Montenegro: Aussievision's Montesong rankings for Eurovision 2025

After a two-year break, we are happy to hear that Montenegro is back at the Eurovision Song Contest!

Not only are the yback , but they are holding a national selection Montesong 2024 to choose their 2025 entry to compete in Basel.

Montesong 2024 is being held this week on Wednesday 27 November 2024 (Thursday morning for Australia) in Montenegro's capital city Podgorica where the winner will be chosen by a 50/50 jury and public vote.

Ten members of the Aussievision team have listened to the 16 songs and have ranked in the usual 12 - 1 Eurovision style. Let's take a look at who came out on top and who is our favourite to win Montesong 2024 and become the first song of the 2025 Eurovision season!

16. Neonoen - Clickbait - 4 points

15. Dolce Hera - Repeat - 9 points

14. Bend 9 - Stop War - 16 points

13. Glumci Bend - San - 18 points

12. Luka Radović - Kada Dođe Maj - 22 points

11. Verica Čuljković – Čuješ Li - 27 points

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10. Milena Vučić - Škorpija - 29 points

(12 points from John Christian, 5 points from Saskia, 4 points from Joel, Emma and Dale)

"This gives a high chance for it to qualify. Very upbeat, very feminine, and very powerful." ~John Christian

9. Kejt - Obala Raja - 30 points

(8 points from Craig, 6 points from Fleur and Joel)

8. Tina Džankić – Nova  - 31 points

(10 points from John Christian and Troy, 5 points from Emma)

"It's more of a "diva" vibe, but it tends towards the 40s age group, which is more of slow jazz. However, given that some fan polls rate it higher, I give it a benefit of a doubt." ~John Christian

"Dig the house disco vibes Tina brings for this one. I can picture this playing in a very hipster hair salon while someone gets a chic fashion mullet with frosted tips." ~Troy

7. Nemanja Petrović - Među Zvijezdama - 37 points

(8 points from Emma, 7 points from Hayley, 6 points from Troy)

6. Anastasija Koprolčec - Kraj  - 45 points

(10 points from Joel, 7 points from Craig, 6 points from Saskia and Hayley)

"This has surely got to come close to winning, right? It’s got Eurovision Main Stage written all over it. It ticks all the Eurovision cliches - power ballad, breathy female vocals, key change. You can even picture the dramatic staging with wind machine blowing her hair and costume." ~Joel

5. Tamara Živković - Poguban Let - 53 points

(10 points from Saskia, 8 points from Liv, 7 points from Emma and Dale)

"Another case of a reserve entry outdoing most of the selected songs, really epic and I love the classic balkan ballad elements." ~Saskia

=3. Baryak - Dva Srca - 58 points

(12 points from Saskia and Fleur, 10 points from Emma, 8 points from Hayley)

"Reminding me very much of our own Voyager, this prog metal piece really stands out from the pack here. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea but there's definitely a place for this at Eurovision and it would be a strong chance to qualify for the final if it makes it through the national selection." ~Emma

"I can be very predictable when it comes to song choices, so me giving this my douze points is no surprise.

This one heck of an interesting song. It has rock elements, drama, powerful vocals and a big beat. Pushing the envelope upon your return Montenegro - well played." ~Fleur

"This is exactly my type of music, if they can bring an atmospheric staging, this could be a real contender." ~Saskia

"This is very clever - very complicated and layered and impresses me very much being a lover of the rock/prog rock genre. There is so much more to this song than what you hear on the first listen. Quality!" ~Hayley

=3. Isak Šabanović - Ljeto, Ljeto, Ljeto - 58 points

(12 points from Emma, Liv and Dale, 8 points from Troy, 7 points from Joel)

"I don't even know how to begin to describe this but what I do know is that I love it! Isak has a voice that you'd expect to be singing a big Balkan ballad but instead we get this Balkan style synth pop dance number. And just when I thought it couldn't get better it also features a chant/clap as the bridge. This would go off live and I hope we get to see it in Basel." ~Emma

"From first listen this stood out for being a bit different from the pack in a delightfully dated and fun way. There are many bands and female balkan ballads to choose from this year but we have a banger drought and this quenches my thirst. I was OBSESSED with Nina Petkovic's Disem from 2018 and this is my next Montenegrin fever dream (give it a burl if you haven't heard it)."~ Liv

"I can not get this song out of my head. It's got a pulse, it's got Balkan energy and Isak has a bit of following. I'm obsessed, I can't get enough - Ljeto, Ljeto, Ljeto! My 12 points!" ~Dale

2. Đurđa - To Ljubav Je - 64 points

(12 points from Craig, 10 points from Hayley, Liv and Dale, 8 points from John Christian)

"I don't know if this is the best song for Eurovision in this line-up, but it's certainly charmed me. The instrumentation is very laid-back and chanson-esque, without becoming so gentle that the song sinks into the background. In Eurovision terms, I'm reminded of Serbia's last Junior Eurovision entry, which had a similar sort of elegance to it. Great work!" ~Craig

"This is a really interesting mix of Disney-esque Eurovision ballads of 10 years ago crossed with a traditional Balkan ballad. It shouldn't work but it does, particularly not being in English. Đurđa has a delightful voice and brings a real pureness to it all." ~Dale

"This is sweet and delicate but utterly delightful. It sounds almost French and I like it more and more with each listen. This could offer something quite different to the usual collection of bangers, rock or power ballads we see at Eurovision. This could be quite captivating if staged right. It is delightful!" ~Hayley

"The solo females have a lot of competition at Montesong this year but Ðurđa wins the race for me. She has the most delicate and crystal vocals of the bunch with delightful little tune to pair with them. A balkan lullaby with some clever staging could be a magical moment on stage." ~Liv

1. Nina Žižić – Dobrodošli - 76 points

(12 points from Hayley and Joel, 10 points from Craig, 8 points from Fleur, Dale and Saskia)

"LOVE THIS! So haunting and beautiful, it hooked me in from the first listen. I can see lots of people voting for this." ~Joel

"This is exactly what I was craving - a belting big Balkan ballad. THOSE VOCALS! I am a sucker for a gritty vocal and Nina really packs some punch adding to the drama of this song. I can already see this on stage (lots of dark staging and emotion then explosions of lighting in all the right spots). I see this as Montenegro's best chance to qualify AND land on the left side of the scoreboard. Surely, I am not the only one that has been missing this kind of song at Eurovision!" ~Hayley

"The obvious winner out of this bunch - this has excellent production, a peerless vocal (at least on the studio version), and has the advantages for Eurovision of a strong Balkan identity and (hopefully) not being too expensive to stage. Nina was robbed of the ESC final in 2013 - hopefully she makes it this time!" ~Craig

"I honestly this is the one that we will hear in Basel. Great voice and sung well. It's a safe Balkan ballad and probably Montenegro's best chance of qualifying for the final. Welcome back Nina Žižić but can you bring the astronauts back anyway? Please." ~Fleur

You can watch Montesong 2024 on their YouTube channel here. For those on CET time, it starts at 8pm. In Australia, you can watch at the following times:

• Perth: Thursday 29 November at 3.00am

• Darwin: Thursday 29 November at 4.30am

• Brisbane: Thursday 29 November at 5.00am

• Adelaide: Thursday 29 November at 5.30am

• Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart: Thursday 29 November at 6.00am.

For continued updates on all the Eurovision news, follow Aussievision on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Threads. All links at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet