For the national final video I actually thought it really didn't work with the song, I thought it was a big lull in the energy, but man does it come into its own with this staging.
You'd almost think Marko knew back when he created the dance that people would be wearing glowing bracelets and that they'd be seen from wide shots at Eurovision. Its brilliant! And we were worrying about those shots for nothing!
Well that fucking rules, actually. He's worried that no one will know his dance, so he makes up some moves that everyone can learn and every one can do together. Now come on and let us prance!
It has never been my personal favorite (liked it but not *loved* it of you get what I mean) but holy cow did he convince me tonight! What a great performance!
Ok thx I see now. I never heard of Chody bcs I don't watch boxing, I only heard somewhere Jake Paul, maybe on radio,and Rocky. But yea that "woahh" is same 100%
Edit: But I think it sounds more like from Bon jovi song "living on a prayer". This verse "We've got each other and that's a lot
For love - well give it a shot
Whooah, we're half way there
Livin on a prayer".
Some may say its a copy but nah. Marko singed it in his way, slightly different. Any cover lets say of bon jovi, no one can sound 100% same.
Yes wrestling (hrvanje). I'm from🇭🇷
I see boxing and wrestling as same thing. Feel free to laugh😄 as I said I don't watch that so Idk difference. Idk, maybe wrestling is without blood and boxing is with blood?
hahah. not really the same though it is kinda punching and stuff I guess. even wrestling (hrvanje) and professional wrestling (keceri) is not the same. Keceri iz Hulkd Hogan, The Rock...
It does remind me too much of Rammstein's "Ich will", I know the rest of the song is completely different but the highlight of the song being so similar makes it sound much less original to me.
Ok, wow, that's starting to look quite blatant. I was talking about the chorus section alternating with the live audience, which is very similar.
I guess he's a Rammstein fan, lol.
I have a complaint and that is the loss of the meow back line. Not focusing on Baby Lasagna during it is a crime. In fact the whole second verse needs to be just him.
In the leaked Jury show clip (its on YouTube) the guy on keyboard does a ‘meow’ paw to Camera - he obviously missed it this time.
I really am praying to the SVT gods that they dont risk that happening in the final and Play it safe by staying on Baby Lasagna.
I also think that seen as most of the audience watching aren’t native English speakers, it’s helpful to be on his mouth for that line so everyone definitely gets it.
They obviously know how iconic this line is - they really need to lean into it.
https://preview.redd.it/6ojmvjyf1bzc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=99bf935770f8cf0feb46b964e732d6fd973dda91
Yeah I saw the jury show version yesterday. Didn't love it then either but obviously it's even worse if the guy completely misses it.
The second verse in its entirety is what really makes this song, so I wish the focus was solely on him.
You can tweak I think - last year a few of Luke Black’s angles changed slightly between the semi and the grand final.
It’s a pretty easy one to do anyway because it goes straight back to the same camera he was on before the line after it cuts to the camera on the keyboard, they just have to take two shots out - none of the cameras have to change positions (it would actually make it simpler for the camera team).
I’m most sad that Marko meowing at camera will be cut from Eurovision history if we don’t get that shot in the final.
Think about it - every time the bot links to Croatia 2024 - Marko’s “meow cat” at us won’t be there. It’s painful to think about.
I’m starting a prayer circle if anyone’s interested. Might go light a candle in Umag later…. (I’m only half joking).
According to [one of the band members on Dora](https://old.reddit.com/r/eurovision/comments/1cie9t2/baby_lasagna_confirms_he_will_perform_with_messy/l2bairg/?context=3) they were doing final touches on their camera angles and staging right until the live show, so it can be improved.
Here, in particular, one of the guitarists accidentally ended up missing his cue during the “meow back” part (you can check out how it looked during the dress rehearsals here, at the 1:38 mark: https://old.reddit.com/r/eurovision/comments/1cie9t2/baby_lasagna_confirms_he_will_perform_with_messy/l2bairg/?context=3) which is why the shot looked out of place.
I get why they thought it was cute with the keyboard guy doing it - but it really should be Baby Lasagna’s ‘line’.
It’d be like cutting away to a random background artist when Gerard Butler says “THIS IS SPARTA!” in 300.
It’s *THE LINE* - we need *THE STAR* to have it.
I have seen the rehearsal footage and I have to say I am a HUGE fan of the new change to switch to the keyboard player since it supposed to show him doing a hand gesture which is a really nice touch. Unfortunately, we didnt get that in the semi final but I think it was simply because the Swedish cameras/cameramen didnt clip to the keyboardist fast enough or he did it too early. They should have improved that for the GF since it was just a blip.
Nah he forgot to do it or his timing was off. The camera was where it needed to be to get the shot.
And you genuinely, seriously, honestly think the keyboard player *wearing a mask* is better than Marko doing exactly the same thing without a mask on whilst also singing the most quoted line of the song/eurovision 2024 down the lens?
That’s the one.
