All songs for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 have been selected. During the weeks between the national final season and the actual Eurovision Song Contest, we will introduce all 39 entries in random order. Part twenty-four of the series is dedicated to the Serbian entry.

Basic information

Performer:	Milan Stankovi�
Song:	Ovo je Balkan (This is the Balkans)
Language:	Serbian
Music:	Goran Bregovi�
Lyrics:	Goran Bregovi�, Marina Tucakovi�, Ljiljana Jorgovanovi�
Draw:	7th in the first semi final

The song

Ovo je Balkan is an up-tempo song with heavy ethnic influences. As the title give away, the lyrics are about the Balkans, the region in Southeastern Europe, which also includes more than half of the territory of Serbia:

Ljubiš me k'o balavica Nije te sram Beograd, Beograd Ja bezobrazan Balkan, Balkan, Balkan, ovo je Balkan Come on! Ej, Ljubice, Ljubice Grudi ti, Ljubice, haubice

You love me like a rascal I don't blame you Belgrade, Belgrade I am sassy Balkan, Balkan, this is the Balkans Come on! Hey, Ljubica, Lujubica Your brests are like howitzers

The performer

Milan Stankovi� became famous when he competed in the third season of the Serbian talent search Zvezdama grande in 2007. He finished outside the top three but he still became one of the more popular alumnis of the programme. In 2009, his debut album Solo was released and it sold more than 50,000 copies in Serbia.

In 2010, the singer was one of three acts to compete in the Serbian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. He could win the national selection with the song Ovo je Balkan and will therefore represent Serbia in Oslo. Recently, he has also recorded a Spanish version of the song called Balkañeros.

The songwriters

The Serbian entry was written by Goran BregoviÄ� (music and lyrics), Marina TucakoviÄ� (lyrics) and Ljiljana JorgovanoviÄ� (lyrics). Goran BregoviÄ� is one of the most famous modern composers in the Balkan region having written songs for acts like Cesária Évora but also for international performers like Iggy Pop. Since 1998, he has been mainly performing with his Weddings and Funerals Orchestra. In 2008, he performed the interval act of the Eurovision Song Contest final in Belgrade. Marina TucakoviÄ� has written songs for many singers in the area of former Yugolavia including Zdravko Ä�oliÄ�, who represented Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1973 and group Magazin, who represented Croatia in 1995. Ljiljana JorgovanoviÄ� has already won a best lyricist award for the song Panta rei, performed by 2008 Serbian Eurovision Song Contest representative Jelena TomaševiÄ�.

The national selection

It was decided that Beovizija would no longer be used as Serbian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. Instead, Goran Bregovi� and Marina Tucakovi� were chosen internally to write the entry and in a national final called 3 pa 1 za Oslo, three acts each performed an individual song and televoting alone decided that Milan Stankovi� should go to Oslo with Ovo je Balkan.

Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest

Serbia entered the Eurovision Song Contest as an independent country in 2007 and manged to win on its debut with Molitva. In 2008, Oro finished sixth on homeground and last year, the country was eliminated in the semi final for the first time.Other entriessubmitted by the Serbian broadcaster took part under the flags of Yougoslavia and Serbia & Montenegro in the years 1974, 1982, 1991, 1992 and 2004.

Srbiji i Milanu Stankovi�u želimo svu sre�u i dobar rezultat u Oslu!

Videos

Live performance in the national final:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J-tF-92iQU

Preview video version:

Performing in Zvezde grande:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzxgESvVdmY

The song Fejs (Face):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syEGqpThl7o

Tomorrow, we will take a look at the French entry.

Previous parts of this series:

1. Ireland
2. Belarus
3. Albania
4. Denmark
5. Russia
6. Bulgaria
7. Switzerland
8. FYR Macedonia
9. Armenia
10. Spain
11. Poland
12. Croatia
13. Finland
14. Greece
15. Ukraine
16. Lithuania
17. Belgium
18. Norway
19. Portugal
20. Moldova
21. The Netherlands
22. The United Kingdom
23. Latvia