It’s the Eurovision down season, and don’t you for a second think we’re going to stop speculating, arguing, and pushing our heated opinions. Our latest series will look at the national finals of Eurovision, and discussing how we would reform the national finals of Eurovision. Today we’re having a look at EMA.
In part fifteen of this series Euan, Angus, and Daniel discuss what changes they’d make to Slovenia’s national final.
What is EMA?
EMA has been integral to Slovenia’s Eurovision journey; having been used as its national selection for 25 of its 28 appearances. First introduced for Slovenia’s third Eurovision participation in 1996, the format has been used consistently until 2021, when EMA 2020 winner Ana Soklič reprised her role following the cancellation of the 2020 contest. The contest was abruptly cancelled in 2023 following Joker Out’s internal selection for Liverpool. The contest was set to return in 2024 but was cancelled prior to the announcement of participants as Raiven was internally selected.
Do we like what the NF does so far, and do we think there’s a chance of it producing a winner?
Daniel
Well that’s the thing. I’m relatively new round here, so I really haven’t seen much of EMA in regards to it not having been used for 3 of the past 4 editions. That in there lies the problem, if they’re going to continue to cancel it every time an artist you like the look of comes around then by default, no, EMA won’t produce a winner any time soon. From what I’ve actually seen of the show, I quite like what is going on though.
Angus
EMA truly is the national final that only technically exists. Slovenia has had some big hits and major misses, both for me personally and at the contest itself, while using EMA. But with the NF now being used so inconsistently it is starting to feel like an afterthought for RTVSLO. What impact this has on the submissions the broadcaster gets, I do not know. But some clarity and consistency on how they select songs surely couldn’t hurt? Slovenia have never gotten particularly close to winning Eurovision regardless of how they select an entry, but they’re willing to take risks and that takes you a long way already.
Euan
In my heart of hearts I think that they should return to the 2012 format, but since we’re here with the 2022 format I must admit that it’s still a great show. The national final season really has been lacking without it. I don’t think that Slovenia currently has the possibility of winning, but with the right development there is a strong possibility of fostering an NF that could see Slovenia consistently in the top ten. But it won’t come from consistently scrapping the contest and internally selecting an act late in the day.
What changes would we make to the National Final?
Daniel
Cancel it and force Zalagasper to compete ever year. Sorry, serious now, actually running it every year, even if you get someone too big to fail. Joker Out and Raiven were probably going to landslide EMA with their songs, so surely you want to raise the bar for your selection by including them? It just feels like a self sabotage to cancel it for the likes of Joker Out. The band are huge in Slovenia, so that definitely would’ve brought quite a few eyes domestically, and perhaps beyond given their large, often unhinged online fanbase, onto EMA. That brings up ratings, and what with fans of a boy band, televote figures, and you’ve got a well watched show that’s giving you a decent kickback for your efforts, I’m sure RTVSlo have their reasons, but from the outside looking in it just seems silly. Once you manage to actually get a show going there are a couple of changes I’d make. I’ll start as the 2022 show did with EMA Freš. Love the concept, hate the execution. I’d keep it, but condense the format massively, as it really went on for just far too long last time. Do all the eliminations in house, and have a standalone final. I’m happy with the 2 from the televote 2 from the jury qualifying, as I think it’s a nice balance. That leaves the show itself which I think is mostly fine the way it is. Converting jury votes into a set amount of points sets off my alarm bells, but I think the way it is done here is far less terrible than some countries (Germany, this is about you) so whilst I’d prefer the raw totals, the current system is far better than it could be. Kudos to EMA for ditching the Superfinal after 2020 so I don’t have to complain about it!
Angus
I’ll keep my point short, but please know I almost entirely agree with what is written above. The one thing I somewhat disagree with are the specific proposed changes to EMA Freš. I’ve never been a fan of duels as a format for this kind of contest, and never will be. It however is a great way of making sure every song gets its time in the spotlight. So if RTVSLO condense the format, I sincerely hope that all these budding artists still get to play their music relatively extensively on (barely, if necessary) related TV shows.
Euan
As previously mentioned, the most important reform that Slovenia needs to make with this NF is to stop announcing they’re going to have it, then cancel it last minute. Just because there’s the possibility of big names like Joker Out or Raiven landsliding the show doesn’t mean that the show shouldn’t take place. Arguably it’s indicative that the show should continue to allow it to foster greater interest and convince big names in the Slovenian music scene to put their names forward. There’s a lot of talk about EMA Freš above, but it should come as no surprise that I don’t care about Angus or Daniel’s opinions. Freš is a great addition to the show. I’d keep it all the way it is, but remove the duels only for the wildcard because I don’t think that really works in the spirit of a wildcard round. Apart from that I love the face that the finalists are decided by the jury and the televote deciding independently. More NFs should replicate this to bring in a more diverse range of songs in the final. The only real change I’d make to the show is adding a Gold Final to the show. (as well as my constant complaint of converting points to the Eurovision style but you’re probably sick of hearing that by now.) There’s so few votes cast in the final show that there’s not really enough strong support that I feel that a Gold Final could add some more excitement as well as the opportunity for a stronger choice of winner.
Do we think any reforms are likely to happen to this NF?
Daniel
They’ve had a couple years off, so I’d expect them to have spent the time thinking of at least a couple changes they can make to the format, but I really don’t think it needs many.
Angus
No one, least of all RTVSLO, knows whether EMA will actually happen this year. If it does, I expect some changes but I expect only some minor tweaks here and there. And I would honestly be pretty happy with that.
Euan
With it being scrapped twice in a row I think we’re likely to see some significant changes to the format. I really hope that any change comes with a full commitment to keeping the format.
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 28 times – of which, 16 were where they qualified for the Grand Final.
Slovenia’s recent Eurovision participation saw them being represented by Raiven, who sang the song “Veronika”. Performing at the first semi-final, Raiven placed 9th, therefore qualifying for the final for the second consecutive time. At the final, Slovenia finished in 23rd place, receiving 27 points. Of these, 15 came from the jury and 12 from the televote.
What do you think about our reforms? As always, let us know what you think by commenting down below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all the latest Eurovision news!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit:
Tim J