I’ve done it. I’ve waded across the 2024 Serbian selection of approximately 7469563842 entries and lived to tell my story. Now – I do love Serbia at ESC. I do. Few other countries have managed to entertain us with such a mix of ethnic and mainstream over the years, effectively going on to become one of the most reliable ESC countries since their (winning!) debut in 2007. It’s fair to say that what the fandom really appreciates about Serbia is indeed the fact that, especially compared to other Balkan countries, they’ll never be afraid to take a risk. This year’s lineup is no different in that sense – we have EDM, rock, pop, a few ballads, and…Konstrakta again (yes, she is her own genre).
Now, I will say this – 28 songs is way too many. Not only does it make the process of going through all of them a bit of a struggle (it took me 3 days), but it does somewhat debauch the overall quality of the lineup to a degree – I’ll always take 15 terrific tracks over 30 ranging from great to superfluous, but maybe that’s just me. The real question is, do we have a winner here? That, I’m not sure of (Croatia this year had the edge in my opinion). Do we have a qualifier? Easily, yes. More than one. Before getting into our faves, it’s probably worth mentioning there there are a few community faves that didn’t stand out to me as much but appear to be real contenders, namely Teya Dora, Filip Baloš (who is still #4 in my ranking, let’s be clear), and Konstrakta herself (it’s not a bad song, but it didn’t feel quite as special or inventive as In Corpore Sano). What did we like?
Serbia? More like Servia. This one right here is some hot shit. Najbolja (“The Best”) starts in overdrive and never lets up. I love the lyrical setup (it is essentially a self-affirmation manifest with a strong feminist slant), but beyond that, this is just a stomper with a thumping, engrossing beat (I mean it – it clocks in at 150 BPM) and a production that blends the sound of a kaval flute with a more straighforward and recognizable electronic production. Fabulous. The bridge then kicks in to further mix things up with a nod to the tradition of melodic Balkan ballads, before the track picks up again. In short, this one’s got everything you need and would want from Serbia, and this is the one I would send.
This is in my opinion the best Balkan ballad in the mix. It feels cinematic, it ebbs and flows, it’s quiet and bombastic when it needs to be, and it does not overstay its welcome. It also seems to be a fan favorite, which tells me there’s just something special in the sauce here. What really draws you in, however, is Zorja’s vocal prowess. This is a semi-impossible song to sing, almost comically so, so I have to believe she is going to be able to pull it off live as seamlessly as the studio cut sounds, because no one in their right mind would otherwise agree to put themselves in a position to sing something that, if things go wrong, is going to look like she’s coughing up all their internal organs on live TV.
A bop, plain and simple. I do love that it’s a very straighforward song about fucking, because why not, but it’s just sliiiightly slower than you would expect (while remaining eminently danceable), the production is more layered and complex than you would expect (that electric guitar popping up out of nowhere at the end? Respect), and all in all, this is the one track out of the whole selection I went and added first to my playlist. I will say that, for what ESC is, this might not feel as special or as much of a statement as either one of the aforementioned tracks, but I still think this would do well if staged correctly (I’m picturing mirrors and floor curtains due to my homosexuality).
ESC Etc. 
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