning of the music video, I’m entering those magic doors as a usual girl. And then I’m entering that world full of glam, full of very glamorous scenes and backgrounds. That represents my vision, my world in which I’m feeling kind of confident and in which I’m not afraid to show who I am and who I can be”. She continues, “also at the end, you can see me standing there with a teddy bear. You’re not sure if it’s real or a fantasy. I’m both of those versions of myself. I really like being normal, and doing normal things with my family, friends, with my boyfriend. And I also have this other version of me that’s confident, that performs, that kind of conquers the world. In that context, I kinda compare myself to Hannah Montana. She get’s the best of both worlds. That’s my viewing of the music video and this whole story”.
View this post on Instagram
What do you think of Albina’s career? Are you excited to see “Tick-Tock” at Eurovision? Let us know in the comments below.
Albina You Have a Great Personality and a Really Good Song.I wish you all the Best in this Year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
Good luck to her! Wish her the best.
Very beautiful 🙂
She also reminds me of Ariana Grande in this picture
She’s the sweetest! She’ll be amazing in Rotterdam
She is so good at languages ! Her Turkish was also good and it is hard to pronounce but she has a talent when it’s about languages 😀 good luck in Rotterdam !!
fact 11: She is the most beautiful female singer this year.
i agree 🙂 2020 :Athena Manoukian 2021 : Albina
I’d say Katarina from Go_A is the best looking this year.
For me it’s Anxhela
Ksenija has entered the chat
Ksenija! ?
From Hurricane.
Divine girl! Good luck!
She’s amazing!! Hope she qualifies and surprises us in may