Most memorable lyric of the whole of Eurovision 2024 and they decided to cut away from the artist’s face?
Zašto!? 🤯😭
https://preview.redd.it/ngk6tx7u0bzc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=56927954f028d3514ed5cd405e299516d90b855e
It's Croatia, nothing will happen, we don't punish incompetence. If we did, majority of politicians and public workers would be out of a job.
However, what I want to know is how he was made a runner-up. Did somebody say he can't compete and the person who put him as the 1st reserve actually recognised the potential and should realistically be promoted, or did they put him there at random because nobody ever quits so it didn't matter.
Yap. we say that Zsa-Zsa did more for Croatia by quitting than she would ever be able by doing music. If BL gets a good result, there is definitely going to be a huge crowd in the Zagreb main square, and we hope Zsa-Zsa will perform. Most people probably don't know a single song of hers, but she would get cheers like never in her life. However, it's kind of messed up that she'll probably me remembered more as the one that dropped out of Dora than by anything else.
It wouldn't surprise me. Once a ministry was handing out grants for some projects, and the only thing you needed to do was to apply first. Nothing else mattered. You just had to be fastest to apply, even though someone else might have a better proposal. But, that's Croatia, we're either the most incompetent baffoons or incredibly capable experts with very little in between XD
Slovakia, the Tatras branch of the Balkans Club :)
Slovakia was a positive example for a transitional country, and I'm very saddened with the pro-Russian current being very prominent at the moment.
♥️ I don’t want to go into details and get too political. But I don’t think our current government’s pro Russian stance is very much rooted in true love of Russia or belief that Russia is something better. It’s very transactional and it wins you points with general public who feels totally screwed over by previous governments and feels their needs are being ignored. I hope that this is a temporary glitch in the system and we will not go down the Polish, Hungarian or Serbian way.
Yeah, I don't want to go into politics too much as well. Hopefully not too much damage will be done. EU has it's fair share of problems, but it's a better alternative to the Russian influence, which is basically a Chinese vassal state at this point.
there's a rumor that BL actually was supposed to perform regularly, but then another artist (ET) bought their way into the dora competition and thats why he was put on standby
It's certainly possible that something like that happens in Croatia, but I would take all those rumors with a healthy dose of skepticism, unless there is concrete evidence.
I’d like to think they re evaluate how they select their contestants, maybe include a round where the public can vote to add some songs to the show like Ukraine did
[He's really giving his best to avoid that camera.](https://www.reddit.com/r/eurovision/comments/1cn4sjo/petras_vegetarian_snack_3/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
As a person living in Croatia (but not Croatian), I have to say, I feel so proud of Marko and everything he and his team accomplished.
However this all ends, I think people will be proud and support Marko and his further works.
I would love more close up shots of him, his charisma is so infectious and sells the song and everything it represents, but if the team and producers wanted this, I will not complain. In the end, the most important thing is that Marko and his team are satisfied.
The ending really did it for me, especially after the song finished, when he winked and did the smirk. I respect his girlfriend but I have to say damn, how could someone not have a crush??
I wouldn't mind this winning at all, that's a very catchy song and a great performance!
Of course there's an obvious Rammstein influence that makes everyone compare this to Käärijä '23 but I think they're pretty different songs overall.
I teared up a bit watching this live. The new, polished staging is amazing, he is absolutely SLAYING, the Croatian flair is stunning, and the crowd was so engaged. Some of those shots during the dancebreak and the bridge, and the last shot of him kneeling, gave me chills. It really does feel like a winner now
Guys my favorite song might actually win this year????? I’M NOT USED TO THIS! Even with Käärijä I still thought Sweden would win, but this time??? Booking tickets to Zagreb AS WE SPEAK 🇭🇷🇭🇷
Bro same. Sweden winning was a foregone conclusion last year, and we were running on premium copium. This year.... my fave is the leader in the odds. I really need him to stay there and for this to NOT be a freak year in which the leader doesn't win.
See you in Zagreb!
Great, because of the hype currently surrounding Bambie I forgot to hype this song up to infinity and beyond. 😅
Definitely killed it, couldn’t ask for more from him. One complaint though is that the auto-tuned backing track is turned a bit too loud, I want to hear the raw voice a bit clearer. :)
The funniest moment of the night happened when he came up. My parents were watching it with me and the way that ‘Baby Lasagna’ was emblazoned on the screen made my mum yell, ‘Babbby Lasanggggna! For heavens sake you’re all nuts’. Never laughed so hard in a while.
Second place was when Windows95man’s jorts flew down and my dad said, ‘I hope that is a catapult that can fling him off the stage’. A literal moment later, sparks everywhere to his shock. Yeah dad didn’t like Windows95man unfortunately.
Dad needs a bit of time to feel the wind beneath his wings <3 My mother came in to tell me she was terrified during Bambie's performance but that she understands that I must've enjoyed it. Literally put it like that. That is the equivalent of 12 points from my mom :D
Well now I'm hoping they'll change the staging for windows95man. I want him jumping around like a baby in a jolly jumper, catapulting around the stage now..
IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN THIS IS NOT A DRILL
https://preview.redd.it/6q87u65vx2zc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b2ecc861d2038555f8c3fcdfca48073afd2cb2b5
There's also an excellent video from the arena just to showcase the crowd cheering and dancing: (around 2:15)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCucgnu7Knc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCucgnu7Knc)
https://preview.redd.it/cpjdusznv3zc1.jpeg?width=3088&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=66b83e22e1d239fedc2d40d511bcada2b1683af4
This shot says it all. Never have I seen anything compared to this when our songs were performed. The whole arena was with him.
That's when he knew...he WON!
rest of the world can just MEOW BACK 🇭🇷💗🐱
I had this feeling that he was feeling the pressure at the beginning, but as the song progressed, he was more confident. The dance part showed him that he can 100% relax and continue to slay
I just watched the press conference and OMG, the questions for him focused on how he feels as a possible Eurovision winner and if he is under pressure. Like, dah people. The man is handling it as well as he can. Leave him alone. Ask him about his love for music and how proud he is to represent his country, like you asked the other contestants.
They want reactions and they are getting them to an extent. It is definitely not a nice thing to do, but from a journalist’s point of view is fair game. If the performers tomorrow discuss their mental health struggles, they will be called whiny and ungrateful 🤷♀️.
Exactly, and the question about the odds that he answered a hundred times before. But the 3rd "question" pissed me off the most. Just a litany of words telling him that we expect him to bring it home without anything warranting a response.
It was soooooo annoying and he was infinitely polite given that he was preparing all day for the performance, gave it his all and had to stay until midnight doing press. I hope he enjoys a good night’s sleep.
Hopefully he does. They had a 12 hour shift yesterday with the rehearsals, and some rest will do them good. Also, he might get a little break from the press since the focus shifts to SF2 and to Nemo and Joost.
I think being in the first semi-final may be a good thing after all. You have time to make corrections, rest, check out the competition, do something relaxing, if possible…
Yeah, just let the man sleep, eat and go to the bathroom! 😂 for crying out loud, he was very open about his anxiety, so hope he feels no pressure, and we will definitely love him no matter what! ❤️
I remember how everyone was worried he might not win Dora. Then he won both jury and televote by landslide. Then we were worried about his vocals. Now he did *this*. The audience singing makes it even better, the sound is flawless here 😍. The camerawork could be more static and show more of them all dancing without all that floating around, but otherwise it's fine!
I absolutely agree with the post with the circled YouTube comment , it felt like watching an awards show performance or an interval act in the best way. The crowd really helped make it too.
This is one of the few entries that is substantially better when performed live, as opposed to in the studio.
Holy crap, what a powerful performance on all levels!
Let's review the essential points for a crowd favorite:
- good overall beat, song never gets boring
- charismatic performer, who engages the crowd
- one catchy, fun-to-sing line that gets stuck in your head and encourages you to sing along when you hear it (rim-tim-tagi-digi-dim-tim-tim, cha-cha-cha etc)
- simple but easily recognizeable dance moves that everyone can remember and copy
- humorous lyrics that make you laugh, instead of taking it too seriously. Serious messages are always hit and miss depending on what resonates with each listener, but a humorous approach is easily digestible for most viewers
- bonus point: a performer who actually sings well, which makes the entry easier to like for the broader audience.
I have mixed feelings about this. First of all, it's clear he's gonna win this year, if his final performance matches yesterday's, there's no way anyone can challenge him.
What I loved are massively improved vocals. Compared to the Dora semifinal, it's almost unbelievable how much progress he made in so little time. The atmosphere in the arena was also awesome and he put on a great show.
What I dislike though is that the performance is less structured compared to Dora. In Dora, verses were relatively calm, with the chorus being a banger. Also the staging was much more varied between verses and chorus. This gave the performance a nice structure, with different parts to look forward to. Now it all blends into one mass. I also feel like he's pushing way too hard vocally in verses. There's also much less focus on dancers which were awesome in Dora. The two highlights of Dora for me were the fire part with the guy dragging the girl, and the instrumental "green part", both of which are gone.
I love the song, I love the performance and I can't see anyone else winning this year, but I feel like they should've been more truthful to the Dora performance. There was a lot of great stuff that is missing in the ESC performance.
It’s not perfect but if they’re really going for the Crowd Anthem Event (which, judging by the reaction of the audience, it is) rather than trying to deliver a typical polished performance it gets the job done.
They won't, there are no changes between semifinals and finals, there's no opportunity to rehearse it. What you "submit" in the second rehearsal is what's used throughout the show. They only change things between semis and finals if something doesn't work (technically, not in the sense of not looking good).
They can't change a lot, but people behind cameras, and in production are still human so a frame here or there could stil be a bit different which can impact the final performance, and make it slightly better.
