Following his first rehearsal at Eurovision 2024, our Tim got a chance to catch up with Raiven to discuss her Malmö experience so far.
Watch our interview with Raiven right here:
During their interview, Tim and Raiven talked about how her first rehearsal went, as well as her emotions on stepping onto the stage for the first time. They also chatted about her outfits for the show and being able to adapt it to be suitable for television. The pair also reflect on her long journey to the Contest and what is next for her.
Raiven’s Eurovision Journey so far
Raiven was internally selected to represent Slovenia late last year. In mid January Raiven then went on to reveal her Eurovision song “Veronika”. It was revealed that Raiven will perform ninth during the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 on May 7th.
Raiven has been confirmed to be taking part at Eurovision in Concert on April 13th, as well as the Nordic Eurovision Party on April 14th. Prior to writing, Raiven also took part in Pre-Party ES24 in Madrid on March 30th, the Barcelona Eurovision Party on April 6th and the London Eurovision Party on April 7th.
On Sunday, she performed on the Eurovision stage for her first rehearsal. You can find out more about her first rehearsal, and our thoughts on that here.
Who is Raiven?
Sara Cirman, AKA Raiven, is a 27 year old musician well versed with the Eurovision world; having tried to represent her country on three separate occasions. Her debut attempt in 2016 with the song Črno Bel saw her narrowly miss out on the win by only 127 points. Her 2017 and 2018 attempts (Zažarim & KAOS) saw her again narrowly miss out, coming 3rd and 2nd respectively. In addition to her talents as a vocalist, Raiven is a harpist; having learned to play as a child.
Following her 2016 EMA participation, Raiven released her debut, and to date only, album Magenta in 2017. The album saw great popularity and subsequently won the Zlata piščal album of the year in 2018. Outwith her pop career, Raiven has used her talents as a Mezzo-Soprano singer to venture into the world of Opera. She has participated in a series of operas including the likes of The Barber of Seville as Rosina. Additionally, she has flirted with a career in theatre, having participated in a number of plays produced by the Slovenian National Theatre.
Her 2024 Eurovision entry ‘Veronika’ was penned by herself, and a team that included the frontman of Joker Out (Bojan Cvjetićanin) who represented Slovenia last year in Liverpool. The writing team included Martin Bezjak, Danilo Kapel, Peter Khoo, and Klavdija Kopina.
Slovenia’s Eurovision Journey
In 1993, Slovenia made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest with 1X Band and the song “Tih deževen dan”, which placed 22nd. Since their debut, they have participated 27 times – of which, 15 were where they qualified for the Grand Final.
Slovenia’s recent Eurovision participation saw them being represented by Joker Out, who sang the song “Carpe Diem”. Performing at the second semi-final, the band placed 5th, therefore qualifying for the final for the first time since 2019. At the final, Slovenia finished in 21st place, receiving 78 points. Of these, 33 came from the jury and 45 from the televote.
What do you think of our interview with Raiven? Do you think she will qualify for the final this year? Where would you like Slovenia to finish this year? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we cover the rehearsals of Eurovision 2024!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Tim J / That Eurovision Site
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