The Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — is reviewing and rating the 37 competing songs in Eurovision 2025. Next we review Croatia, who have chosen Marko Bošnjak with “Poison Cake”.
Were we asking for a second slice? Read on to find out!
Marko Bošnjak – “Poison Cake” (Croatia Eurovision 2025)
Review: Marko Bošnjak – “Poison Cake”
Deban: My first reaction to “Poison Cake” was unpalatable. However, since then, I have grown to appreciate the duality of Marko Bošnjak’s artistry. Sugary and acidulated at the same time, “Poison Cake” harbours a range of conflicting flavours. But this isn’t a bad thing. Like salt and caramel, both flavours have found a good marriage. Marko’s audience connect with the sweet child star they remember and within three minutes, his personality darkens before our very eyes. If executed well, this could be a Top 5 finish. However, his delivery at Dora gives pause for thought.
Score: 6.5
Simon: Marko is a sweetheart and is deservedly loved in the Eurovision community, but “Poison Cake” feels like too many ideas brought together in three minutes. I love the theme of taking revenge on bad people doing bad things to you. It’s just that a nursery rhyme and aggressive dubstep is kind of an odd combination. Vocals are slay, which elevates the performance, but it needs to clear up the messiness to do better at Eurovision, otherwise too few people will want a slice of the Croatian cake this year.
Score: 4
Antranig: I’m trying to eat healthier at the moment but I will make an exception for a slice of “Poison Cake”. I’m all about the bass, so for me, this song is probably the best Eurovision 2025 entry musically. But dear lord, the lyrics in the pre-chorus are so cringeworthy. It takes a great deal away from the whole experience. However, I love the explosive chorus and I love the bridge as the song moves towards its climax. There’s a lot to like about Croatia and Marko, enough to overlook some of the drawbacks, and I think he’ll be serving his “Poison Cake” in the final.
Score: 7.5
Scarlett: As a fan of dark, experimental entries, I really wanted to like “Poison Cake.” Every snippet explored interesting musical ideas (rock! industrial! bubblegum!), but this genre-melding song did not quite hit the mark as a whole. The lyrics, with their relentless metaphors around cake and baking, were a bit much. Let’s hope that Marko, with his strong stage presence, manages to string all the different ingredients of the song together in the live performance.
Score: 4.5
Croatia Eurovision 2025 ranking
In the Eurovision 2025 Wiwi Jury, we have 17 jurors but only have room for four reviews. The remaining scores are below:
|
Andreas: 4.5 Bernardo: 1.5 Burak: 6.5 Cinan: 8.5 Jonathan: 7.5 Jordi: 4 Lucy: 2.5 |
Pablo: 5 Ruxandra: 6 Suzanne: 5.5 Tom: 6 Tomas: 4.5 William: 5 |
We have removed the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. This is to remove outliers and potential bias. We have removed a high of 8.5 and a low of 1.5.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 5.30/10
What do you think of Croatia’s Eurovision 2025 entry? Share your own score and review for Marko Bošnjak’s “Poison Cake” below!
Trashy to dislike a song based on someone’s sexuality, songwise it’s not enough but far better than last years embarrassement.
NQ
I am gay and I am Croatian… Don’t get me wrong, homophobia thrives in Croatia, but I would disagree that most people are reacting badly to this entry just because he is gay…. he seems nice enough, but the song is just crap… unbearable to listen, and the part with a nursery rhyme…. just cringing…. Luka Nizetic was a far better choice, with a quite an original entry, as were Nipplepeople – and at least 3-4 other entries…. How they picked this entry – is really beyond me… especially after Baby Lasagna in 2024… Anyway, this year’s Eurovision is pretty… Read more »
How? Well, J.Bo of Index tried (and for the most part succeeded) in exposing the nature of the game…tho I am sure there’s more to it.
My least favorite Eurovision entry of 2025.
It’s horrible. Just horrible. How is this pleasant to listen to?
