'EMA' winner Klemen will represent Slovenia in Basel

Slovenia had the task of choosing its Eurovision song on the evening of Saturday 1 February. After a two-year absence, broadcaster RTVSLO brought back its national final Evrovizijska Melodijaccc - or EMA as it's widely known. 

With the Slovenian public responsible for 100% of the final vote, the country can fully get behind its song for Basel - How Much Time Do We Have Left?, performed by Klemen.

12 songs competed on the night, with a specially selected jury scoring each of them after they had performed. The jury votes determined a Top 2, and then it was over to the people of Slovenia to cast a vote for their favourite. 

The choice was between How Much Time Do We Have Left? by Klemen (51 points from the jury) and New Religion by July Jones (50 points from the jury) - and it was the former that Slovenia went for, with over 66% of the vote from viewers.

Fans of Slovenia's 2024 act - Raiven - were pleased to learn that she was back for EMA 2025; though this time in a hosting capacity. Alongside Štras, she presented the show and was able to hand over the coveted EMA trophy to Slovenia's artist for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 - Klemen!

Klemen

Klemen Slakonja started his TV career in 2007 through a series of musical impersonations of Slovenian singers on the TV show Hri-bar. Over the years, he has hosted numerous TV shows, including four editions of EMA, which he says has always been a big milestone, allowing him to build upon his creativity every time. 

In recent years, he has dedicated himself to advancing his knowledge of music production, with a strong focus on songwriting. His first solo album, recorded in London, will be released in 2025 and feature ten new tracks, presenting him just as he is - Klemen.

Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest

Slovenia debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993 represented by 1x Band and their song Tih Deževen Dan (‘Quiet Rainy Day’).

Their joint best result is 7th, achieved by ​Darja Švajger in 1995 and Nuša Derenda in 2001.

Though they’ve yet to host a Eurovision Song Contest, broadcaster Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTVSLO) was tasked with organising the 1993 pre-Contest qualification competition Kvalifikacija za Millstreet (‘Qualification for Millstreet’), which saw qualification success for Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Croatia, and disappointment for Slovakia, Estonia, Hungary and Romania.

Slovenia is the most successful country when it comes to Eurovision Choir, having won the inaugural competition in 2017, before finishing third in 2019.

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