Serbia’s journey to choosing an entry for Eurovision 2023 began on Wednesday night. Semi-final 1 of Pesma za Evroviziju 23 hit our screens with 16 acts vying for 8 spots in the grand final.

If you missed it, you can watch the whole things back on broadcaster RTS’s YouTube channel.

Pesma za Evroviziju 23 semi-final 1

Results

Both a jury and the public had their say. The final outcome was determined by a 50:50 split between their votes.

After being announced, the qualifiers randomly drew their starting positions for the grand final — these are given in brackets.

The qualifiers were:

  • Stefan Shy – “Od jastuka do jastuka” (1)
  • Princ – “Cvet sa Istoka” (12)
  • Chegi & Braća Bluz Band – “Svadba ili kavga” (8)
  • Boris Subotić – “Nedostupan” (2)
  • Luke Black – “Samo mi se spava” (10)
  • Filip Baloš – “Novi plan drugi san” (11)
  • Nađa – “Moj prvi ožiljak na duši” (5)
  • Empathy Soul Project – “Indigo” (15)

These eight acts will join the eight qualifiers from Thursday’s semi-final 2 in the grand final on Saturday.

Running order

  1. Mattia Zanatta & Angela Kassiani – “Novi svet”
  2. Adem Mehmedović – “Osmeh”
  3. Nađa – “Moj prvi ožiljak na duši”
  4. Tijana Dapčević – “Mamim”
  5. Princ – “Cvet sa Istoka”
  6. Filip Baloš – “Novi plan drugi san”
  7. Filip Žmaher – “Čujemo se sutra”
  8. Luke Black – “Samo mi se spava”
  9. Angellina – “Lanac”
  10. Empathy Soul Project – “Indigo”
  11. Stefan Shy – “Od jastuka do jastuka”
  12. Hercenšlus – “Vremenska zona”
  13. Savo Perović – “Presidente”
  14. Igor Stanojević – “Iza duge”
  15. Boris Subotić – “Nedostupan”
  16. Chegi & Braća Bluz Band – “Svadba ili kavga”

What did you think of the show? Do you think the ultimate winner of Pesma za Evroviziju 23 will be a qualifier from semi-final 1? Shout out in the comments below.

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Roro31
Roro31
1 year ago

EDIT : Boris Subotic it’s very good also and his voice it’s so good, the stage & the melody are good also. Darkhorse of PZE 2023 !

The Voice of Reason
The Voice of Reason
1 year ago

Just saw Savo’s performance and i’m BAFFLED why he didn’t get through. Maybe he was borderline and the juries let him down? He actually performed well and the staging was good!

lasse braun
lasse braun
1 year ago

presidente not having in the final is a shame.
was for me the best song yesterday (together with hercenšlus) – on third place princ.
luke black (as yann before) didn’t really deliver.
the jury has judged in parts very conservative – maybe a bad sign for zejna with her stunning rumba bop.

fever
fever
1 year ago
Reply to  lasse braun

The song ‘Rumba’ is a little too repetitive for me. But with good staging, it can do well, especially considering that, in terms of the songs, SF2 is less competitive than SF1.

lasse braun
lasse braun
1 year ago
Reply to  fever

din daa daa dudum didum…

😀

Yeah yeah fire
Yeah yeah fire
1 year ago

Luke Black’s performance needs better camera work, that was a bit messy.

Hexagon-Kosmopolj
Hexagon-Kosmopolj
1 year ago

Filip Baloš has a very good song and a very bad performance. He looks like Herr Flick from Gestapo (Alo Alo series) haha in that black leather coat. The performance is inadequate for this kind of song.
His time is yet to come and we shouldn’t be sending him away now that we have something much more effective and better, which is Luka’s song.

Vladimir P
Vladimir P
1 year ago

I disagree, I think Filip had an excellent performance. Luke was good as well, so I think the victory will eventually be decided between two of them.

Hexagon-Kosmopolj
Hexagon-Kosmopolj
1 year ago

I voted for Luke Black in the semi-final and I will also support him in the final because I think he has the best and most effective esc package.
His performance can certainly be improved which he and his team would surely create, perhaps even conceptually a completely new type of performance.

Thallo
Thallo
1 year ago

Luke Black was my favorite going into this semi, but Filip Balos completely blew me away.

