Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

has participated in the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

27 times since making its debut at the 1993 contest. Their entry has since 1993, excluding from 2012 to 2018, been selected at the Dora pop festival, an event organised by the national public broadcaster

Croatian Radiotelevision ''Hrvatska radiotelevizija'' (abbr. HRT), or Croatian Radiotelevision, is Croatia's public broadcasting company. It operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmitter network as well as satellite. HRT is divided into thr ...

(HRT). Croatia's best result in the contest is a fourth-place finish in and . Croatia achieved six top ten results in seven years, with

Magazin Magazin is a Croatian pop band from Split. Founded in 1979 under the name Dalmatinski magazin ("Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see names in other languages) is one of the four historical regions of Croatia, alongside ...

and

Lidija Lidija is a feminine given name. Notable people with the name include: *Lidija Abrlić (born 1969), former Yugoslavian and Croatian basketball player *Lidija Auza (1914–1989), Latvian painter *Lidija Bajuk (born 1965), Croatian singer-songwriter ...

sixth (),

Maja Blagdan Maja Blagdan (born 16 May 1968) is a Croatian pop singer. She began her singing career in a rock band, Stijene, in 1986. Later she had a solo career. Her first solo album was released in 1993. She represented Croatia at the Eurovision Song Con ...

fourth ( 1996), former Magazin member

Danijela Martinović Danijela Martinović (born 15 July 1971), also known mononymously as Danijela, is a Croatian pop singer. Biography Born in Split to Croatian parents, Martinović began to sing from an early age. She has a sister, Izabela, who also pursued a mus ...

fifth ( 1998),

Doris Dragović Dorotea "Doris" Budimir (, ; born 16 April 1961) is a Croatian singer-songwriter who has represented Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986 with the song " Željo moja", finishing 11th with 49 points, and Croatia in the Eurovision Song Co ...

(who was 11th for

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

in ) fourth (),

Goran Karan Goran Karan (born 2 April 1964) is a Croatian vocalist. He specializes in songs influenced by Dalmatian folk music and is known for his powerful and refined tenor voice. Karan's collaboration with composer Zdenko Runjić led to some of his most acc ...

ninth (

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

), and

Vanna Vanna () is a given name that first appeared in recorded European history circa 1294. The Italian medieval feminine name originated in Tuscany, and is particular to Florence, Italy. Though similar in pronunciation to the Italian name Giovanna, an ...

tenth ( 2001). Since then, Croatia has failed to reach the top ten. Croatia failed to reach the final for four years in succession (–), before choosing to not participate in and . Croatia returned and reached the final in both and , before again failing to reach the final for four consecutive contests (–). In total, Croatia has failed to reach the final in 9 of the last 13 contests it has entered.

History

Ten representatives of

came from Croatia in , , , , , , , , and . Apart from being the most successful Yugoslav republic in the contest, it gave the socialist republic its only win, " Rock Me", sung by

Riva Riva may refer to: People * Riva (surname) * Riva Castleman (1930–2014), American art historian, art curator and author * Riva Ganguly Das (born 1961), Indian diplomat * Riva (footballer), Brazilian former footballer Rivadávio Alves Pereira ...

in 1989 in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

. The was held in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

as a result. After the

dissolution of Yugoslavia The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...

in 1991, the Croatian national public broadcaster

(HRT) had organised a festival to select a Croatian representative for the . If HRT had been a member of the EBU in time for the contest, the first Croatian entry at Eurovision would have been the band

with "Aleluja". Croatia's first entry as an independent state was in 1993 with the band Put, performing "Don't Ever Cry" which was, despite the English title, also partially performed in Croatian. The song came third in the ''

Kvalifikacija za Millstreet ( en, Preselection for Millstreet, i=yes; french: Présélection pour Millstreet) was a televised song contest held as a qualifying round for the Eurovision Song Contest 1993. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcas ...

'' pre-selection event, which allowed their participation in the 1993 contest. Croatia's best placing to date has been with

's 1996 entry "Sveta ljubav" and

's 1999 entry "Marija Magdalena", both of which came in fourth place. Along with

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, Norway,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

and Sweden, Croatia was never relegated in the 1990s, and, unlike Cyprus, Norway and Portugal, it was never relegated in the beginning of the 21st century. Relegation meant that the country would have to sit out the subsequent contest due to poor placement. Croatian broadcaster HRT announced on 19 September 2013 that they would not participate in the 2014 contest, citing the financial difficulties, as well as a string of poor results between and influencing their decision to take a year's break. The last time Croatia qualified for the grand final was in . Croatia would not return to the contest in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, and on 5 May 2015, HRT announced that it wouldn't broadcast the 2015 contest either. It was the first time since

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

for HRT to not broadcast the contest. On 26 November 2015, it was announced that Croatia would return to the contest in 2016. It was also reported that the entry would possibly be the winner of the first season of '' The Voice – Najljepši glas Hrvatske''.

