Gloria.hr reports that HRT has decided that Dora 2021 will be held without an audience in the venue.
Croatian media reports that the public broadcaster has decided that there will not be an audience in the venue for the final of Dora 2021. Dora joins an expanding list of selections including Albania, Sweden and Finland which will not have an audience due to COVID-19.
Gloria also adds that HRT is looking at creating a fan platform for viewers to predict the winner and vote for their favourites in the contest. Competing in the final are:
- FIlip Rudan – Blind
- Bernarda – Colors
- Ella Orešković – Come This Way
- Sandi Cenov – Kriv (Guilty)
- Beta Sudar – Ma zamisli (Imagine)
- Brigita Vuco – Noći pijane (Drunk nights)
- ToMa – Ocean of Love
- Eric – Reci mi (Tell me)
- Nina Kraljić – Rijeka (River)
- Ashley Colburn & Bojan Jambrošić – Share the Love
- Mia Negovetić – She’s Like a Dream
- Albina – Tick-Tock
- Cambi – Zaljubljen (In love)
- Tony Cetinski & Kiki Rahimovski – Zapjevaj, sloboda je! (Sing, it’s freedom!)
Furthermore a total of four songs were announced as replacement songs for the contest. These songs will replace any act that withdraws before Dora rehearsals. If an act withdraws during rehearsals they will not be replaced. The replacement songs are:
- Elis Lovrić – Brodolom (Shipwreck)
- Endi feat. Lora – Megaloman
- Pjerino Ružević – Soldier
- Z/11 – Only Love
Nina Kraljić represented Croatia in Eurovision 2016 while Tony Cetinski was the second ever Croatian representative in 1994. Some familiar names also feature as songwriters. Jacques Houdek, who represented Croatia in 2017, is one of the writers of “Megaloman”. Borislav Milanov, founder of Symphonix International and co-writer of several Eurovision entries, including every Bulgarian entry since 2016, is a co-writer of “Colors”. Linnea Deb, another co-writer of several Eurovision entries, including Eurovision 2015 winner “Heroes”, is a co-writer of “She’s Like a Dream”.
Image Source: Eurovision.tv – Thomas Hanses / Source: Gloria.hr
Croatia debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993, they were one of three countries to debut in the contest that year. Croatia’s best result came in 1999 when Doris Dragović finished 4th in Jerusalem. She performed the song “Marija Magdalena” which scored a total of 118 points, this included 12 points from Slovenia and Spain. Croatia returned to the contest in 2016 having withdrawn after the 2013 contest due to a string of poor results and financial difficulties.