Former Macedonian Junior Eurovision act Bobi Andonov has expressed his interest to represent his nation at the adult Contest. This comes as national broadcaster continues its efforts to return to the competition.
Bobi Andonov “committed” to representing North Macedonia
Bobi Andonov first gained recognition while representing North Macedonia at Junior Eurovision in 2008. Singing the song “Prati mi SMS”, Bobi earned 93 points – finishing in 5th place. Since then, Bobi has gone on to have a long-standing musical career, performing in the likes of Australia’s Got Talent and musical productions of The Lion King.
In a recent interview with Macedonian news outlet Sloboden Pecat, Bobi has now expressed his interest in representing the country in the adult Contest. This, however, is dependent on whether national broadcaster MRT will return to Eurovision next year. Now aged 30, Bobi explained that he was ready to step in to sing for his nation:
This is not just a dream, but something I have been planning and seriously thinking about for a long time.
I spoke to MRT and expressed my desire, and I am also preparing to return to Macedonia at the beginning of next year.
If the country decides to participate, I will be fully committed. I want to give my whole heart.
The singer went on to explain how the competition is incredibly important – not just to musicians, but to North Macedonia itself:
We have a lot of talent and cultural wealth that deserves to be showcased. When a country proudly promotes its artists, it creates connections, visibility and even economic opportunities.
Eurovision is not just a competition, but a celebration of identity. If we return with heart and sincere intention, we can awaken national pride and inspire future generations of artists.
North Macedonia last took place in 2022, finishing 11th in its semi-final, narrowly missing out on a spot in the final. Since then, MRT has been unable to return to the competition due to financial issues. Ahead of the Contest in 2025, MRT had allocated over €30,000 to fund a Eurovision participation; however, this was deemed to be insufficient to properly go towards performing in the Contest.
MRT is aware of the desire to return to Eurovision, but has admitted there are stumbling blocks to securing a participation. Ahead of the 2025 final, journalist and former delegation member Aleksandra Jovanovska said there were a number of artists ready to compete at Eurovision, but a lack of money for participation posed a major problem. As well as this, a lack of a suitable national selection was also responsible for the non-participation. Despite this, North Macedonia continues to participate at the Junior edition of the Contest.
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.
Do you think North Macedonia can come back to Eurovision? Could Bobi bring the country back to the final if he was selected? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News Source: Slobodan Pecat
Photo Credit: Suleyman Enajatsada
Samantha 
Giwrgos Oiko