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It's ManuElla for Slovenia!

27 February 2016 at 23:10 CET
ManuElla RTVSLO
This year's Slovenian national selection EMA was won by ManuElla. In the second round of the show, the singer had to compete with the strong artist Raiven, but won the televoting by a wide margin. In Stockholm ManuElla will perform Blue And Red.

The Slovenian selection took place in Ljubljana where 10 artists gave their best to get the victory and represent their country in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest. The show was opened by tonight's host Klemen Slakonja who performed the Slovenian version of Måns Zelmerlöw's Heroes. In EMA 2016, different genres were presented, from ballads, indie, pop and rock. Three acts were sung in Slovenian and seven in English. This year's EMA was marked by two comebacks, Regina, the participant in the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest, and Nuša Derenda, the representative in the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest. 

Tonight's jury panel consisted of Raay, Darja Švajger and one of Sestre's member, Tomaž (Marlenna). In the first round, they evaluated all ten performances. After all acts have been perform, the jury members chose two superfinalists, ManuElla and Raiven. In the second round, these two lucky singers performed once again. This time, TV viewers decided that they want ManuElla to represent Slovenia in Stockholm. 

 

As a teenager ManuElla started playing and singing in different bands. At the age of 16, ManuElla performed as a solo artist for Spet Doma, one of Slovenia’s most popular music TV programme and thus got first attention on the national level.

She graduated from music school in specialty piano and accordion, and in parallel she took classes in singing, plying bass guitar and piano. ManuElla’s University degree is a music producer.

In 2005, ManuElla took part in the show Bitak Talentov. In 2010, she was chosen among among the best 100 in the talent show Das Supertalent in Germany. In 2012, ManuElla tries her luck in the semi-finals of Misija Eurovizija. In 2013, she placed 5th at the Festival Slovenska popevka. Now the singer is working on her first album in English.

At this year’s EMA, ManuElla performed her song Blue And Red.

Tonight the singers will appear on stage in the following order:

  1. Anja Baš - What If 
  2. Žan Serčič - Summer Story 
  3. Anja Kotar - Too Cool 
  4. San Di Ego Band - Brez Tebe 
  5. D Base - Spet Živ 
  6. Regina - Alive In Every Way 
  7. ManuElla - Blue And Red
  8. Raiven - Črno Bel 
  9. Nuša Derenda - Tip Top 
  10. Sebastijan Lukovnjak - Tales Of Tomorrow 

Guests at EMA 2016

Among tonight's guest was Maraaya, the participant in the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest. Also Sestre, who represented Slovenia in the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest, performed on tonight's stage and entertained public with their funny songs. Lina Kuduzović, who sang for country in the 2015 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, also sang as a guest of the show.    

 

Ten contestants performed at EMA 2016

Anja Baš is a Slovenian singer and song writer. Her music career started in 1999 when Anja participated in Korajža Velja, the Slovenian popular music festival, which she won two years later. In 2003, she received an audience award at the competition Prvi glas Gorenjske. Same summer she became the winner of Najstniški FeNS (teen category) at FeNS, the traditional international music festival. In 2004 she took part in the first season of the Slovenian TV talent show Bitka Talentov.

From 2004 till 2009 Anja Baš was a lead singer in the band Angee, where she tried her as a composer. In 2005 the band released their first single Vedno bo tako. In the same year, Anja also performed at EMA as a backing vocalist of Nuša Derenda. In 2007, the band released their debut album I’m Cool. Starting from 2009, Anja performed as a solo singer.

In 2011 Anja Baš graduated from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, department of the University of Maribor in Kranj. In the same year she released her single S tabo that was rotated on many radio stations. Anja also started her cooperation with the band Rock Partyzani that was split up in 2015.

In 2014 Anja Baš performed Kaj je z mano? at the festival Slovenska popevka. Starting from 2014, Anja began composing for other singers including Alya and Alenka Godec. In March 2015 she released her first solo album Punca iz tvoje ulice. In December last year her autobiographical book Lačna življenja: kako sem premagala bulimijo in se začela imeti rada (Hungry life: how I overcame bulimia and began to love) was published. 

At this year’s EMA, Anja Baš will perform her song What If, written and composed by herself.

