Skip to main content

Zala Kralj & Gašper Šantl

Zala Kralj & Gašper Šantl will represent Slovenia at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv. They are a relatively new duo that joined forces in 2017. Before they met, they were both focused on growing their individual careers in Slovenia’s music scene.

Zala started by playing covers and soon after began writing her own songs based on gentle narration and soft, melodic vocals. Gašper started playing the guitar at a young age and when he reached his teens, his music led him to Prague, where, under the wing of Faust Records studio, he studied to become an audio producer and a composer. After 2 years, on a quest for new inspiration, he decided took a cycling trip through Europe where he wrote the chorus for the duo's first single Valovi.

The singers first met on Instagram: when Zala’s videos were shared with Gašper, he knew he had found the right vocalist for his new song. Valovi was a huge success, taking over radio stations across Slovenia and winning the Slovenian annual music award Zlata piščal for the best song of 2017. The duo returned in 2018 with 2 new songs, each showcasing Gašper’s gentle electronic pop style and Zala's soft voice.

The band's fourth single Sebi was presented on Evrovizijska Melodija 2019. Zala and Gašper brought their charm and authenticity to the stage, and they won the ticket to represent Slovenia at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. The duo remains calm and confident as they approach the contest, believing that there is no challenge they could not face together.

In the meantime, the duo has released an EP with their first 4 singles, aptly named Štiri (Four). When Gašper and Zala are creating new music, they try to be as honest as possible and pass on a meaningful message to their listeners. With their songs, they hope to find people for whom the music means something. The most important creative bond is their combined desire to tell stories with their songs and their ability to write and interpret each other’s music.

Music video

Live performance

Lyrics of Sebi

Ko so tvoje misli polne
lahko poslušaš, kako mi bije srce
Ko težko je tvoje breme
k meni se lahko zatečeš

Vprašaj, kaj me vodi dalje
So dosežki in razdalje
Kot list gre z vetrom in se mu upira
jaz grem s tokom in se mu upiram

Vedno se ne vidi zvezd
sam ostani sebi zvest
Ne govori mi oprosti

Ko solze v tvojih so očeh
pusti jih, da tečejo
Ko najine želje so različne
sprejmeš me in sprejmem te

Poglej me, je nujno, da ima vse pomen
Večnost in ta planet nista prijatelja
in jaz sem kot snežinka, ki čaka na pomlad

Vedno se ne vidi zvezd
sam ostani sebi zvest
Ne govori mi oprosti

Ni ti treba se dokazovat
Vežejo nas iste solze, isti strah

Vedno se ne vidi zvezd
sam ostani sebi zvest
Ne govori mi oprosti
When your mind is full of thoughts
you can listen to my heartbeat
When your burden is heavy
you can come to me

Ask what keeps me going forward
Is it distance and success
Like a leaf blows with the wind and resists it
I go with the flow and resist it

You can't always see the stars
just stay true to who you are
stop apologising to me

When there are tears in your eyes
let them be
When we have different wishes
I accept you and you accept me

Look at me, is it necessary, for everything to have a meaning
Eternity and this planet aren't friends
and I'm like a snowflake, that's waiting for the spring

You can't always see the stars
just stay true to who you are
stop apologising to me

You don't have to prove yourself to anyone
We all share the same fears, the same tears

You can't always see the stars
just stay true to who you are
stop apologising to me