Albina, who was chosen as the Croatian representative for Eurovision 2021 last night, has begun preparations for the contest.
Upon receiving the winner’s trophy on stage from Kazimir Bačić, Director General of HRT, Albina said:
“I am grateful and proud of myself. All this that is happening to me seems like a dream, and it is a beautiful dream in which I have invested a lot of effort and love. Thank you to my entire team, who have been a great support to me over the past months. Thanks to the viewers for recognizing this, the competition was huge and if we had sent anyone else we would not have failed.”
During the winner’s press conference after Dora, which was held on Zoom due to Covid-19 restrictions, Branimir Mihaljević, the composer of “Tick Tock” said that he did not have a model for this song and that it was created honestly and according to current trends. He added that the music video for the song has already been recorded with the latest technology and was directed by Sandra Mihaljević.
Albina stated that she felt very nervous in the run up to Dora:
“It was very difficult, I had emotional and psychological problems, in the sense that I was going through a whirlwind of emotions, because we were in Opatija for several days, we had rehearsals, we watched the competition. It was a lot of pressure because it’s a big stage. I am happy and fulfilled. I knew I had it in me, but I wasn’t sure if I would be able to convey it to the audience.”
Albina revealed that she will now start preparations for her performance in Rotterdam. She stated that her staging will be different to that seen in Dora and that she is undecided which language(s) she will perform the song in at Eurovision. Albina performed in a mix of English and Croatian during Dora but also released full English and Croatian versions of her song last night.
Uršula Tolj, producer of Dora and Head of Delegation for Croatia, stated that HRT will also immediately start preparations for the Eurovision. She also praised all of the contestants for their high quality performances:
“This Dora was extremely difficult to work with, but we showed that it is possible”.
Kazimir Bačić, echoed Uršula Tolj’s comments and expressed full support for Albina and her team as they work towards Eurovision.
Albina will perform in the second half of the first semi-final on May 18.
Source: HRT / Image Source: Renato Brandjolica / HRT
Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest
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.
