Natalie Balmix who was disqualified from Dora 2025, has stated she will be lodging an objection with the Croatian broadcaster HRT.
Posting on social media the singer Natalie Balmix has said that she will be objecting to HRT about her disqualification from the contest. HRT disqualified the singer after the final version of her entry, “ŽIVOT IDE DALJE” (LIFE GOES ON), was found to contain significant changes from the version that was originally submitted.
Two independent music producers confirmed that there were changes in the production, arrangement and lyrics. These producers concluded that because more than 50% of the song was new, it was now considered a brand new song and had therefore broken the rules of Dora 2025.
The singer argues that her legal team has read the Dora rules and that a percentage change to the song that would define it as too altered is not specified. She adds that she refined the song “in order to make it as high quality as possible”.
Fenksta were selected by HRT from the back-up list to compete in Dora 2025 with the song “Ekstra” (Extra). The broadcaster is set to reveal the songs competing in Dora 2025 on January 9 from 14:00 CET on HR 2.
The 24 competing entries are:
- Ananda – “Lies Lay Cold”
- EoT – “Bye, Bye, Bye”
- Fenksta – “Ekstra” (Extra)
- Filomena – “Strong”
- Irma – “Enigma”
- IVXN – “Monopol” (Monopoly)
- Jelena Radan – “SALUT!”
- laurakojapjeva – “NPC”
- LELEK – “The Soul of my Soul”
- Luka Nižetić – “Južina” (South)
- Magazin – “AaAaA”
- Marin Jurić Čivro – “Gorjelo je” (It was burning)
- Marko Bošnjak – “Poison Cake”
- Marko Škugor – “Šta da Boga molim ja” (What should I pray to God for?)
- Marko Tolja – “Through the dark”
- Martha May – “Running to the Light”
- Matt Shaft – “Welcome to the circus”
- Natally – “Dom si srcu mom” (You are home for my heart)
- NIPPLEPEOPLE – “ZNAK” (SIGN)
- Ogenj – “Daj, daj” (Come on, come on)
- Petar Brkljačić – “KRAJ” (END)
- Supersonic Trio – “Animal”
- SWINGERS – “FUL KUL (Full cool)”
- Teenah – “Aurora”
Dora 2025 will take place in Opatija. The contest will consist of two semi-finals on February 27 and 28 and a grand final on March 2.
Baby Lasagna represented Croatia at Eurovision 2024 in Malmö with “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”. The song was the televote winner in the Grand Final, scoring a total of 337 points. Overall Croatia finished 2nd with a total of 547 points.
Image Source: HRT | Source: Natalie Balmix
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 2024 when Baby Lasgana finished 2nd in Malmö. He performed the song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” which scored a total of 547 points, including 12 points from the juries in Cyprus and Serbia, and 9 sets of 12 points from the public vote. Croatia returned to the contest in 2016 having withdrawn after the 2013 contest due to a string of poor results and financial difficulties.