I think I prefer Filip because his staging was so sleek and his vocals were perfect. Luke’s staging was a little messy and his vocals weren’t great.

Ultima Thule
Ultima Thule
1 year ago

In my opinion, this was mostly pretty good. I was pleasantly surprised with the stage; many participants made the most of it. I am honestly glad that Angelina and Presidente didn’t go through. Angelina had excellent video behind her, but again she is worried about how to catch the right angle of the camera instead of singing well. She is a typical representative of Gen-Z Instagram/TikTok shallowness. She can’t sing, and she is not talented at all, but for this genre, she could take some singing lessons to be at least decent. Presidente also sounded badly, although I have to… Read more »

Panna
Panna
1 year ago

I really enjoyed Empathy Soul Project, but it would not be the right choice for Serbia, as there are so many bands already.

The Voice of Reason
The Voice of Reason
1 year ago

Nooo, Mi Presidente! And Angelina!

At least my boys Luke and Filip got through! There’s still more work to be done on their performances even if they impressed me! Glad Empathy Soul Project got through. Indigo is a pleasant and underrated song!

Eurovision fan
Eurovision fan
1 year ago

Feel so sad for Angellina, didn’t deserve this. 🙁

James
James
1 year ago

Konstrakta’s new video/song is a pure masterpiece. How can anyone not like this woman?

Syl
Syl
1 year ago

Savo Perovi? not qualifying was the biggest surprise for me….I guessed the other 7 qualifiers. Maybe cuz he was singing about a president, and the Serbian president didn’t take a liking to that ??

I think Filip Baloš had overall the best performance. Luke’s song is my personal favourite, but he needs to amplify the vocals a bit and clean up the staging. It was a great show overall but, boy, do they talk too much!!!!

Esc addict / Shut up and watch my ...
Esc addict / Shut up and watch my ...
1 year ago

As an uninteresting person worthy to be mocked I would say that my winner of this heat is Savo Perovic. You can mock if you want.

Esc addict / Shut up and watch my ...
Esc addict / Shut up and watch my ...
1 year ago

And disappointed it didn’t make it.

Esc addict / Shut up and watch my ...
Esc addict / Shut up and watch my ...
1 year ago

Only -4, I’m disappointing the downvoting mafia is already sleeping….I hope for more tomorrow, come on you can do it! Show me your hate.

Esc addict / Shut up and watch my ...
Esc addict / Shut up and watch my ...
1 year ago

“It’s disappointing”

gea
gea
1 year ago

He is so Eurovision 2005. This time is gone, we have to move forward so no surprises he didn’t make it.

Esc addict / Shut up and watch my ...
Esc addict / Shut up and watch my ...
1 year ago
Reply to  gea

I liked it personally…the song is catchy.

HaveMySkeletons
HaveMySkeletons
1 year ago

Right now i’m in the spot where i still don’t know if i absolutly love or hate Luke’s performance. But i’m pretty sur that’s a good thing. Also Filip was amazing. A lot of things can still be improved but they’ve got a great starting package.

Ngl i’m really dissapointed for Angellina. Yeah vocals weren’t perfect, but the visuals were just outstanding. That gave me Mortak Kombat and i just loved it.

Roro31
Roro31
1 year ago

Luke Black, Filip Balos, Princ & Chegi Bluz Bend are the best of this night !

I love also Nada, its cute & Stefan Shy.

The rest is not my cup of tea…

What, Angellina & Savo Perovic are out ?!? It’s crazy …

I’m so excited for tomorrow with Hurricane, Zejna, Fillari, Ivona & Andjela !!!!

Mbappe
Mbappe
1 year ago

3 out of the 5 I was pulling for made it, Luke, Filip Balos and Nadja were all obvious qualifiers, Adem I knew he just wasn’t going to after that performance sadly, and Savo not advancing either was a bit of a surprise but it is what it is I guess.

Zach
Zach
1 year ago

my favorites were definitely like black and filip balos

Anna Banana
Anna Banana
1 year ago

Angellina kind of had beef with RTS a few days ago, there was a clip where she was kind of cut from a program and she complained, some people said it was because of her participation in programs by the broadcaster “Pink”.
Savo also kind of had an anti-regime song… so probably explains why they didn’t qualify IF it was rigged.. I mean why not.. RTS is close to an authoritarian government

Efthymios
Efthymios
1 year ago
Reply to  Anna Banana

Well, nobody’s a Saint but they’d never reach “Poland Jurors” levels.

