Zala Kralj and Gašper Šantl have won EMA 2019 and will represent Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 in Tel Aviv with the song “Sebi”.
EMA 2019 took place tonight in Ljubljana. The show featured guest performances from Lea Sirk, who represented Slovenia in Lisbon last year, Spanish artist InoT and Slovenian rapper Smaal Tokk.
The voting comprised of. two stages. In the first round, an expert jury chose two of the ten entries to advance to the Super Final. The jury consisted of:
- Darja Švajger – represented Slovenia in 1995 and 1999
- Lea Sirk – represented Slovenia in 2018
- Vladimir Graić – composer of “Molitva”, the winning entry of Eurovision 2007
The results of the first round were:
- Kim – Rhythm Back To You
- Renata Mohorič – Three Bridges
- René – Ne poveš
- Fed Horses – Ti ne poznaš konjev
- Ula Ložar – Fridays
- Lumberjack – Lepote dna
- Okustični – Metulji plešejo
- INMATE – Atma
- Zala Kralj and Gašper Šantl – Sebi – Superfinalist
- Raiven – Kaos – Superfinalist
In the Super Final, public voting alone decided the winner. The jury were on hand to vote in the Super Final in case of any technical difficulties with the voting. The results of the Super Final were as follows:
- Zala Kralj and Gašper Šantl – Sebi – 72.89% – Winner
- Raiven – Kaos – 27.11%
Zala Kralj and Gašper Šantl will perform in the first half of the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 on May 14.
Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest
Slovenia was one of three countries to join the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993. The country qualified through a specially organised selection round called “Kvalifikacija za Millstreet” which was hosted in Slovenia, seven countries competed for three spots in Eurovision 1993. The country has participated in 22 editions of the Eurovision Song Contest. Their best result came in 1995 when Darja Švajger finished 7th scoring a total of 84 points, she is closely followed by Nuša Derenda who finished 7th in the 2001 contest with 70 points.