Shagadelic Rock band, Joker Out, are set to represent Slovenia in Liverpool at the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.
Aside from 2021 (where they opted for internal selection followed the cancelled 2020 contest), Slovenia has employed their national selection, Evrovizijska Melodija (EMA), every year since 1996, while using a different national selection in their first two participations. Joker Out’s internal selection therefore marks the first time, in normal circumstances, that Slovenia have opted not to use a national selection.
After rumours of Slovenia’s withdrawal from the contest, all together, earlier in the Autumn, the entirely different approach to the Eurovision Song Contest is less surprising that it previously would’ve been. The choice to use an internal selection is even less surprising, again, when one looks at just how well-known and respected Joker Out seem to be in Slovenia. They are one of the most played artists of the last few years in the nation, and are easily their most high-profile representatives for many years. It’s entirely the opposite approach to the one taken with LPS in Turin.
The group consists of Bojan Cvjetićanin on vocals, Jure Maček on drums, Kris Guštin & Jan Peteh on guitar and Nace Jordan on bass guitar.
Joker Out claim that they are a “Shagadelic Rock” band, but their choice of genre seems to have been quite fluid over the years, so really anything could be expected in Liverpool.
RTVSLO have announced that their entry will be released on 4 February, which is little over a month and a half away, and about 5 weeks before the ESC deadline.
My hopes are high. Slovenia in recent years consistently brought solid entries, and now they take renowned artists on board. Could this be the time they win? Hopefully, because Balkans badly need a win for their morale.