Now Eurovision 2025 is firmly behind us and we’ve had a chance to properly digest the shitshow events of Basel, it’s now time to discuss What Went Wrong. We’ve all had a chance to mull over the results of the contest. The Eurovision 2025 final saw some very dramatic results, but 11 acts did not get a chance to see that.
In our fourth part Molly, Kittens, and Rory discuss what went wrong with Croatia.
Who is Marko Bošnjak?
Marko Bošnjak is a 21-year-old Croatian singer, originally born in Mostar in Bosnia & Herzegovina. His first break into the music scene came in 2015, when he appeared on the Serbian talent show Pinkove Zvezdice. He went on to win the second season of the show, becoming a star across the Balkans. His first foray into Eurovision came in 2022, when he competed in Dora 2022; he eventually finished in second place.
What are the issues with the selection?
Molly – I think Marko was a good choice; however, the song did not fit his style, and I think something that was more ballad or EDM-based could have fitted him more. If they wanted Poison Cake, they needed an artists who fit that song and could sell it, and even though Marko tried his best, I just don’t think even with the staging, stage presence and vocals, it never helped that the song itself just never worked.
Kittens – Unfortunately my hope that Dora’s selection of songs might have improved since last year didn’t quite pan out. The lineup for Dora was not the strongest, the staging and presentation was generally quite messy, and the shows felt overly long. I think there should be some serious thought to be put into as to whether the show needs adjusting – going to a smaller lineup but getting better quality would be an easy way to improve the selection overall. Marko was clearly one of the better choices available to Croatia, but even on the Dora stage it lacked the pizazz to make it a wow moment in the selection.
Rory – Following up Baby Lasagna was always going to be a really hard job for anyone. Add to this, a rather meagre line-up in Dora and the writing was on the wall for a while. There is no denying that Marko’s performance was a LOT better in Basel than it was in Opatija, but the song was let it all down. When a song blends 5 other songs at once, it’s not going to appeal to a wider audience.
Was the song and act good enough to be in Eurovision?
Molly – The issue with Poison Cake was harder to solve once it got onto that Eurovision stage. The song not only didn’t suit Marko, but the song itself had many problems that led it to non qualify and with some work to the song itself would have helped it. Marko has a lot of talent that would have worked well with a different song, and it’s disappointing that his talent was used on Poison Cake.
Kittens – Marko is clearly an incredibly talented vocalist and performer. I maintain that the glowup was priceless – going from kitschy to drama was a great move, and executed really well. But the song felt like the big problem. It was just a bit messy and didn’t ever quite reach any of it’s potential – it could have gone more growly, it could have gone more operatic and make use of Marko’s voice, but it didn’t quite get to where it could be.
Rory – Personally, I really don’t know whether the song was right for Eurovision. Right from the get go, I was weary of the song’s bizarre structure. And, let’s be honest, Marko is a very competent vocalist, but the song is the thing that needs to carry you in the competition. While Marko deserved to go to Eurovision, “Poison Cake” didn’t.
Did the staging compliment the song and stand out?
Molly – Yes, it did with the chaotic elements that fit the song; however, this did not help the fact that the song was disjointed and all over the place. The artist and their team tried their best to bring everything together and to try and elevate the song for the Eurovision stage; however, when the foundations are broken, there is only so much that can be done to hide those issues.
Kittens – I feel like the glow up between Dora and the Eurovision stage can’t be denied, staging wise. I still wish they had gone tighter with the camera angles and made it even more sinister, and dialled it up even more. But actually I’m pretty pleased with how this got staged, and the outfit actually gets top mark(o)s for me. That’s what it should have been like in the first place! In terms of making it stand out – I think the song may have been much more of an issue in making it stand out rather than the staging – it just wasn’t punchy enough to succeed.
Rory – There’s no denying there was a massive glow-up in terms of the staging between Dora and Basel, and for that I will give HRT credit. This was a really interesting stage performance, though I would have preferred a stronger reveal, rather than a meagre cape-drop. But this is the third year in a row that HRT have been able to stage a song well, so they can be proud of that!
Could this song have qualified if changes were made?
Molly – No because the issue overall is the song itself even with the best Marko and his team try to do to improve the staging and overall performance. With another song I think Marko may have done well however in this case no matter how much they tried to improve the staging the song would not qualify. There would have to be a change in song to have Marko qualify.
Kittens – I think it would have to be that the song would be significantly revamped. While perfectly enjoyable as a listen, it’s not perfectly enjoyable that makes people pick up the phone. I’d love to see Marko return with something with a lot more cohesiveness – with that talent he could genuinely do very well, and it’s clear that the changes made to the visual elements show that there is at least some understanding of what could do well for Eurovision.
Rory – In all honesty, I really thought there could have been a path for this to make it through, but only barely. Looking back on it, I think there was probably just too much going on in order to make it work in a final context. So, while I’m sure a lot of Croatians would have wanted to capitalise on their 2nd place finish in Malmö, this was probably not the song to do it with.
What are our outlooks for future contests?
Molly – Croatia need to look into what made Baby Lasagna popular and take advantage of those elements. Poison Cake was loud and energetic but it lacked the cohesiveness and the quality that Baby Lesangea had with his song. This needs to be seen as a bump in the road for Croatia and if they can continue with the quality that was seen in 2024 then Croatia may succeed.
Kittens – The selection quality in general meant that this was never going to be a vintage year for Croatia. There’s clearly lots of talent in Croatia, but there’s a definite lack of the kick up the proverbial that I had hoped for post ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’. An overhaul of the national final, with Eurovision in mind from the start, could only help here – and consider making whoever’s been doing the song selections have a nice cup of tea and a sit down somewhere else. Also make sure whoever did that staging glow up stays on for future years! I also think there’s a lack of using social media that was evident for this – it felt like the kind of song that could go viral on TikTok, yet it never really did. While it’s impossible to force virality, it could have helped the song take off, and Marko’s playful personality would have been well placed here.
Rory – Dora has the capability to show off some really good songs – 2024 and 2025 are clear examples of that. We’ve had some really good variety from a host of different artists in Croatia. And it’s not like there’s not a wide array of well-known acts who want to take part. HRT need to make sure the momentum of Baby Lasagna’s second-place finish is not lost and use it to their advantage. Magazin and Luka Nižetić are big names in Croatia, so it shows artists still consider the Contest a viable option for their career. Use them to your strengths and we really could go to Zagreb in 2027.
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 2nd place in 2024.
In 2025, Croatia chose Marko Bošnjak to represent the nation in Basel with his song “Poison Cake”. Performing in the first semi-final, Croatia failed to qualify for the final, placing twelfth with a televote score of 28 points.
What do think about our thoughts? Do you think Croatia could have qualified? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
Source: That Eurovision Site
Image Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU