Blast from the past: Slovenia 1997

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, we go back to 1997, when Tanja Ribič represented Slovenia with her song “Zbudi se”.

Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest

Slovenia has competed in Eurovision since 1993, representing RTV Slovenija after the Yugoslav era. Its best results are two seventh places: Darja Švajger in 1995 and Nuša Derenda in 2001. Recent years illustrate range and ambition: LPS with “Disko” (2022), Joker Out with “Carpe Diem” qualifying for the 2023 final, and Raiven’s opera-pop “Veronika” placing 23rd in 2024. In 2025, Klemen won EMA with “How Much Time Do We Have Left” and finished 13th in Semi-Final 1, so Slovenia missed the final. 

EMA 1997

Evrovizijska Melodija, mostly shortened as EMA, was and is the Slovenian national selection. In 1997, it was held in RTVSLO Studio 1 in Ljubljana. Mojca Mavec hosted the show on 22 February. No less than 13 songs competed.

  1. Nekdo“, sung by Natalija Verboten, 265 pts, 12th
  2. Zaradi nje“, sung by Dominik Kozarič, 650 pts, 9th
  3. Zbudi se“, sung by Tanja Ribič, 4,493 pts, 1st
  4. Veter z juga“, sung by Tinkara Kovac, 574 pts, 10th
  5. Kadar boš ob njej zaspal“, sung by Irena Vrčkovnik, 1,010 pts, 7th
  6. Daljave“, sung by Melita & Klarisa, 512 pts, 11th
  7. Le en poljub“, sung by Grom, 895 pts, 8th
  8. Prosim ostani“, sung by Napoleon, 1,794 pts, 5th
  9. Korak v dežju“, sung by Katrina, 213 pts, 13nd
  10. Jagode in čokolada“, sung by Rok ‘n’ Band, 2,226 pts, 3rd
  11. Vsakdanji čudež“, sung by Darja Švajger, 4,076 pts, 2nd
  12. Ti in jaz“, Vili Resnik, 1,521 pts, 6th
  13. Objemi me nežno“, M4M, 2,047 pts, 4th

No former Eurovision participants took part this year. However, no less than three artists would get to the Eurovision stage on later occasions: Tinkara Kovac, Darja Švajger and Vili Resnik.

Tanja Ribič

Tanja Ribič (born 28 June 1968) is a Slovenian actress and singer whose career spans theatre, film and television. She studied acting at the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT) in Ljubljana; she enrolled in 1987 and joined the Ljubljana City Theatre (MGL) in 1992, where she has remained a long‑standing member. On television, she became widely known to Slovenian audiences through the sitcom Naša mala klinika. On film, she appeared in regional and domestic productions, among them Kajmak i marmelada (2003) and Traktor, ljubezen in Rock’n’Roll (2008). Her stage and screen work shows a mix of comedy and drama, and she has also performed music alongside acting. 

Ribič reached an international audience in 1997, when she represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin with the song “Zbudi se”. She finished tenth with 60 points, a result that consolidated her visibility beyond the theatre. After Eurovision, she continued to work across media, taking roles in television series and films while returning regularly to the MGL ensemble. Later film work includes the comedy‑horror Prekletstvo Valburge (2019) and a role in the 2024 feature Tartinijev ključ. Ribič married Bosnian actor and director Branko Đurić in 2000, and the couple has occasionally collaborated professionally; they have two children. She continues to appear on stage and screen in Slovenia.

Zbudi se

“Zbudi se” (“Wake Up”) was Slovenia’s Eurovision 1997 entry, performed by Tanja Ribič. It placed 10th with 60 points in Dublin. The song is a gentle Slovene-language pop ballad from the live-orchestra era, built on piano and strings with a mid-tempo lift and a lilting chorus. Its lyric is an invitation to awaken and embrace love, giving the performance a warm, romantic tone rather than showy drama. The arrangement leaves space for Ribič’s voice and backing vocals to blend, creating an accessible, radio-friendly sound. An English version, “Waken Now,” later circulated, but the original “Zbudi se” remains the standard version.