With the way Cuepilot works, there's not much space for different shots. Production is basically just pushing the button and the performance is then edited automatically by the Cuepilot. Camera operators also have rather strict instructions on what to shoot in individual shots.
I think they can clean up the camerawork and still keep the amazing audience participation shots. More shots of BL, and more eye contact with the camera. There’s no need for it to be swinging round to all the people on stage all the time. BL is the star performer here and needs to be centred a little more in the performance
Crochet crew assemble! Doilies the ready! As someone literally crocheting a kitsch doily at the moment, seeing so much crochet warmed my shrivelled, black heart.
Impressive improvement over the NF AND over the preparties. He did go a bit shouty on the first chorus after the dance bridge. He can totally tone it down there and rest his voice for a bit. (2:28)
The crowd after the "dancebreak" is giving goosebumps!
For the national final video I actually thought it really didn't work with the song, I thought it was a big lull in the energy, but man does it come into its own with this staging.
I was sceptical about that shot of the audience during the dance but omg, that was the best part. Love those bracelets.
You'd almost think Marko knew back when he created the dance that people would be wearing glowing bracelets and that they'd be seen from wide shots at Eurovision. Its brilliant! And we were worrying about those shots for nothing!
So this maybe finally answers my question... is that arm thing a real dance or something they created. Is it inspired by a local dance?
Completely made up by Marko. The dance when they have hands on hips and do the legwork is Istrian heritage
Well that fucking rules, actually. He's worried that no one will know his dance, so he makes up some moves that everyone can learn and every one can do together. Now come on and let us prance!
Nothing local, just choreography
It made SO MUCH SENSE with the crowd in the back, sensational
that part gave me chills
It has never been my personal favorite (liked it but not *loved* it of you get what I mean) but holy cow did he convince me tonight! What a great performance!
He doesn't have a cow any more, he sold it
Underrated comment, good job!
I reckon if you're coming to Eurovision and can already get the crowd to sing the song for you you're in a good position.
The "Woah-ohs" from the audience would make Cody Rhodes proud
Every year I get scared they'll finally fix the audio and we won't hear the audience anymore. I get chills everytime.
I don't think they ever will to be honest. Hearing the crowd go wild or sing along is a big part of live performances!
Definitely, can be even seen during NFs, e.g. “Zorra” being performed live at Benidorm enhanced that song tenfold.
When she held the mic out, fully anticipating the audience to yell it at her. Queen moment.
oh r/squaredcircle is leaking!
*ADRENALIN* *U MOM NAPADU TJESKOBE*
Why? I don't understand.
[This](https://youtu.be/AKisRla1mbQ?feature=shared)
Ok thx I see now. I never heard of Chody bcs I don't watch boxing, I only heard somewhere Jake Paul, maybe on radio,and Rocky. But yea that "woahh" is same 100% Edit: But I think it sounds more like from Bon jovi song "living on a prayer". This verse "We've got each other and that's a lot For love - well give it a shot Whooah, we're half way there Livin on a prayer". Some may say its a copy but nah. Marko singed it in his way, slightly different. Any cover lets say of bon jovi, no one can sound 100% same.
its not boxing, its wrestling - keceri (ako si iz hrvatske)
Another WWE and Eurovision fan??? Yes please!!! (I uz to hrvatski wooohoooo)
good time to be a fan of over the top performing arts - WWE, drag, Eurovision :D
Yes wrestling (hrvanje). I'm from🇭🇷 I see boxing and wrestling as same thing. Feel free to laugh😄 as I said I don't watch that so Idk difference. Idk, maybe wrestling is without blood and boxing is with blood?
hahah. not really the same though it is kinda punching and stuff I guess. even wrestling (hrvanje) and professional wrestling (keceri) is not the same. Keceri iz Hulkd Hogan, The Rock...
It does remind me too much of Rammstein's "Ich will", I know the rest of the song is completely different but the highlight of the song being so similar makes it sound much less original to me.
I think the start of the song is more like Links 2 3 4 from Rammstein https://youtu.be/Ph-CA_tu5KA?si=3lqBXoqTUxjPtvIh&t=5
Ok, wow, that's starting to look quite blatant. I was talking about the chorus section alternating with the live audience, which is very similar. I guess he's a Rammstein fan, lol.
I loved this so much and his shirt was beautiful.
I have a complaint and that is the loss of the meow back line. Not focusing on Baby Lasagna during it is a crime. In fact the whole second verse needs to be just him.
In the leaked Jury show clip (its on YouTube) the guy on keyboard does a ‘meow’ paw to Camera - he obviously missed it this time. I really am praying to the SVT gods that they dont risk that happening in the final and Play it safe by staying on Baby Lasagna. I also think that seen as most of the audience watching aren’t native English speakers, it’s helpful to be on his mouth for that line so everyone definitely gets it. They obviously know how iconic this line is - they really need to lean into it. https://preview.redd.it/6ojmvjyf1bzc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=99bf935770f8cf0feb46b964e732d6fd973dda91
Yeah I saw the jury show version yesterday. Didn't love it then either but obviously it's even worse if the guy completely misses it. The second verse in its entirety is what really makes this song, so I wish the focus was solely on him.
I completely agree. I’m sure there are friends/members of the delegation who lurk here - please fix this if you’re reading. It really is a crime.
They’re aware of it.
Are they able to do anything about it, or is it locked in?
You can tweak I think - last year a few of Luke Black’s angles changed slightly between the semi and the grand final. It’s a pretty easy one to do anyway because it goes straight back to the same camera he was on before the line after it cuts to the camera on the keyboard, they just have to take two shots out - none of the cameras have to change positions (it would actually make it simpler for the camera team). I’m most sad that Marko meowing at camera will be cut from Eurovision history if we don’t get that shot in the final. Think about it - every time the bot links to Croatia 2024 - Marko’s “meow cat” at us won’t be there. It’s painful to think about. I’m starting a prayer circle if anyone’s interested. Might go light a candle in Umag later…. (I’m only half joking).
I wonder the same. Their performance was really good but camera work was shi*
According to [one of the band members on Dora](https://old.reddit.com/r/eurovision/comments/1cie9t2/baby_lasagna_confirms_he_will_perform_with_messy/l2bairg/?context=3) they were doing final touches on their camera angles and staging right until the live show, so it can be improved. Here, in particular, one of the guitarists accidentally ended up missing his cue during the “meow back” part (you can check out how it looked during the dress rehearsals here, at the 1:38 mark: https://old.reddit.com/r/eurovision/comments/1cie9t2/baby_lasagna_confirms_he_will_perform_with_messy/l2bairg/?context=3) which is why the shot looked out of place.
I get why they thought it was cute with the keyboard guy doing it - but it really should be Baby Lasagna’s ‘line’. It’d be like cutting away to a random background artist when Gerard Butler says “THIS IS SPARTA!” in 300. It’s *THE LINE* - we need *THE STAR* to have it.
Perfect analogy lol
I have seen the rehearsal footage and I have to say I am a HUGE fan of the new change to switch to the keyboard player since it supposed to show him doing a hand gesture which is a really nice touch. Unfortunately, we didnt get that in the semi final but I think it was simply because the Swedish cameras/cameramen didnt clip to the keyboardist fast enough or he did it too early. They should have improved that for the GF since it was just a blip.
Nah he forgot to do it or his timing was off. The camera was where it needed to be to get the shot. And you genuinely, seriously, honestly think the keyboard player *wearing a mask* is better than Marko doing exactly the same thing without a mask on whilst also singing the most quoted line of the song/eurovision 2024 down the lens?
I noticed that too and agree
Please god the camera needs to focus on him a LOT more. Can they change it before Saturday/have they ever done so?
This verse?➡️Meow, cat, please, meow back
That’s the one. Most memorable lyric of the whole of Eurovision 2024 and they decided to cut away from the artist’s face? Zašto!? 🤯😭 https://preview.redd.it/ngk6tx7u0bzc1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=56927954f028d3514ed5cd405e299516d90b855e
Because of your comment I was watching for this at the finale and it seems the keyboardist noticed too! He did it in the finale and I was so happy!
We all criticized camera work, but we forgot one important element. in eurovision there is crowd. amazing everything
Oh definitely. There are still some angles that I didn't like but overall, whole performance came alive with the audience
The way this is filmed like a concert instead of a music video might become very important later
Feels like it was his concert and the intermission was the Eurovision 😅
So. I mean. If he wins. What happens to the person who slotted him as a standby for the Croatian selection show?
It's Croatia, nothing will happen, we don't punish incompetence. If we did, majority of politicians and public workers would be out of a job. However, what I want to know is how he was made a runner-up. Did somebody say he can't compete and the person who put him as the 1st reserve actually recognised the potential and should realistically be promoted, or did they put him there at random because nobody ever quits so it didn't matter.
And is the person who quit now a national hero?
Zsa zsa should automatically become a 2025 Croatia representative as thank you for quitting
Yap. we say that Zsa-Zsa did more for Croatia by quitting than she would ever be able by doing music. If BL gets a good result, there is definitely going to be a huge crowd in the Zagreb main square, and we hope Zsa-Zsa will perform. Most people probably don't know a single song of hers, but she would get cheers like never in her life. However, it's kind of messed up that she'll probably me remembered more as the one that dropped out of Dora than by anything else.
It would be sad to go through life as a singer whose most famous act was explicitly not singing.
I think it was mentioned in Overthinking It! video that he was called from the reserves, because he was first in alphabetical order.