Žan Serčič is a Slovenian singer, song writer and a guitar teacher. He was born in 1995 in Maribor. Žan became popular after his participation in the second season of the Slovenian talent show Slovenija ima talent (Slovenia Got Talent) where he impressed audience with his powerful voice performing Break Your Heart and Dynamite by Taio Cruz and Grenade by Bruno Mars. In 2011, just after the final, he released his first single Dajem ti vse that was created in collaboration with Martin Lesjak (Stayerc Production).

In 2012, his song What About Us, composed and written by Žan himself, was released. In the same year, Žan Serčič recorded a well-known song Silvestrski poljub together with Eva Boto. From September 2012, Žan began teaching classic guitar at the music school Muziklub in Lenart.

In 2013, his song Ljubezen na prvi pogled was released. It ended at the 62nd place with more than 2000 radio plays according to IPF calculations. In the same year, Žan took part at the festival Melodije morja in sonca (Melodies of Sea and Sun) where he represented his song Ljubezen na prvi pogled. For his song Za božič z mano si (2014) a music video was filmed.

At this year’s EMA, Žan Serčič will perform his song Summer Story that the artist composed and wrote by himself.

An 18-year-old singer songwriter, Anja Kotar is originally from Slovenia until she moved to San Jose, CA in 2012. Trained in classical piano and dance since age 5, Anja always knew her home was on the stage. She performed as a soloist and with her piano trio (violin, cello, piano) as well as danced and won the World Show Dance Championship with her dance group in 2008. She acted in the most viewed Slovenian movie Going Our Way and its sequel and was featured on the Slovenian X-Factor.

Upon moving to the US, Anja started writing her own music and became heavily involved with musical theatre and jazz at the VC Conservatory. She starred in many musical lead roles and received Outstanding Musicianship awards at numerous jazz festivals. She composed and directed her original short musical as well as vocal directed and directed spring musicals. She was awarded many times for her performances as a singer, songwriter and musical theatre actress and has received the VC Conservatory Artist of the Year Award. Her performances include the Slovenian National Opera, Philharmonic, California Theatre, San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, and the Neil Simon Theatre in NYC.

Upon successfully completing her $20,000 Kickstarter campaign, Anja recorded her debut album at Universal Music Group in Los Angeles in 2015. She was also selected to attend and perform at the prestigious Broadway Artists Alliance Intensive and Industry Showcase in NYC. She is currently attending Berklee College of Music.

At this year’s EMA, Anja Kotar, will perform her new song Too Cool that she wrote and composed by herself.

The Slovenian rock band San Di Ego was founded in early 2013. It consists of four experienced musicians: Sergej Škofljanec (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano), Matic Ajdič (guitar, vocals), Jure Doles (drums) and Martin Rozman (bass guitar, vocals) who started their career with recording three self written songs. Their very first single Zadnji cent was written in the hard rock genre. The band showed their softer side in their second single Sonce je tam, kjer si ti. The San Di Ego Band got a lot of attention for the arrangement of Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive.

In 2014, the band’s first album San Di Ego was released. In the same year, the band performed at the festival Pivo in cvetje in Laško. The band released eight singles and six videos. The musicians are working on their new album to be released in the end of this year.

At this year’s EMA, the San Di Ego Band will perform their song Brez Tebe.

D Base performs pop, indie and rap songs. D Base is a joint project that was formed in 2015 by three musicians Dolić, 9ka and David. Their main purpose is to encourage young people to mobilize and to live their lives to the fullest.

The singer Benjamin Dolić performed and imitated Michael Jackson in the first season of the Slovenian talent show Slovenija ima talent. In 2011 and 2012, he also competed in different international music competitions.

The rapper Nejc Žehelj operates under the name 9ka. In 2011, he released his debut album Vidu, slišu. 9ka cooperated with such Slovenian rap performers as Zlatko, Dornik and Adam Velić. Now, 9ka works with the young Croatian rapper and producer Rolando Orlandi. The release of his second album is planned for 2016.

David, a rapper from Ljubljana, released two albums Impulz (2010) and Kje smo? (2012). In his music David integrates elements from different hip-hop cultures. He worked together with such artists as Trkaj, Klemen Klemen, Zlatko, Flamie, Mirko, Murat and many others.