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Weekly update

It’s time for another weekly update on Eurovision! Broadcasters across Europe are firming up their plans for Eurovision 2026 in Vienna. New confirmations and selection news rolling in. Here are this week’s top stories: Participation Confirmations: Montenegro & Ukraine 🇲🇪 Montenegro: Montenegro’s public broadcaster RTCG has signaled it intends to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. At an RTCG council meeting on 25 August, General Director Boris Raonić stated that “Montenegro’s participation in Eurovision is not in question”. This comes despite some internal debat. One council member argued against the expense. The exact method for selecting Montenegro’s 2026 entry will depend on budget and is set to be finalized in September. Montenegro last took part in Eurovision 2025 with Nina Žižić’s “Dobrodošli”. source: vijesti.me 📷 EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Ukraine has confirmed its participation in Eurovision 2026. Suspilne (the Ukrainian broadcaster) officially announced that Ukraine will “take part in the 70th Eurovision Song Contest” It’s the first time Ukraine returns to a contest in Austria after missing 2015 due to financial issues. Suspilne will once again select Ukraine’s representative for Vienna through the Vidbir national final, and the broadcaster is discussing improvements to the selection process. Head of Delegation Oksana Skybinska highlighted Eurovision’s importance as an opportunity to showcase Ukraine’s unique “musical DNA” to the world source: corp.suspilne.media. Song Submission Windows Close in Finland & Switzerland 🇫🇮 Finland: Finland’s Eurovision selection UMK 2026 has closed its song submission window. Yle opened applications for Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu on 18 August and accepted entries until 24 August. All aspiring artists and songwriters have now sent in their songs. The Finnish broadcaster will next review the submissions – with the chosen UMK contestants to be revealed in January. The UMK final is set for 28 February 2026 in Tampere, where Finland’s next Eurovision act will be selected. source: YLE 🇨🇭 Switzerland: The Swiss selection for Eurovision 2026 has also hit a major milestone. Its song submission window closed on 25 August. SRG SSR’s open call for entries ran from 4 August until today 25 August at 23:00 CEST. Artists, producers and writers could submit up to five songs each. With submissions now shut, the Swiss selection moves into several audition rounds to pick the nation’s entry. A mix of juries, including Swiss and international audience panels and an expert jury of former Eurovision jurors, will assess the songs in the coming weeks. The winning song and artist are expected to be chosen by late 2025, with an official announcement in early 2026  source: eurovoix.com. 📷 EBU/Alma Bengtsson Stay tuned for more Eurovision news next week. The countdown to Vienna 2026 continues. We’ll keep you updated on all the developments! Share

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Blast from the past: Slovenia 1997

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today, we go back to 1997, when Tanja Ribič represented Slovenia with her song “Zbudi se”. Slovenia in the Eurovision Song Contest Slovenia has competed in Eurovision since 1993, representing RTV Slovenija after the Yugoslav era. Its best results are two seventh places: Darja Švajger in 1995 and Nuša Derenda in 2001. Recent years illustrate range and ambition: LPS with “Disko” (2022), Joker Out with “Carpe Diem” qualifying for the 2023 final, and Raiven’s opera-pop “Veronika” placing 23rd in 2024. In 2025, Klemen won EMA with “How Much Time Do We Have Left” and finished 13th in Semi-Final 1, so Slovenia missed the final.  EMA 1997 Evrovizijska Melodija, mostly shortened as EMA, was and is the Slovenian national selection. In 1997, it was held in RTVSLO Studio 1 in Ljubljana. Mojca Mavec hosted the show on 22 February. No less than 13 songs competed. “Nekdo“, sung by Natalija Verboten, 265 pts, 12th “Zaradi nje“, sung by Dominik Kozarič, 650 pts, 9th “Zbudi se“, sung by Tanja Ribič, 4,493 pts, 1st “Veter z juga“, sung by Tinkara Kovac, 574 pts, 10th “Kadar boš ob njej zaspal“, sung by Irena Vrčkovnik, 1,010 pts, 7th “Daljave“, sung by Melita & Klarisa, 512 pts, 11th “Le en poljub“, sung by Grom, 895 pts, 8th “Prosim ostani“, sung by Napoleon, 1,794 pts, 5th “Korak v dežju“, sung by Katrina, 213 pts, 13nd “Jagode in čokolada“, sung by Rok ‘n’ Band, 2,226 pts, 3rd “Vsakdanji čudež“, sung by Darja Švajger, 4,076 pts, 2nd “Ti in jaz“, Vili Resnik, 1,521 pts, 6th “Objemi me nežno“, M4M, 2,047 pts, 4th No former Eurovision participants took part this year. However, no less than three artists would get to the Eurovision stage on later occasions: Tinkara Kovac, Darja Švajger and Vili Resnik. Tanja Ribič Tanja Ribič (born 28 June 1968) is a Slovenian actress and singer whose career spans theatre, film and television. She studied acting at the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT) in Ljubljana; she enrolled in 1987 and joined the Ljubljana City Theatre (MGL) in 1992, where she has remained a long‑standing member. On television, she became widely known to Slovenian audiences through the sitcom Naša mala klinika. On film, she appeared in regional and domestic productions, among them Kajmak i marmelada (2003) and Traktor, ljubezen in Rock’n’Roll (2008). Her stage and screen work shows a mix of comedy and drama, and she has also performed music alongside acting.  Ribič reached an international audience in 1997, when she represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin with the song “Zbudi se”. She finished tenth with 60 points, a result that consolidated her visibility beyond the theatre. After Eurovision, she continued to work across media, taking roles in television series and films while returning regularly to the MGL ensemble. Later film work includes the comedy‑horror Prekletstvo Valburge (2019) and a role in the 2024 feature Tartinijev ključ. Ribič married Bosnian actor and director Branko Đurić in 2000, and the couple has occasionally collaborated professionally; they have two children. She continues to appear on stage and screen in Slovenia. Zbudi se “Zbudi se” (“Wake Up”) was Slovenia’s Eurovision 1997 entry, performed by Tanja Ribič. It placed 10th with 60 points in Dublin. The song is a gentle Slovene-language pop ballad from the live-orchestra era, built on piano and strings with a mid-tempo lift and a lilting chorus. Its lyric is an invitation to awaken and embrace love, giving the performance a warm, romantic tone rather than showy drama. The arrangement leaves space for Ribič’s voice and backing vocals to blend, creating an accessible, radio-friendly sound. An English version, “Waken Now,” later circulated, but the original “Zbudi se” remains the standard version. Share

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