Croatia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1993 with the song "Don't Ever Cry", composed by Andrej Baša, with lyrics by Đorđe Novković, and performed by the band Put. The Croatian participating broadcaster, Hrvatska radiotelevizija (HRT), selected its entry for the contest through Dora 1993. This was the first-ever entry from independent Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Croatia first appeared in the Eurovision Song Contest as an independent country in 1993, having previously entered as a part of Yugoslavia from 1961 to 1991. The sub-national broadcaster from SR Croatia was the most successful at the national finals, with 11 of the 27 entries that won the Yugoslavian selection for Eurovision being Croatian.[1]
During the disintegration of Yugoslavia, the state broadcaster at the time, Jugoslavenska radiotelevizija (JRT), decided to continue its participation in Eurovision, holding one –last– national final for the 1992 contest, held on 28 March 1992. Only the broadcasters from the republics of Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina competed in the national final, despite the latter declaring independence on 1 March. The broadcasters from Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia did not compete after their countries declaring independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. The winning song was "Ljubim te pesmama" by Extra Nena, representing Serbia. However, by the time Extra Nena competed at Eurovision for Yugoslavia, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had already ceased to exist, and a new country, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, had been formed.[2][3][4]
Croatia's former sub-national broadcaster RTV Zagreb became the country's national broadcaster after independence, renamed Hrvatska radiotelevizija (HRT). The broadcaster first attempted to enter the Eurovision Song Contest in 1992, holding a national contest to select a song. However, as it was not a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) at the time, it was refused entry to the contest. The winner of the national selection was the song "Hallelujah" performed by Magazin.[5] HRT became a member of the EBU on 1 January 1993, allowing it to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time representing Croatia as an independent country in 1993. HRT confirmed its intentions to participate at the 1993 contest on 14 November 1992. Along with its participation confirmation, it announced that it would held a national final to select its entry.[6]
Before Eurovision
Nina Badrić (pictured in 2007) was one of the 15 participants of Dora 1993.
In the early 1990s, the number of broadcasters eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest increased significantly with the disintegration of Yugoslavia and the subsequent admission into the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) of the broadcasters of the countries that emerged from the breakup. The merger of the EBU with its Eastern European counterpart, the International Radio and Television Organisation (OIRT), further expanded the number of broadcasters by including those from countries of the former Eastern Bloc. The broadcasters from seven of those new countries confirmed their intentions to debut at the 1993 contest. With this large influx of participants, the EBU was forced to create a new measure to counter overcrowding in the contest. The EBU decided to hold a one-off qualification round to select the entries from three of those seven new countries, which would join the entries from the twenty-two countries already competing in the Eurovision Song Contest.[8][9]
The Kvalifikacija za Millstreet (Qualification for Millstreet) contest was held in Ljubljana, Slovenia on 3 April at the television studios of Slovene broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTVSLO). Seven countries in total competed, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, for a place in the final on 15 May 1993.[8][9][10] Performing during the show in position two, following Bosnia and Herzegovina and preceding Estonia, Croatia received 51 points, placing third and subsequently qualifying to the Eurovision Song Contest proper alongside Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.[9][11]
Put performed 21st at the Eurovision Song Contest 1993 in Millstreet, Ireland, following the Netherlands and preceding Spain. Despite being a favourite to win the contest, the group received only 31 points, placing 15th of the 25 competing countries.[13][14] The Croatian jury awarded its 12 points to Norway.
Roxburgh, Gordon (2020). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Four: The 1990s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. ISBN978-1-84583-163-9.