Vladimir P
Vladimir P
1 year ago
Reply to  Efthymios

Yeah. TVP and Edyta Gorniak have been silent from the day Polish national selection was aired, and are just letting Blanka receive all the public fire.

Alex
Alex
1 year ago

Stefan was my biggest suprise tonight. Him being kinda quiet/awkward (and shy) and the contrast somehow worked and was appealing.

Alex
Alex
1 year ago
Reply to  Alex

Luke Black and Filip really delivered as well. Probably the two strongest packages for Serbia

Stian F
Stian F
1 year ago

Also, it is just not a great year for women in music industry this year… People just prefer male acts in 2023…Grammys, Eurovision national selections… Whatever. Strange development really…

7 out of 8 qualifiers are male acts, only 1 female… Thats a wow Serbia!

Pat
Pat
1 year ago
Reply to  Stian F

Ignores the multitude of amazing female songwriters who all contribute to the music industry as well.

Dryan
Dryan
1 year ago
Reply to  Stian F

How fascinating that the majority of good songs come from men, the majority of good movies come from men, the majority of political leaders are men (both this year and in history). I guess women are just not good enough. Stop being so pc. Not the fault of men that they’re simply better in everything I guess. Btw. Some people prefer female voices and it’s okay to not like this trend.

Max
Max
1 year ago
Reply to  Dryan

What IS a good a song, though?

Colin
Colin
1 year ago
Reply to  Stian F

To be fair, almost all of my personal favorites from PZE this year are men. Last year, I had 4 women in my top 5. Depends on the song. And unlike Italy, Serbia often sends women, so I really wouldn’t say that they have prejudices there.

jojo
jojo
1 year ago
Reply to  Colin

You have to start counting Serbia from 2007, and men have represented Serbia 3 1/2 time and women 10 1/2 times. I count 2018 as 1/2-1/2 since there was a woman and a man as the lead singers. I also don’t count 2020, even though it was the Hurricane women who were supposed to represent.

Korí Korotán
Korí Korotán
1 year ago
Reply to  Colin

You should’ve seen how the 2006 Slovenian juries sabotaged Saša Lendero…

HaveMySkeletons
HaveMySkeletons
1 year ago
Reply to  Stian F

That’s actually surprising because Serbia is well known for having female representatives. I believe Zeljko, Marko and Milan were their only male singers? It’s not about voting for genders, just that this year boys served more.

HaveMySkeletons
HaveMySkeletons
1 year ago

Then as a composer for Montenegro or Bosnia if they come back. I love him, but right now i just want Serbia to stay out of their confort zone. Love them experimenting.

gea
gea
1 year ago

Exactly:
2007 female
2008 female
2009 male
2010 male
2011 female
2012 male
2013 females
2015 female
2016 female
2017 female
2018 mixed group
2019 female
2021 females
2022 female

jojo
jojo
1 year ago
Reply to  Stian F

Serbia sent a woman last year, a 3-woman group the year before, the same 3-woman group was supposed to go in the cancelled 2020 year, in 2019 Serbia sent a woman, in 2018 it was a mix of a woman and man lead singers with the back singers also being women, in 2017, 2016, 2015 it was also women. 2014 was a skipped year after the failure by the 3-woman group of 2013 failed to qualify. In 2012, it was a man (Zeljko Joksimovic), it 2011 a woman, 2010 and 2009 were men and 2008 and 2007 were women. So… Read more »

gea
gea
1 year ago
Reply to  Stian F

Please, don’t use this “it must be 50-50 politics-let’s make fake fairness just to have fake equal representation” policy: nobody cares about gender here, everyone had an EQUAL chance to present him/herself the way she/he wanted and public and juries voted this way. People prefer whatever they like so please chill.

The Voice of Reason
The Voice of Reason
1 year ago
Reply to  Stian F

Last year, more of the women had better songs in this national selection. This year, most of the young guys do.

