XXL

XXL was a Macedonian girl group formed in 2000, best known for representing FYROM (now North Macedonia) at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000. The teen pop quartet performed the song “100% te ljubam” (“I Love You 100%”) in Stockholm and finished in 15th place. The group’s brief career garnered significant media attention and controversy. They disbanded soon after their Eurovision appearance.

Formation and National Selection

XXL came together specifically to compete in Skopje Fest 2000, the Macedonian national selection for Eurovision. The group consisted of four teenage girls from Skopje who had no prior fame. They entered a crowded field at Skopje Fest that year, facing established stars like Karolina Gočeva and Toše Proeski. Nevertheless, XXL won the competition in a landslide, benefiting from a jury-heavy voting system that gave them a huge points lead. Their winning song “100% te ljubam” was a catchy pop tune with Balkan influences. The victory sparked some controversy. When the host declared XXL the winner, parts of the live audience responded with audible boos on the broadcast. Despite the backlash, the quartet earned the ticket to represent Macedonia at Eurovision 2000.

Eurovision Song Contest 2000

At Eurovision 2000 in Stockholm, XXL became Macedonia’s second-ever entry in the contest. The group generated considerable buzz beforehand: an internet poll even ranked “100% te ljubam” as the favorite entry before the show. Some media outlets drew comparisons between XXL and the Spice Girls due to the group’s youthful image and coordinated style.

On the night of the final, XXL performed 19th out of 24 acts and took the stage in eye-catching pastel-colored outfits. However, their live vocals were shaky. Some critics even described XXL’s showing as one of the contest’s weakest vocal performances. Commentators pointed to the group’s inexperience and even technical issues as possible factors behind the poor vocals. In the end, XXL finished 15th with 29 points, receiving points from only four countries. 

Members and Profiles

The members of XXL were four school-age girls, each bringing something different to the group:

Marija Nikolova was he oldest member of the group, she even celebrated her 17th birthday on the day of the Eurovision 2000 final.
Ivona Džamtovska was a music student with a passion for pop. She was reportedly a big fan of the German electronic band Enigma.
Rosica Nikolovska was, at the time, a high school student at a tourism school in Skopje, she enjoyed both pop and classical music.
Verica Karanfilovska was the youngest member of XXL. She is the daughter of Dragan Karanfilovski, one of the composers of “100% te ljubam”.

After XXL: Solo Endeavors and Disbandment

After Eurovision, XXL released a few follow-up singles in the early 2000s, including “Zaboravi” and “Srekna Nova”. These songs had modest success in Macedonia, but the group did not manage to sustain long-term popularity. By the mid-2000s, XXL had quietly disbanded. Unlike some Eurovision acts, none of the four members went on to notable solo music careers or major television roles in the years that followed. The young singers largely stepped away from the spotlight and pursued personal lives and careers outside the music industry. Little public information exists about their post-XXL activities, aside from occasional social media updates showing that some members started families and new professions.

Media Attention

XXL’s Eurovision stint drew significant media attention at the time and remains a talking point in North Macedonia. Their controversial national final win and the underwhelming live performance made headlines in the Eurovision community. Yet over time, “100% te ljubam” attained a kind of cult status in the country. Many Macedonian millennials remember the song and that infamous performance fondly or with nostalgia.

In recent years, the group’s brightly colored Eurovision costumes were even redesigned by their original creator, fashion designer Irina Tosheva, for a tribute act – highlighting the entry’s enduring pop culture footprint.