Croatia is gearing up their preparations for Dora 2024. As artists look ahead to the national final, Tim speaks to MARCELA. She is vying to represent Croatia in Malmö with her entry “Gasoline”, and will compete on the second semi-final on February 23.
Check out our interview with MARCELA here!
Together, Tim and MARCELA talk about the creation of “Gasoline”, and what we can expect from her performance, her Eurovision memories, as well as offering a message to her newfound international fans and what you should listen to, should you like her entry for the Croatian selection.
About MARCELA
Before producing her solo work, MARCELA was the frontwoman of Luminize, which had a Number One in Croatia with “Zašto Još Volim Te” (Why Do I Still Love You). For the past few years, MARCELA has released numerous covers, including “I Wanna Be Your Slave” by Eurovision 2021 winner Måneskin. MARCELA will be participating at DORA 2024 with “Gasoline”, which she co-wrote alongside Amanda van den Hil, Bjørgen van Essen, and Daniël van den Brink.
Croatia’s Eurovision journey
Croatia has been a part of the Eurovision family since 1961, as part of Yugoslavia. Ten Croatian artists went on to represent Yugoslavia in the Contest – the most famous of which being Riva, who gave Yugoslavia its only win in 1989. The 1990 Contest was held in Zagreb as a tribute to their Croatian heritage.
Croatia debuted in the Contest as an independent nation in 1993 with the band Put and their song “Don’t Ever Cry”. Since then, Croatia has gone on to score as high as 4th place in 1996 and 1999. For 2023, Croatia chose the well-known band Let 3 to represent the nation in Liverpool with their song “Mama ŠČ!”. Performing in the first semi-final, Croatia qualified for the Grand Final for the first time since 2017. In the Grand Final, the band finished in 13th place, with a total of 123 points – 11 of which coming from juries, whilst another 112 came from the televote.
What do you think of our interview with MARCELA? Do you think “Gasoline” could represent Croatia in Malmö? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, Threads, Tumblr and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Kim de Hoop
That Eurovision Site 
Rory Gannon