Benito Camelo
Benito Camelo
1 year ago
Reply to  Stian F

bruh, the year started with Miley Cyrus and Shakira dominating, and now their successors are Karol G, PinkPantheress and Ice Spice, tf is u talkin abt

Tess
Tess
1 year ago

I only saw the performances of Luke and Filip and I honestly prefer Filip by miles. Better vocals, staging, overall look.
Luke’s vocals were quite weak, but the staging is good

Timi
Timi
1 year ago

Luke’s performance is VERY out of the box, so polarizing, but I’m in the “I love it” side, so I’m beyond happy about these results. He was amazing; his song is more a performance, so I believe he was perfect delivering.

Memes
Memes
1 year ago

So glad for Luke, I really hope he wins the whole thing. His entry is really out-there, original, avangard, raw and most importantly – a banger – just what I like to see at eurovision.

Also glad Filip made it, great song, great vocals and probably the best visuals of the night.

Evan
Evan
1 year ago

Angellina’s performance was ten times better this year than last year ! I loved Orgami as a song but the performance wasn’t really good and I was kinda surprised when she finished in the top 5. And this time she brought a beautiful performance, stable vocals, originality… and she’s not going to the final ? Wtf

Thallo
Thallo
1 year ago

Shocked that Presidente is out!

That chorus has been stuck in my head on loop for days, I was certain he was a contender to win the entire thing.

Colin
Colin
1 year ago

Tijana had a bad song (again), so there’s that. I am happy with the finalists.

Efthymios
Efthymios
1 year ago
Reply to  Colin

E-XACT-LY!

Efthymios
Efthymios
1 year ago

I applaud you, Serbia, you made my night worth it.

Teddi
Teddi
1 year ago

Go Nadja! Definitely the best one tonight!

Clothespin
Clothespin
1 year ago

Lanac robbed she improved so much

Clothespin
Clothespin
1 year ago
Reply to  Clothespin

she being angellina

Film4o
Film4o
1 year ago

So happy for Filip, Luke, Na?a, Princ.. but sad Savo Perovi? didnt make it.

Clothespin
Clothespin
1 year ago

MY FAVORITE LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR DIDNT MAKE IT!!!?!.,.1

LANAC NOO

Efthymios
Efthymios
1 year ago

Same, my top 4 is through!!

Stian F
Stian F
1 year ago

How did Angelina and Savo not make it?!?! Visually Angelina was absolutely amazing!

Knut Olav
Knut Olav
1 year ago

Yesss, two of my three favs came in as the two last ones to the final, Nada & Emapthy Soul Project! Sorry to see Hercenšlus out, but that’s life.

Krzysztof
Krzysztof
1 year ago

Some expected qualifications, but some really bizarre ones as well.

Efthymios
Efthymios
1 year ago

Got 5/8 qualifiers right, I’m actually surprised that i’m so far off. I guessed correctly with Luke, Na?a, Princ, Filip and Boris.

Teddi
Teddi
1 year ago

So glad Savo didn’t go through. That song was overhyped!!

jojo
jojo
1 year ago
Reply to  Teddi

His voice was also thin and pitchy.

Marcin
Marcin
1 year ago

Wow presidente out :O I wans’t a big fan of this but… wow.

Efthymios
Efthymios
1 year ago

Wrong, we lost both, lmaooo.

Colin
Colin
1 year ago

Aww… Nada. Bravo. Her song is so cute.

Venycal
Venycal
1 year ago

Come on Savo!

Efthymios
Efthymios
1 year ago

YEEES, NADJA MADE IT! That means that we may lose Savo or Angelina.

Colin
Colin
1 year ago
Reply to  Efthymios

We lost both. And both were better than Indigo (at least based on the studio versions, as I missed the performances).

jojo
jojo
1 year ago
Reply to  Colin

I had dismissed Indigo as a filler song, but it sounded much better in the live performance.

Colin
Colin
1 year ago

Last two will likely be Angellina and Savo…

Venycal
Venycal
1 year ago
Reply to  Colin

Im shocked that they did not make it to the final. Savo was great

Efthymios
Efthymios
1 year ago

Filip is through.

Efthymios
Efthymios
1 year ago

My winner (Luke) also made it. <3

Colin
Colin
1 year ago

Bravo, Luke! 🙂

Colin
Colin
1 year ago

Bravo, Boris! 🙂

Efthymios
Efthymios
1 year ago

Boris is through too, yes!

Efthymios
Efthymios
1 year ago

I’m sorry wha-