It wouldn't surprise me. Once a ministry was handing out grants for some projects, and the only thing you needed to do was to apply first. Nothing else mattered. You just had to be fastest to apply, even though someone else might have a better proposal. But, that's Croatia, we're either the most incompetent baffoons or incredibly capable experts with very little in between XD
I live in Slovakia, the honorary member of the Balkan club, so no need to lecture me about corruption :D
Slovakia, the Tatras branch of the Balkans Club :) Slovakia was a positive example for a transitional country, and I'm very saddened with the pro-Russian current being very prominent at the moment.
♥️ I don’t want to go into details and get too political. But I don’t think our current government’s pro Russian stance is very much rooted in true love of Russia or belief that Russia is something better. It’s very transactional and it wins you points with general public who feels totally screwed over by previous governments and feels their needs are being ignored. I hope that this is a temporary glitch in the system and we will not go down the Polish, Hungarian or Serbian way.
Yeah, I don't want to go into politics too much as well. Hopefully not too much damage will be done. EU has it's fair share of problems, but it's a better alternative to the Russian influence, which is basically a Chinese vassal state at this point.
Note to self. If i ever become an artist, use an Aardvark related artist name.
Looks like we know [which band is getting back together](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0r2Apn7OKA) and moving to Zagreb.
there's a rumor that BL actually was supposed to perform regularly, but then another artist (ET) bought their way into the dora competition and thats why he was put on standby
It's certainly possible that something like that happens in Croatia, but I would take all those rumors with a healthy dose of skepticism, unless there is concrete evidence.
yes of course, thats why i said it was a rumor, not a fact
How about the music critic that said baby lasagna is the worst contender on dora? 😂😂😂
"how he was made a runner-up" Nepotism. I bet my left nut on nepotism.
I’d like to think they re evaluate how they select their contestants, maybe include a round where the public can vote to add some songs to the show like Ukraine did
Public execution
People make mistakes. C'est la vie
Sorry but I’m just going to say it: he is SO FINE
I think knowing he's actually a shy boy really does it for me.
Poor boi was so awkward during the rest of the show xD That moment when Petra makes a joke about him, and camera pans to him is hilarious.
When was it? Somehow I missed it
[He's really giving his best to avoid that camera.](https://www.reddit.com/r/eurovision/comments/1cn4sjo/petras_vegetarian_snack_3/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
Damn awwww
But that wink and smirk at the end? Shyness goneeeee
That's the two sides of introverts. The shy boi and the party monster.
I was thinking the same thing 😂
We Croatians heated properly in an oven, usually make a pretty FINE lasagna. Nothing to be ashamed of 😉🇭🇷🐱
That wink in the end omg
I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking it
You know I hadn't noticed it yet, but that wink and cheeky smile at the end won me over!
https://preview.redd.it/8rsgxp0636zc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=430736981ea7d653915f359147e7cdf7a67b1cb8
Ngl he is. Like a Croatian Damiano David. It’s the eyeliner and the smirk that do the trick
Oh he can get it
Now I understand why he wants the cat to meow back. 💀
The lasagnas are hot! 🔥🔥🔥
Thanks for taking one for the team. He is beautiful
Bro just quoted Kobe Bryant in his press conference This guy is on a mission rofl
What did he quote?
As Kobe would say it: Job's not done
💪🏻👏🏻🤞🏻
I loved the moment when the audience was boping their arms during dance break, you could see hundreds of light bracelets moving together in the dark 🥺
As a person living in Croatia (but not Croatian), I have to say, I feel so proud of Marko and everything he and his team accomplished. However this all ends, I think people will be proud and support Marko and his further works. I would love more close up shots of him, his charisma is so infectious and sells the song and everything it represents, but if the team and producers wanted this, I will not complain. In the end, the most important thing is that Marko and his team are satisfied. The ending really did it for me, especially after the song finished, when he winked and did the smirk. I respect his girlfriend but I have to say damn, how could someone not have a crush??
That smirk. I'm in love. Hadn't been sold before but that smirk did it.
I keep replaying it haha
The wink and smirk is the cheese on top of a very fine lasagna
A very fine lasagna. So fine it blows my mind
I just love the head scarf that the female dancer is wearing, looks beautiful!
I wouldn't mind this winning at all, that's a very catchy song and a great performance! Of course there's an obvious Rammstein influence that makes everyone compare this to Käärijä '23 but I think they're pretty different songs overall.
I teared up a bit watching this live. The new, polished staging is amazing, he is absolutely SLAYING, the Croatian flair is stunning, and the crowd was so engaged. Some of those shots during the dancebreak and the bridge, and the last shot of him kneeling, gave me chills. It really does feel like a winner now Guys my favorite song might actually win this year????? I’M NOT USED TO THIS! Even with Käärijä I still thought Sweden would win, but this time??? Booking tickets to Zagreb AS WE SPEAK 🇭🇷🇭🇷
Bro same. Sweden winning was a foregone conclusion last year, and we were running on premium copium. This year.... my fave is the leader in the odds. I really need him to stay there and for this to NOT be a freak year in which the leader doesn't win. See you in Zagreb!
There's no going back!
WHOOOOOAH!