At this year’s EMA D Base will perform Spet Živ.

Regina is a pop and rock singer. Her real name is Irena Jalšovec. Regina is no stranger for the Eurovision Song Contest. It is her eighth participation in the national Slovenian selections (1993, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2016). Regina won the national final only once in 1996 and represented her country in Oslo with her song Dan najlepših sanj that placed 21st.

In 1998 Regina debuted at the festival Slovenska popevka. The singer performed there nine times in different years, receiving the award for the best production for Ujemi moj nasmeh in 1999. In 2000, Regine got a jury award and the third place in audience award for the for the best presentation of her music video Moje ime.

In 2005, she recorded a spectacular video for her new song Gabriel that was premiered on MTV. During her music career, Regina tried different music styles, moving into dance music rhythms in the last years. Regina released nine albums and numerous singles.

At this year’s EMA, Regina will perform her song Alive In Every Way.

As a teenager ManuElla started playing and singing in different bands. At the age of 16, ManuElla performed as a solo artist for Spet Doma, one of Slovenia’s most popular music TV programme and thus got first attention on the national level.

She graduated from music school in specialty piano and accordion, and in parallel she took classes in singing, plying bass guitar and piano. ManuElla’s University degree is a music producer.

In 2005, ManuElla took part in the show Bitak Talentov. In 2010, she was chosen among among the best 100 in the talent show Das Supertalent in Germany. In 2012, ManuElla tries her luck in the semi-finals of Misija Eurovizija. In 2013, she placed 5th at the Festival Slovenska popevka. Now the singer is working on her first album in English.

At this year’s EMA, ManuElla will perform her song Blue And Red.

Raiven is the stage name of singer and harpist Sara Briški Cirman. Already at the age of four, Sara was enrolled in the Ljubljana Glasbena Matica. Sara graduated from the music school, speciality harp. She also graduated from the Conservatory of Music and Ballet, department of harp, jazz and vocals. Now, she is attending the Academy of Music in Ljubljana.

Raiven took part at many competitions in Ljubljana and abroad. She released two songs Jadra nd Bežim. The singer combines in her music the sound of harp which you will also hear in Raiven's entry for this year's EMA Črno Bel.

Love to music was a part of her entire life. Nuša Derenda sang in a choir, performed as a solo singer at different events, she attended music school and learned to play the accordion.

In 1998 she won the show Orion with the song Vzemi me veter. A year later, her dream to release her debut album Vzemi me veter came true. In the same year Nuša was also rewarded the best singer at the festival Slovenska popevka for the very first time, and she received the second audience award at the MMS festival for performing her song Boginja, written by Ursa and Matjaz Vlasic and Bostjan Grabnar. In collaboration with the same authors, Nuša won the show Orion again in 2000 with the song Cez dvajset let, while she was also selected as the best singer for the second time.

In 2000 Nuša won the first Hit Festival with a song Ni mi zal, and in December same year, she released her new album with the same title. In 2001 Nuša Derenda won EMA and thus represented her country in the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen where she achieved 7th place with the song Ne, ni res (Energy)

The year 2002 was marked by a victory at the festival Slovenska popevka with the song Pesek v oci. In the same year, the singer released her third solo album Na stiri oci. In 2003 she performed at the third Hit Festival, where she won with the song V ogenj zdaj obleci me.

In 2004, Nuša’s album Greatest Hits 1998 - 2003, which includes 20 most successful songs, was released. After a few years break, a new album Prestiz was published in 2008 with the help and support of author and producer Raay and Menart Records.

In 2012, she won the festival Melodije morja in sonca with the entry Za stare čase. She performed a duet with Marko Vozelj at the festival Slovenski popevki and won it with their song Naj nama sodi le nebo.

At this year's EMA, Nuša Derenda will perform a song Tip Top.

 

Sebastijan Lukovnjak is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and performer. He is a permanent member of of the puppet theater Pika. Sebastijan Lukovnjak ia also a music teacher and singing coach. He acts not anly as a solo singer but also as a lead singer in such bands as LEONART, The Swingtones and Zebra. Sebastian performed as a guest in many other music ensembles.

At this year’s EMA, Sebastijan Lukovnjak will perform his song Tales Of Tomorrow.

Gallery: Ten performances at EMA 2016