The singer is quite ok, but the song… If I had to pick the worst Eurovision entry in recent years, this would be number one—along with two other Croatian songs from 2011 and 2017. Truly painful to listen to.
My last place this year. I just can’t find anything that I would like.
One night I had a big fever and in my head I heard just “poison caaaake, poison caaaake”. Just awful
1/10
Going from Baby Lasagna to whatever this is in the space of a year is quite the downgrade.
Clearly, coming 2nd last year was too far away from comfort for HRT
the average score is too high. this is, in my opinion, the worst song in a very bad year
Still after so many days comment sections are here mostly filled with bitter … Croatians. Nobody will buy that this is only about song.
About what else? You think he is the first LGBT singer we’ve sent? Song is bad and his diva personality doesn’t help.
My last place this year – absolutely horrible. Croatia 0/12
We’re in F-sharp minor for this song, the key of despair. I often feel ill when I hear songs in this key, and since the song is about baking a poison cake, that’s probably spot on. Marko’s vocal in verse 1 is suitably sumptuous and devious. It’s clear that he is a villain in this song. The melody to “I’m stirring and stirring, deliciously pouring” is really well-written and it’s actually my favourite part of this song. It goes downhill from here though. Verse 1 leads into a Break. (Yes, a Break; we don’t get those in many Eurovision songs.)… Read more »
Wrong link at the bottom – for lyrics and not the jury ratings page.
CROATIA – After the huge success of Baby Lasagna last year, we picked another Marko to represent us. He is charismatic, bubbly, and wanted to go to Eurovision for a long time. His song is also very much out there and loud, so why is he often getting the opposite effect? Aside from homophobia from the Croatian voters (which I’m not getting into in details), there are some issues in the song too. It’s a brave composition that doesn’t shy away from being loud, dark or quirky, but its transitions may be too abrupt for some listeners. Many people are… Read more »
“Aside from homophobia from the Croatian voters”
Get a grip girl. Bad song is bad.
He is a lovely person and singer but his Dora performance was not worthy of winning and the song….sorry but it is probably my last place this year. It is sugary mess with no hook or purpose.
They picked Bambie’s director so I guess the whole inspiration behind the song and soon to be ESC performance was Ireland 2024.
Say what? Oh sweet Lord…
BABY LASAGNA WATCH THOSE COINS!
“Lovely person”!? Please watch his interview in “Nedjeljom u 2”. He was spewing arrogance and condescension (especially towards the televote winner of this year’s Dora).
Now I know I left a comment refferencing Rachel Zegler (who I actually do like) here, but the moderation has been hmmmm… 😉
Marko needs to grow up, yes.
After Baby Lasagna this really is a disappointment. NQ.
And one more thing, looking at the bookies predictions, ratings here (if I’m not mistaken just above Yuckal), and public opinion aside, one has to ask where’s that wide “critical” acclaim? Can’t wait to see the ESC results…but when even the fandom doesn’t rate it high., I am not expecting much.
HRT, get rid of international juries at once. They really make no sense. Baby Lasagna was an anomaly! In all honesty, I have a feeling foreign b****** are more likely to vote for someone who is NOT real competition.
HRT needs to get rid of Tomislav Štengl!!!
Also, why are comments section still mostly filled with bitter Croatians because their favourite didn’t win
Hmm what that has to do with this particular song not exactly clicking with people?
OK, I also left a comment here days ago which also disappeared. It was a cheeky one, yes, lol.
Basically I was saying that I could understand this reasoning in regards to comment on some Croatian portals filled with right-wingers, incels blah blah blah, but not here.
I imagine this is how it went down. Whoever wrote this watched ESC 2024 and Doomsday Blue and thought to themselves Hey let’s make a kiddie version of it. Cakes, sugar, spice and s***. It was shopped around and Marko and his team took the bait. Too bad they did cos you see from a far, far away this is not sonething people would play ober and over.
Ironically, in a not so great year such as this one this is probably end up between places 10 and 15 in my ranking.
Song is 2 years old.
