Revealing #8 of our top 10 songs this year!

At number 8, we have Serbia. Through their national final, Pesma za Evroviziju, Serbia chose Teya Dora’s “Ramonda” as their Eurovision entry. Serbia will perform 2nd in the first semifinal.

This powerful and emotional ballad is about the lilac ramonda flower. Native to Serbia, the flower grows between rocks, withstands inhospitable climates, and can be revived from complete dehydration. Additionally, in Serbia, the flower is a national remembrance symbol representing the country’s struggle and perseverance after a quarter of its population died during WWI. 

Although the song is in Serbian and uses nationally specific imagery, universal raw emotion comes through in Teya Dora’s delivery. The staging in the national final was simple but effective with a large rock prop (like the rocks the flower grows from) and low fog.

It would be fair to say that this song has grown on us ;) We think the song and the staging get better each time we hear it. But because this entry did not grab us immediately, and since it is in the same semifinal as similarly emotional ballads from Ukraine, Portugal, and Slovenia, we are worried that a first-time viewer may not fully appreciate the performance as we did not the first time we saw it. Hopefully, Teya Dora’s performance in the first semifinal (and in the dreaded number 2 spot in the running order) will be enough to blow everyone away and make it through to the final. But even if not, it will still be sure to gain popularity in the months to follow – growing out of adversity, just like its namesake flower.