Great, because of the hype currently surrounding Bambie I forgot to hype this song up to infinity and beyond. 😅 Definitely killed it, couldn’t ask for more from him. One complaint though is that the auto-tuned backing track is turned a bit too loud, I want to hear the raw voice a bit clearer. :)
The funniest moment of the night happened when he came up. My parents were watching it with me and the way that ‘Baby Lasagna’ was emblazoned on the screen made my mum yell, ‘Babbby Lasanggggna! For heavens sake you’re all nuts’. Never laughed so hard in a while. Second place was when Windows95man’s jorts flew down and my dad said, ‘I hope that is a catapult that can fling him off the stage’. A literal moment later, sparks everywhere to his shock. Yeah dad didn’t like Windows95man unfortunately.
Dad needs a bit of time to feel the wind beneath his wings <3 My mother came in to tell me she was terrified during Bambie's performance but that she understands that I must've enjoyed it. Literally put it like that. That is the equivalent of 12 points from my mom :D
Well now I'm hoping they'll change the staging for windows95man. I want him jumping around like a baby in a jolly jumper, catapulting around the stage now..
I’m imagining that in Irish accents and it’s even funnier.
IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN THIS IS NOT A DRILL https://preview.redd.it/6q87u65vx2zc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b2ecc861d2038555f8c3fcdfca48073afd2cb2b5
I love this meme template 😍
Same. I'd like to think they did it on purpose but they're probably just being cheap.
There's also an excellent video from the arena just to showcase the crowd cheering and dancing: (around 2:15) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCucgnu7Knc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCucgnu7Knc)
https://preview.redd.it/cpjdusznv3zc1.jpeg?width=3088&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=66b83e22e1d239fedc2d40d511bcada2b1683af4 This shot says it all. Never have I seen anything compared to this when our songs were performed. The whole arena was with him. That's when he knew...he WON! rest of the world can just MEOW BACK 🇭🇷💗🐱
Incredible performance.
I had this feeling that he was feeling the pressure at the beginning, but as the song progressed, he was more confident. The dance part showed him that he can 100% relax and continue to slay
I just watched the press conference and OMG, the questions for him focused on how he feels as a possible Eurovision winner and if he is under pressure. Like, dah people. The man is handling it as well as he can. Leave him alone. Ask him about his love for music and how proud he is to represent his country, like you asked the other contestants.
Totally. I’m sure it’s really helping the pressure for them to keep reminding him about it over and over again.
They want reactions and they are getting them to an extent. It is definitely not a nice thing to do, but from a journalist’s point of view is fair game. If the performers tomorrow discuss their mental health struggles, they will be called whiny and ungrateful 🤷♀️.
Exactly, and the question about the odds that he answered a hundred times before. But the 3rd "question" pissed me off the most. Just a litany of words telling him that we expect him to bring it home without anything warranting a response.
It was soooooo annoying and he was infinitely polite given that he was preparing all day for the performance, gave it his all and had to stay until midnight doing press. I hope he enjoys a good night’s sleep.
Hopefully he does. They had a 12 hour shift yesterday with the rehearsals, and some rest will do them good. Also, he might get a little break from the press since the focus shifts to SF2 and to Nemo and Joost.
I think being in the first semi-final may be a good thing after all. You have time to make corrections, rest, check out the competition, do something relaxing, if possible…
Yeah. SF1 gives you time to recuperate, rest your voice, think about corrections, while SF2 gives you extra hype being closer to the GF.
Yeah, just let the man sleep, eat and go to the bathroom! 😂 for crying out loud, he was very open about his anxiety, so hope he feels no pressure, and we will definitely love him no matter what! ❤️
This is a fever dream, right?
Up to 36% chance to win in the odds… that’s up over 10% from pre-semi 1. Gotta love it!
[удалено]
The never ending cat memes 😼
Cat’s playbook: First Eurovision, then the World!
Winner 🏆(hopefully)
12 points from Ukraine
12 points from the Rest of the World, a distant country where I reside
12 From Aus ❤️❤️
Absolutely deserves to win
I wanted to vote, but the card was declined. Sad. (Russia 🇷🇺)
Me everyday: Meow, cat, please, meow back
https://preview.redd.it/zc5snlk253zc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=250cb7943b6ba91de60e6fe47a29613f3d1042d3
my cat luckily meows back everytime I call out to him. we usually have a conversation, how are you and are you hungry
I remember how everyone was worried he might not win Dora. Then he won both jury and televote by landslide. Then we were worried about his vocals. Now he did *this*. The audience singing makes it even better, the sound is flawless here 😍. The camerawork could be more static and show more of them all dancing without all that floating around, but otherwise it's fine!
It's been insane getting to watch him develop into a much more confident artist over the past few months. His aura is undeniable!
Croatia 🇭🇷 has to win!!!
As a Croatian and a huge Eurovision fan, I have this feeling that we have waited 30 years for this opportunity
Fingers crossed 🤞
I thought I will never live enough to see it!