Marko and his team need to do a lot of work to improve his countries chances of not finishing last in the semifinal at the very least. The national final live performance as it is would go nowhere, but to be fair he was actually ill on the night, and his live pre-performances are an improvement. Fingers crossed.
Marko and his team who are responsible for this crime needed to stay home. As a Croat I so admire the guts of the Moldovan television to say “Thanks, but NO!” after they saw their NF songs. For Croatia this would have been the only right decision in 2025. Especially after the one and only Baby Lasagna. The only positive that will come out of this is that 13 May 2025 will be the last day of that untalented brat’s “carrier”, the first one to “achieve” zero points at ESC for Croatia.
Nah, you’re being over dramatic lol.
I will say tho is that if I were Baby Lasagna I’d keep a close look at my finances.
BadWoolfGirl… are you excited for the upcoming Eurovision-themed episode of Doctor Who?
Am I excited?! You bet I am! The two worlds are colliding on May 17. I need to write up my whovian’s guide to Eurovision anticipation for the interstellar song contest episode.
I thought you might be! 🙂
such a good entry, Croatia are on such a strong form lately
love and hate your attitude every year.
my favourites are
Norway, Cyprus, Croatia and Czechia this year
the english songs are competitive at least in this weak year
I am glad that some people are enjoying it, and in all honesty I preferred it to all those BL copycats on Dora. Still, there were better choices.
My last place. It helps that he’s got better live between the national final and the pre-parties but there’s something about it that just annoys me to listen to.
21st place: Croatia: I am sensing some Bambie Thug influences in the feel of this song but this one is certainly less out there and impressive. Poison Cake certainly has a vision and I may enjoy it when it’s on but never actually willfully replay it. It plays heavily on the psycho-love theme and in that respect reminds me thematically of Mileo’s song from MGP from last year. In addition, the last part with the long notes sounds kinda off-putting to me live. There’s no doubt that Marko is great and is willing to experiment but I am not sure… Read more »
As of 21 April 2025 the odds say it all! No further comment needed.
It’s not that bad as many people are making it to be, it’s just messy
Very odd to see an actual K-Pop(esque) song in the contest. It’s not bad but is it enough?
The studio version actually intrigued me, especially the tasty tasty yum yum parts, but from what I’ve seen it is impossible for Marko to bring this song on stage without giving creepy, unwatchable vibes and vocal struggles. A safe and maybe even dated bet like Moli za nas would have worked better, that’s almost certain at this point. At this stage, the revamps of other ex-yu countries catapulted both Serbia and Montenegro into my top 5, but Croatia, judging by all the performances I checked, I’m seeing more and more at the bottom 5 there with Slovenia. I know this… Read more »
i don’t even bother ranking songs that i don’t like, but this one is my last place for sure.
You are so right. It is so awful there is simply no ranking for this.
And where’s the fun in that?
Croatia will qualify!
I think so too. There are far too many terrible songs this year…
Croatia – Yeah… unfortunately this is my last place this year. Going from the cringey sugary-sweet “yum yum tasty” part to a load of noise is absolute whiplash for me, and not in a good way. There are some slower songs this year that a lot of people I know put near last, but for me this one is very close to unlistenable. Marko seems like a sound guy, so best of luck to him. 2.5/10
Two incorrect things in your comment. 1) The use of “unfortunately”: This can only be last place with anybody with a sound mind. 2) The use of “very close to unlistenable”: This is just unlistenable.
When I say “close to unlistenable”, the verses are somewhat listenable for me and the rest is a sensory nightmare for me. And yeah, it is unfortunate because I know some people that actually like it and my autistic traits make me hate it. Just trying to be nice.
34. Croatia – Marko Bosniak – Poison Cake – 3.5/10 – irritating metaphors are rife throughout this track. The irritation is ramped up further by the musical arrangement which oscillates like a Eurovision top recap. There is a dreamy disturbing part of the track which shows some promise and then is replaced ten seconds later by a completely jarring right angle turn, it’s a gift when this track finally comes to an end.
Oh dear Lord! How can you place this thing so high?!? 34th?!