HRT, the Croatian national broadcaster has received a total of 60 songs in their quest to find an song with Klapa elements to  represent Croatia at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. Croatia will be selecting their representative and song internally, both the song and the name of the 2013 Croatian representative will be revealed in due course.

HRT has revealed that Franko Krajcar, Petar Beluhan, Marko Tomasović, Rajko Suhadolčan, Andrej Babić, Duško Rapotec-Uta, Željko Barba, Miroslav Buljan and  Željan Klašterka  have submitted entries.

A special committee consisting of : Velimir Đuretić, Nikša Bratoš , Ante Pecotić,  Vesna Karuza and Mojmir Čačija will now evaluate all received entries and choose the best song to represent Croatia at the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest, and choose the best act to represent Croatia.

Last month HRT, the Croatian national broadcaster  informed Esctoday.com that there would be no national final or television show to select the 2013 Croatian entry. The broadcaster will select the act and entry from all the entries and applications it has received. An announcement revealing both the act and entry that will fly the Croatian flag in Malmö  will be made by mid-February.

HRT  called for composers and singers to submit their proposals for the Croatia‘s ESC 2013 entry. HRT will select a song and a klapa, a band which performs in traditional Mediterranean style so popular in Dalmatia, Croatia’s southern province along the Adriatic coast.

Esctoday.com learned that what HRT wants is not a klapa style song, but rather a pop song which has elements of klapa. With this regard, HRT did not actually restrict their call to the traditional klapa style of music, and  emphasised that that this will be an important element in their 2013 Eurovision entry.

Klapa singing was recently inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Croatia debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993 with Put and Don’t Ever Cry. Croatia is yet to win Europe’s favourite event, its best placing has been a 4th placing with Maja Blagdan in 1996 and with Doris Dragovic in 1999.

Stay tuned to Esctoday.com for the latest information and news on the 2013 Croatian Eurovision participation.