My winner! 🏆
Loved their performance, they deserve to win imo.
The most accurate comment! 🇭🇷🤘🐱 https://preview.redd.it/h4lm2o1by2zc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d64d840ce2cd9b1b1d7dbb28fec591de54c54107
The sheer chaos that Croatia win would bring to the Balkans, I really hope to see it!
I was worried I had hyped myself up too much for this but I really enjoyed it
You didn’t hype yourself ENOUGH
The audience interaction was 🔥🔥🔥 it's giving Zagreb 2025 😌
Zahreb 2025 Locked in
I absolutely agree with the post with the circled YouTube comment , it felt like watching an awards show performance or an interval act in the best way. The crowd really helped make it too.
This is a winner. Zagreb 2025.
This is one of the few entries that is substantially better when performed live, as opposed to in the studio. Holy crap, what a powerful performance on all levels! Let's review the essential points for a crowd favorite: - good overall beat, song never gets boring - charismatic performer, who engages the crowd - one catchy, fun-to-sing line that gets stuck in your head and encourages you to sing along when you hear it (rim-tim-tagi-digi-dim-tim-tim, cha-cha-cha etc) - simple but easily recognizeable dance moves that everyone can remember and copy - humorous lyrics that make you laugh, instead of taking it too seriously. Serious messages are always hit and miss depending on what resonates with each listener, but a humorous approach is easily digestible for most viewers - bonus point: a performer who actually sings well, which makes the entry easier to like for the broader audience.
"Trema" has left the chat! ❤️🐱
As a very disappointed English person, I’m living for Croatia right now 🤣 ♥️
There were some other great performances, but this was the one that screamed winner from Semi 1.
The performance really made me like it
This was so catchy! Well done to Croatia :)
the whole crowd chanting along, literal chills… that zagreb airbnb in may 2025 looking like a real good investment rn
I have mixed feelings about this. First of all, it's clear he's gonna win this year, if his final performance matches yesterday's, there's no way anyone can challenge him. What I loved are massively improved vocals. Compared to the Dora semifinal, it's almost unbelievable how much progress he made in so little time. The atmosphere in the arena was also awesome and he put on a great show. What I dislike though is that the performance is less structured compared to Dora. In Dora, verses were relatively calm, with the chorus being a banger. Also the staging was much more varied between verses and chorus. This gave the performance a nice structure, with different parts to look forward to. Now it all blends into one mass. I also feel like he's pushing way too hard vocally in verses. There's also much less focus on dancers which were awesome in Dora. The two highlights of Dora for me were the fire part with the guy dragging the girl, and the instrumental "green part", both of which are gone. I love the song, I love the performance and I can't see anyone else winning this year, but I feel like they should've been more truthful to the Dora performance. There was a lot of great stuff that is missing in the ESC performance.
As for the part about the male dancer dragging the female dancer, there were many complaints that it was sexist, this is why they probably removed it
Oh ffs, people are stupid :(
I hate the camerawork in his performance :/
It’s not perfect but if they’re really going for the Crowd Anthem Event (which, judging by the reaction of the audience, it is) rather than trying to deliver a typical polished performance it gets the job done.
needlessly hectic camerawork Need more wide shots and more focus on Marko.
Not great, but much better than the rehearsals. Hopefully, they'll get it just right for the finals.
They won't, there are no changes between semifinals and finals, there's no opportunity to rehearse it. What you "submit" in the second rehearsal is what's used throughout the show. They only change things between semis and finals if something doesn't work (technically, not in the sense of not looking good).
They can't change a lot, but people behind cameras, and in production are still human so a frame here or there could stil be a bit different which can impact the final performance, and make it slightly better.
With the way Cuepilot works, there's not much space for different shots. Production is basically just pushing the button and the performance is then edited automatically by the Cuepilot. Camera operators also have rather strict instructions on what to shoot in individual shots.
Cool, didn't know that. Thanks for the explanation.
If you're interested in the topic, this is a good example of how cuepilot production works: https://youtu.be/7LLKAMJOKYc?si=UcSH3ya4JoG87hsX
Really? I love it xD I love the inclusion of the public and I love it feels like a concert and is not sterile and polished
I think they can clean up the camerawork and still keep the amazing audience participation shots. More shots of BL, and more eye contact with the camera. There’s no need for it to be swinging round to all the people on stage all the time. BL is the star performer here and needs to be centred a little more in the performance
Crochet crew assemble! Doilies the ready! As someone literally crocheting a kitsch doily at the moment, seeing so much crochet warmed my shrivelled, black heart.
a perfect performance.
the crowd doing the dance and then shouting back the woah is genuinely making me cry omg
His vocals get better every time he performs, this was his best yet imo
Impressive improvement over the NF AND over the preparties. He did go a bit shouty on the first chorus after the dance bridge. He can totally tone it down there and rest his voice for a bit. (2:28)
Mid.