Before taking to the stage at the London Eurovision Party, Tim spoke with Vasil for an interview. Vasil represented North Macedonia at Eurovision 2020 and 2021 with his song “You” and “Here I Stand”.
Check out our interview with Vasil here!
Together, Tim and Vasil reflect on his Eurovision journey and how COVID-19 affected his path to Rotterdam. They also discuss Vasil’s list post-Eurovision, including his recent marriage. They also plead to bring North Macedonia back to Eurovision after their last participation in 2022.
Who is Vasil?
Vasil Garvanliev is a 40-year-old singer-songwriter born in Strumica in North Macedonia. At the height of the war in neighbouring Kosovo, Vasil and his family emigrated to the United States in 1997, returning in the early 2000s. After stints in Toronto and Milan, Vasil trained in classical and opera singing before branching out into pop music.
Having been instrumental in Tamara Todevska’s seventh-place finish in 2019, Vasil was originally selected to represent North Macedonia in 2020 with his song “You”. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling Eurovision 2020, Vasil’s participation had to be put on hold until 2021. There, he sang “Here I Stand”, where he finished in 15th place with 23 points in the semi-final, thus failing to qualify.
North Macedonia’s Eurovision journey
The ex-Yugoslav nation made its formal debut in the Contest in 1998 with Vlado Janevski’s “Ne zori, zoro”. Performing last, North Macedonia finished 19th out of 25.
Following Kaliopi’s participation in 2012 with “Crno i Belo”, North Macedonia began a 6-year non-qualification streak. Tamara Todevska’s participation in 2019 broke the streak with her song, “Proud” – which finished in 7th place, winning the jury vote.
In 2022, Andrea represented North Macedonia, singing her song “Circles”. Andrea performed in the second semi-final, finishing in 11th place out of 16. In total, Andrea received 76 points.
Are you excited to see what’s next for Vasil? Should North Macedonia return to Eurovision in the future? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads TikTok and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2025.
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: That Eurovision Site
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