San Marino is sending Jessika (feat. Jenifer Brening) to Lisbon!

San Marino held a national selection for Eurovision for the first time this year. The competition was organised by broadcaster San Marino RTV (SMRTV) in collaboration with UK-based talent agency 1in360. The show was held in Bratislava, Slovakia, and was hosted by Nick Earles and Kristin Stein. Jessika (feat. Jenifer Brening) was chosen by a combination of online and jury voting. The finalists were:

• Basti - Stay 
• Camilla North  - Yo no soy tu chica 
• Emma Sandström - Diamonds 
• Franklin Calleja - Stay 
• Giovanni Montalbano - Per quello che mi dai 
• IROL feat. Basti - Sorry 
• Jenifer Brening - Until the Morning Light 
• Jessika (feat. Jenifer Brening) - Who We Are 
• Judah Gavra - Stay 
• Sara de Blue - Out of the Twilight 
• Tinashe Makura - Free Yourself  

After the show, the judges unanimously agreed that the quality of the performances lived up to expectations. 

About the winners

Jessika was born on February 27, 1989, and is a Maltese singer-songwriter and actress. She was discovered on Malta national television in 2008 during the Malta Song for Europe Festival. Tangled, her debut song, hit the airwaves some weeks later. In 2011 Jessika managed to make it to the finals of the Malta Eurovision Song Contest with the song Down Down Down which she wrote herself. Two of Jessika's songs, Love is a Fire and Dance Romance, made it to the Maltese national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest again in 2012. 

Jenifer Brening was born on December 15, 1996, in Berlin, Germany. She discovered YouTube as her earliest platform and published several cover versions of international hits gaining her recognition around the world. Inspired by musical role models such as Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Christina Aguilera, she developed her own and unique vocal style in the process. By 2016, the label KHB Music released her long-awaited debut album "Recovery", containing songs that Jenifer composed and wrote herself.  

About the show

Over 250 entries from 60 countries around the world were submitted to San Marino's national selection for Eurovision 2018. In preparation for the shows, candidates attended a songwriting camp, at which each of them developed two songs, with the help of a team of experienced songwriters and producers. Candidates were allowed to contribute ideas to both their own songs and the songs of other participants. 

In the first two shows, the candidates performed acoustic versions of their songs, and the judges provided feedback. At the end of the second show, the judges picked one song for each candidate. The artists then performed a fully-produced version in the final. The online vote opened on 23rd February 2018 and was extended through to the end of the final. Visit the website for more information.

The jury

• Zoë Straub: Austrian delegate in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest 
• Alessandro Capicchioni: Head of Delegation for San Marino
• Ladislav Kossár: Investor, entrepreneur and philanthropist 
• John Kennedy O'Connor: San Marino RTV's Eurovision commentator   

San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest 

San Marino's first Eurovision participation was in 2008. Since then, the country has made it to the Grand Final only once, in 2014, when Valentina Monetta took to the stage for third consecutive time with the song Maybe (Forse). Last year Valentina teamed up with Jimmie Wilson to perform Spirit Of The Night in Kyiv.

This year San Marino will participate in the Second Semi-Final on Thursday 10th May.