Teya Dora: 10 Facts about Serbia’s Eurovision 2024 singer

Teya Dora is ready to make her country proud as she prepares to wave Serbia‘s flag at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, where she will perform “Ramonda”. Let’s get to know her better with the following 10 facts.

She won Serbia’s national selection Pesma za Euroviziju 24, also wining the jury’s vote. The echoes since her victory have been amazing, with Eurovision fans showing great enthusiasm about Teya Dora representing her country. Serbia’s first and last victory was in 2007 when Marija Šerifović won with “Molitva.” It’s high time for another triumph.

Let’s get to know Teya Dora offstage. Here are some interesting facts about her! 

Serbia at Eurovision 2024: 10 Facts about Teya Dora

1. She’s from Bor

Teya Dora was born in Bor, a city and the administrative center of the Bor District in the Timok Valley in eastern Serbia. Later, she moved to Belgrade to study music.

2. She studied music in Boston 

After relocating to Belgrade to pursue her music studies, Teya received a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music, a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. Her audition song was “No One” by Alicia Keys. Notable alumni of this college include Marina Satti (ESC, Greece, 2024) and Maro (ESC, Portugal, 2022).

3. She created a stage name while staying in America

Studying in Boston and residing for a period in New York following her studies, Teya decided to adopt the stage name “Teya Dora” instead of her birth name, Teodora Pavlovska. This decision came about as people often struggled to correctly pronounce her name, and she opted for something shorter and easier to remember.

4. She shared classes with Charlie Puth

Charlie Puth is also a graduate of Berklee College of Music. During their time at Berklee, Teya Dora and Charlie Puth were classmates and even shared some classes together.

5. She’s a talented pianist

In addition to her incredible voice, Teya possesses a passion for playing the piano, and she is a skillful pianist.

6. She got her diploma from Jimmy Page

When she graduated from Berklee College of Music, she had the honor of receiving her diploma from Jimmy Page, founder of the legendary rock band Led Zeppelin.

7. She started her career as a songwriter

Before deciding to pursue a career as a singer, Teya worked as a songwriter for various artists, both in America and in Serbia. She collaborated with artists such as Nikolija, Nataša Bekvalac, Zoi, Jovana Nikolić, Meta, Anastasija, Filarri, Tam, Mimica, Aleksandra Radović, and Dragana Mirković.

8. She was viral on TikTok

In 2023, Teya Dora releases her song “Džanum,” which was featured in the television series Južni vetar: Na granici. The track gained international attention on TikTok, sparking the “Moye moye” internet meme. Particularly during protests following the 2023 Belgrade school shooting, “Džanum” was widely used as a protest song on the platform.

9. She has over one million monthly listeners on Spotify

The official music video for the song “Džanum” has gained over 75 million views on YouTube and has garnered over a hundred million streams on Spotify. Additionally, the single reached number four on Spotify’s Daily Viral Songs Global chart. Teya Dora also made history by becoming the third Serbian artist to surpass a million monthly listeners on the streaming platform, joining the ranks of Konstrakta (ESC, Serbia, 2022) and Luke Black (ESC, Serbia 2023), both former Eurovision participants.

10. She’s compared to Loreen

Due to her remarkable voice and enigmatic appearance, characterized by long black hair adorned with bands and a dark allure, Teya Dora is often likened to Loreen (ESC, Sweden, 2012 and 2023). Conversely, Croatia’s Baby Lasagna draws comparisons to Käärijä (ESC, Finland, 2023) due to the vibe of his song and stage presence. Given that both Loreen and Käärijä competed fiercely for the first place last year, Eurovision fans jokingly speculate that history might repeat itself with Teya Dora and Baby Lasagna. Embracing the comparison, they even playfully recreated a photo reminiscent of the former contestants.

Teya Dora ?? and Baby Lasagna ?? recreating Loreen's and Käärijä's picture from last year! pic.twitter.com/mthVwTrfyr

— André ?? | ESC24: ?????????????? (@Andreomache) March 31, 2024