Eurovision 2025 Montenegro Profile: Dobrodošli by Nina Žižić

We profile the 2025 entry from Montenegro, including details on the artist, song, how it was chosen, odds, fan reaction, and how the nation has fared at Eurovision.

Montenegro has a checkered history in Eurovision, appearing only twice this decade and twelve times in total since their debut as an independent country in 2007. Out of those twelve participations, Montenegro has made it to the final twice, in 2014 and 2015.

After originally competing as part of Yugoslavia at Eurovision, Montenegro would debut in its own name as part of "Serbia and Montenegro”, debuting in 2004 with Željko Joksimović and his song Lane Moje placing second.

As the country edged towards secession from Serbia in 2006, however, Serbia and Montenegro's planned 2006 participation at Eurovision fell apart due to a voting scandal in their national final Evropesma which led to the audience leaving during the voting sequence and even throwing items at the stage (not the last time that we would see a scandal in a Montenegrin national final).

Throughout the 2010s participation was consistent, and Montenegro appeared in every contest between 2012 and 2019. In 2020 Montenegro confirmed Eurovision aspirations and even suggested upgrading their national final Montevisija. Shortly after, however, they u-turned on this and withdrew, citing financial constraints. 2025 is only Montenegro's second participation since this withdrawal, after their previous participation in 2022.

Representing Montenegro at Eurovision 2025 in Basel is Nina Žižić with her song Dobrodošli.

2025 entry: Nina Žižić- Dobrodošli

• Nina will perform second in semi-final 2

• My Eurovision Scoreboard ranking: 32nd

• Odds to win ranking: 37th 

(Rankings as of 05/04)

About the artist:

Nina Žižić is no stranger to Eurovision. Fans will remember her for being an integral part of the iconic Montenegrin act from 2013, Who See with Igranka.

But Nina's career and her Eurovision aspirations date back to 2004 as part of the girl group Negre, which placed third at the Serbo-Montenegrin national final Evropesma. She then returned as a solo artist in Montesong 2006, competing against one of her fellow Negre bandmates, Milena Vučić.

Away from Eurovision, Žižić has seen great success in her home country and the Balkans with several hits throughout the 2000s and early 2010s. She is also involved in humanitarian causes including UNICEF’s “Every Child Needs a Family” campaign for fostering children.

In a 2013 interview on the Eurovision Channel, she stated that she would come back to represent Montenegro at the Eurovision Song Contest - and 12 years later, she finally has!

About the song:

Dobrodošli is a ballad with music by Boris Subotić and Darko Dimitrov, and lyrics by Boris Subotić and Violeta Mihajlovska Milić.

The word "dobrodošli" means "welcome" in Montenegrin, but Žižić is not offering a warm one. She welcomes us into the world of women’s struggle, but also perseverance.

“Put a smile on your face, endure it all, it'll pass,” she repeats like a mantra throughout the song. Many interpretations can be applied to the lyrics, about what the “struggle” is: illness, violence or grief. She says that the conceit of the song is “death and rebirth”.

There is also an aspect about how others react to suffering: by often not reacting at all, or offering empty condolences. “They just stand here speechlessly, as if mute... The same ones that should be here in both good and evil.”

The tone and lyrical content is quite a departure from Žižić’s usual style, who primarily releases dance tracks. But she was deeply affected by the demo, and along with the support from her friends, knew it was the right song for Eurovision.

How was Nina Žižić chosen for Eurovision?

On November 27th, Montesong 2024 was held in Podgorica, with 16 songs battling it out for the ticket to Switzerland. In the end, we had a winner, though, and not the one you might be expecting: NeonoeN with Clickbait.

Things fell apart not long after their victory when a video was brought to the broadcaster’s (RTCG) attention of NeonoeN performing the winning song at a festival in 2023. The rules of the contest dictate that songs are not eligible if they have been released/performed publicly before September, this is to ensure that all songs are exposed roughly the same amount.

Usually, these cases are overlooked by the EBU, so no one paid it much mind. However, in an unexpected turn of events, the band voluntarily withdrew amid the controversy and the stalling of the broadcaster. The storm clouds darkened further when Montesong’s creative director Vladana (also their 2022 representative) resigned from her position and severed ties with RTCG out of “moral obligation”.

After much speculation amongst fans over the fate of Montenegro’s participation, Žižić was eventually chosen to represent as runner up in the competition. She came 1st in the jury and 4th in the televote.

Montenegro will perform in the first half of the second semi-final at Eurovision 2025 in Basel, Switzerland on Thursday, May 15.

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