Now Eurovision 2026 is firmly behind us and we’ve had a chance to properly digest the wild ride of Vienna, 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 2026 final saw some very dramatic results, but 10 acts did not get a chance to see that.
In our fifth part Tom, Kittens, and Molly discuss what went wrong with Montenegro.
Who is Tamara Živković?
Tamara Živković is a 25-year-old singer and flautist born in Kotor. Initially, her focus was on the flute, giving her first concert at the age of 14. However, she soon involved her voice into her work, going on to star in a number of popular singing competitions, including Pinkove Zvezdice and Zvezde Granda, where she made it to the final. She gained international recognition when she competed in Montesong 2024, finishing in 9th place. She returned in 2025, however, and won the competition.
Tamara sang “Nova zora” in Vienna after winning Montesong 2025. The song was written entirely by former PzE star Boris Subotić.
What are the issues with the selection?
Tom: I have no complaints. Honestly, Montesong was such a great selection process and show in 2026 (November 2025 but whatever). I wouldn’t change anything about this being the winner of the NF. I think give this to a few other countries with a higher budget, and it would’ve been a contender for left hand side in the final. Tamara is so much better than where this ended up. And the national final is on target for a qualification soon, for me personally.
Kittens: Oh unlike Tom & Molly, I have complaints. This was not a strong selection for me and honestly I found that I just… didn’t care about most of the acts this year. Like not bad, not good just… There. I do think Nova Zora is definitely one of the better in the selection, but that is just a bit like trying to work out which of the identical plain cheese sandwiches you want to have. The previous year had promise, but this year…I don’t know.
Molly: Compared to last year, this edition of Montesong felt stronger in both performances and song quality. For a country working on a low budget, the selection surpassed expectations. While the voting system is not my favourite, particularly the jury and influenced public vote, Montesong learnt from its mistakes last year and should be proud of their selection.
Was the song and act good enough to be in Eurovision?
Tom: Absolutely. I still play this song. I adore Tamara. This could’ve been such a moment. Watch the music video and tell me this isn’t good?! I’m so glad we got this in Vienna, even if it didn’t make the final.
Kittens: Yes but in another era. I just think that Montenegro are struggling to find an identity at Eurovision and that’s been consistent pre-Montesong as well. I don’t think this is a bad song, it’s a good song, and I have no beef with the vocals. But I just think the game has changed here and coming up with something more original that stands out will serve them better.
Molly: As one of the biggest Tamara stans, I strongly agree. Nova Zora remained consistent throughout the season, staying highly ranked and praised within the community despite being the 2nd song to be confirmed for Eurovision 2026. Even within the budget limitations of Montesong, a clear structure and energy within the performance of Nova Zora were there from Day 1 and marked a “New Dawn” for Montenegro within Eurovision.
Did the staging compliment the song and stand out?
Tom: I actually really prefer the staging concept from Montesong if I’m honest… at least the outfits were better for me there, than in Vienna. But I think this could’ve been improved with props. The stage is pretty huge without something else there. I think making the 3 acts more distinct would’ve also improved it. Because in Vienna, it just looked as if 1, 2 and 3 in roman numerals appeared on stage and nothing much else changed. Also, I think I like Tamara from seeing her journey, but if you’re only watching this 3 minute seminal performance, it is really hard to connect with her and find her likeable at all. The camera work was frenetic and chaotic, and made it hard to feel… well anything towards her as a performer.
Kittens: I do think the staging struggled to convey what was actually going on here. I’ve talked about storytelling a lot when it comes to entries this year and I just think the storytelling was so lacking for this. This song clearly has something to say, and it was clear there was something going on but it just didn’t actually make it to actually communicating what that was, especially to a casual audience.
Molly: The image that was conceived within the National Final performance was able to be translated to the Vienna stage, but I think there were problems with upscaling the performance to the different stage. Within Montesong, the performance had a clear storyline. It felt personal with the close connection between Tamara and her dancers, probably due to the tiny stage, but I feel that this connection was lost on the bigger stage. At times the performance felt disjointed in the transitions between the “Acts”; however, it is a stand-out compared to other stagings done by Montenegro.
Could this song have qualified if changes were made?
Tom: Yes. I still think this should’ve qualified as is. I’m annoyed it didn’t to this day.
Kittens: Yes. I think the staging was the main culprit here, so if that had been changed I think we might have seen another outcome. They really need to pull something (someone?) special out of the bag for next time.
Molly: If only the voting system had been swapped for 2025 and 2026. The fact that Montenegro achieved 10th in the televote within the Semi, compared to their only public points coming from Serbia in 2025, shows qualification is possible. The main downfall was the Jury. Voting partners not backing the entry and the mistake within the Jury Show cost Montenegro its qualification. If the performance had been cleaner and less disjointed, I believe this would’ve made it.
What are our outlooks for future contests?
Tom: Keep going, throw some more money at both NF and ESC staging, and let’s get Montenegro in the final. They deserve it. I think Montesong has some real potential for future Contests.
Kittens: Creativity is what I dearly want to see from Montenegro. It feels a lot like they are mimicking their peers to try and get a result, which is fine but it means you’re constantly competing with those peers. Show me what Montenegro can do because clearly there is talent it’s just struggling to find the right mix of people.
Molly: Montenegro is starting to find its feet again within the contest. Their current non-qualification streak and limited budget are demoralising the country. Still, I see that after 2026, Tamara has achieved the “New Dawn” that Montenegro needs to look towards and follow. If Montenegro can keep making minor improvements on their foundation compared to a complete overhaul, a positive future is just in their reach; they need to keep trying.
Watch the accompanying discussion video here:
Montenegro’s Eurovision Journey
Before Montenegro announced its return to the Eurovision Song Contest for 2025, they had a scattered appearance at the competition. There has been a Montenegrin presence at the Eurovision Song Contest as far back as 1983, when the nation was a part of Yugoslavia. Montenegrin entries went on to represent Yugoslavia in 1983 and 1984, placing 4th and 18th respectively. Similarly, the nation also sent an entry as part of Serbia and Montenegro in 2005, placing 7th with No Name’s “Zauvijek moja”.
Montenegro’s most recent entry to the Contest came in 2026 with Tamara Živković singing “Nova zora”. Montenegro competed in the first semi-final in Vienna, but ultimately failed to qualify for the final. Tamara would finish in 13th place with 71 points, 45 of which coming from the televote with the remaining 26 coming from the jury.
What do think about our thoughts? Do you think Montenegro 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 2027!
Source: That Eurovision Site
Image Credit: Alma Bengtsson / EBU