Nina Kraljić Nina Kraljić (; born 4 April 1992) is a Croatian singer-songwriter and voice actress. She is known for winning season one of '' The Voice – Najljepši glas Hrvatske'' and for being a finalist in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song ...

won ''The Voice'' and was selected to represent Croatia with the internally selected song "

Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

". The entry qualified for the final, making it the first time Croatia had made it to the final since 2009. After the successful return in 2016, Croatian national broadcaster HRT confirmed on 17 September 2016 that they would also participate in 2017.

Jacques Houdek Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...

, the coach of Nina Kraljić in ''The Voice'', was internally selected to represent the country on 17 February 2017, exactly five months after they confirmed the participation. On 30 October 2018, it was announced by HRT that the national final, Dora, would return in 2019, traditionally taking place in

Opatija Opatija (; it, Abbazia; german: Sankt Jakobi) is a town and a municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia. The traditional seaside resort on the Kvarner Gulf is known for its Mediterranean climate and its historic buildings r ...

, a famous summer resort. In March 2021, it was confirmed that HRT and Opatija had signed a three-year long contract regarding the organization of HRT Music Days and Dora, meaning both of these events will be held in the city annually until 2024.

Participation overview

Prior to 's dissolution, artists from the Croatian federal unit represented Yugoslavia in , , , , , , , , , and .

Awards

Barbara Dex Award

Related involvement

Conductors

Heads of delegation

The public broadcaster of each participating country in the Eurovision Song Contest assigns a head of delegation as the EBU's contact person and the leader of their delegation at the event. The delegation, whose size can greatly vary, includes a head of press, the contestants, songwriters, composers and backing vocalists, among others.

Commentators and spokespersons

* From until , Croatia competed as part of .

Gallery

File:ESC 2007 Croatia - Dragonfly & Dado Topic - Vjerujem u ljubav.jpg,

Dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

feat.

Dado Topić Adolf "Dado" Topić (born 4 September 1950, Siverić at Drniš) is a rock musician from Croatia and the former Yugoslavia. He was the lead singer and founder of Time, a 1970s progressive rock band. From 1970 to late 1971, he was also the lead sin ...

in Helsinki ( 2007) File:Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008.jpg,

Kraljevi ulice Kraljevi ulice is a Croatian band founded by Miran Hadži Veljković and Zlatko Petrović Pajo. The band's name translates as "Kings of the Street". They were chosen to represent Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia. ...

75 Cents Kraljevi ulice is a Croatian band founded by Miran Hadži Veljković and Zlatko Petrović Pajo. The band's name translates as "Kings of the Street". They were chosen to represent Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia. T ...

in Belgrade ( 2008) File:Igor Cukrov & Andrea Šušnjara (3830890311).jpg,

Igor Cukrov Igor Cukrov (born 6 June 1984) is a Croatian singer-songwriter, musician and television personality. He came to media attention as one of sixteen contestants of talents show '' Operacija trijumf'', Balkan version of Endemol's ''Star Academy''. Cuk ...

feat.

Andrea Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that ref ...

in Moscow ( 2009) File:Feminnem - Lako je sve (2nd Semi-final).jpg,

Feminnem Feminnem is a girl group from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina composed of three members. They represented both countries at the Eurovision Song Contest; Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2005 (with original members Ivana Marić, Neda Parmać and Pame ...

in Oslo (

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

) File:Нина Бадрич.JPG,

Nina Badrić Nina Badrić (; born 4 July 1972) is a Croatian pop singer and songwriter. She began performing in the early 1990s, and competed in " Dora" – the Croatian selection for Eurovision Song Contest 4 times. She won 7th place in 1993 with "Ostavljam ...

in Baku (

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

) File:ESC2013 - Croatia 03.jpg,

Klapa s Mora Klapa s Mora was a music ensemble that represented Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö with the song " Mižerja". It is a " super ''klapa''" ensemble that includes six male ''klapa'' singers from five existing ''klapa'' groups ...

in Malmö (

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

) File:ESC2016 - Croatia 23 (zoom).jpg,

in Stockholm ( 2016) File:Eurovision Song Contest 2017, Semi Final 2 Rehearsals. Photo 223.jpg,

in Kyiv ( 2017) File:ESC2018 - Croatia 01.jpg,

Franka ''Franka'' is a popular Dutch comic book series drawn and written since the mid-1970s by the graphic artist Henk Kuijpers. The principal character is a strong female Dutch sleuth who solves mysteries in exotic locales. ''Franka'' has been transl ...

in Lisbon ( 2018) File:ESC2019-Croatia.jpg, Roko in Tel Aviv ( 2019) File:ESC 2021 Rotterdam 1st Semi Jury Show Croatia.jpg, Albina in Rotterdam () File:Eurovision 2022 - Semi-final 1 - Croatia - Mia Dimšić.jpg, Mia Dimšić in Turin ()

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

"Dora" - Croatian ESC Pre-selectionPovijest Dore
''eurosong.hr'' {{Authority control Music festivals in Croatia Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest