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Slovenia 2025: Your 'EMA' preview

31 January 2025 at 17:00 CET
Slovenia's Raiven walks the Flag Parade at the Grand Final in Malmö Arena Photo: Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
As Slovenia gets set to select its song for Basel, here's all you need to know about its national final 'EMA'.
Slovenia's EMA is happening on Saturday 1 February

HOW TO WATCH: 'EMA' kicks off at 20:00 CET on Saturday 1 February and will last for just over two hours. Viewers will be able to watch it online via RTVSLO's web player.

It's Slovenia's turn to choose its Eurovision song on Saturday night. And after a two-year absence, broadcaster RTVSLO is bringing back its national final Evrovizijska Melodijaccc - or EMA as is widely known in Slovenia and amongst the Eurovision fan community. 

Raiven and Štras will host EMA 2025 Urša Premik

Fans of Slovenia's 2024 act - Raiven - will be pleased to learn that she's back for 2025; though this time in a hosting capacity. Alongside Štras, she'll be presenting the show, which will see 12 songs compete in the hope of becoming Slovenia's next Eurovision entry. 

Once all 12 songs have been performed, a specially selected jury will be tasked with scoring them - and ultimately choosing a Top 2. These two songs will then progress to a 'superfinal', and a public vote will open. 

The Slovenian viewers watching at home will have the sole say in which of the two songs gets to win. And the winner will go on to represent Slovenia at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest.

The lineup of EMA 2025

Ahead of Saturday night's EMA, RTVSLO has also released short video teasers of each of the songs competing (and you can listen to the songs in full over on the broadcaster's website). 

You can watch them all, as well as learn a little bit more about each of the artists you'll be seeing perform them on Saturday night, right here:

ANNA – Čau

Before EMA, ANNA has already participated in numerous international competitions and won many awards. She says that she is most proud of receiving the Junior Grand Prix award at the 2018 Bled Golden Microphone competition, then taking first place in her category at an international competition in Malta, and also winning first place at an international competition in Macedonia. In 2021, she competed in the show Slovenija Ima Talent, where she received Lado Bizovičar’s 'Golden Buzzer'.

ANNA is currently a student at the University of Maribor, where she studies translation (English, German, Slovene). ANNA is also a member of the Karneval band, and regularly performs with them all over Slovenia.

ZveN – Divja

ZveN, also known as Zvezdana Novaković, is an artist, singer, composer and harpist from the north east of Slovenia. While combining traditional folk, jazz, classical, electronic music and performing arts, she likes to create unique ways of expression. 

The award-winning artist (Grand Prix on PPA / Poland; 1st Prize Zeman Worldmusic Fest / Serbia; 2nd Prize Karnobat / Bulgaria) has toured the USA, Brazil, Canada, China and Europe. Working with different National Theatres as a performer/actor, she also writes music for theatre shows.  

PolarAce – Kind

Music has been a constant presence in this singer's life since childhood. His formal musical journey began with music preschool and 8 years of violin training at music school. He frequently performed as a soloist in the children’s, youth and boys’ choirs at Podčetrtek Elementary School, participating in choral festivals and events.

In 2023, his first original song, Home, earned PolarAce a spot in the grand finale of the Tourmusicfest European competition as a junior singer-songwriter. In 2024, he appeared on Slovenia’s Got Talent with a unique performance that featured his dog executing tricks as he sang. 

The artist enjoys busking on the streets of Ljubljana, where he is able to forge authentic connections with passersby. 

Astrid & The Scandals – Touché

Astrid & The Scandals is an alternative pop project from Slovenia, led by frontwoman and band manager Astrid Ana Kljun. The project started in 2020 when Astrid met her partner and producer Tomaž Zupančič, and they became an inseparable duo. 

They formed a group in 2023, after the release of their single Kostarika and subsequently being invited to play the MENT festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia. They have since released their debut EP Triptich, wand in 2024 Astrid led the group all over Europe on their first European tour; taking them to the main stages of the biggest festivals, such as Wianki in Poland, Exit in Serbia and InMusic in Croatia. 

Jon Vitezič – Vse Ti Dam

Jon Vitezič began his musical journey in 2021 with the release of the singles Utrip and Bleed, which were launched simultaneously. In 2022, Jon performed the song Jesus Style at EMA Freš, capturing the attention of a broader audience. That same year, he released the ballad Pot na Mars, which touched on themes of love and human connection with its introspective lyrics.

His debut album, Mars, was released a year later under the Nika Records label. The album features 15 tracks, including his previous singles and the song Vesolje za dva, which was also released as a standalone single.

KiKi – O-ou!

KiKi is a Slovenian singer-songwriter. Radio Študent, the biggest Slovenian independent radio station, described KiKi as a “witch of intimate storytelling” and her music as “magical folk-pop”. She presented her original music for the first time at the Slovenska nota 2021, a music competition dedicated to singers who are not yet established. There, she came second with her song "Punčka iz papirja" and received a lot of attention on social media.

In March 2023 she self-published her debut album KRiKi (meaning 'screams'). Since then, KiKi and her band have performed on many alternative stages across Slovenia, including Klubski maraton 2022, Festival žensk, Floating Castle 2022 and 2023, and MAK International Songwriters' Festival 2024. In 2023 she was accepted to her first international songwriting camp RigaLIVE songwriting in Latvia, which made her curious about the international music scene. In 2024, she performed at two international showcase festivals, MENT Ljubljana and Waves Vienna.

Eva Pavli – Niti

Eva Pavli is an artist in the truest sense of the word. Though she humbly calls herself a creator, her body of work reveals a soul that blossoms across many forms of expression. After completing her studies in painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana, she expanded her artistry with a master’s degree in solo singing at the Music Academy.

Today, Eva moves freely between the worlds of music, visual arts, and perfumery, crafting her unique narrative as a self-employed artist. She pours her heart into creating authentic alternative pop music, occasionally graces the opera stage, teaches vocal performance, and runs a boutique perfumery called JUNO, named after her musical debut.

Currently, Eva is working on her debut studio album in collaboration with producer Hugo Smeh. The album, set for release in the autumn, will be accompanied by concerts across Slovenia and will feature exciting guest artists.

Klemen – How Much Time Do We Have Left?

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.

July Jones – New Religion

July Jones is a Slovenian/British artist, songwriter and producer who brings a bold perspective on sexuality, politics and mental health. Originally from Slovenia, she moved to the UK at 16 to study jazz vocals and quickly made her mark in pop music. As a songwriter, July has earned multiple plaques, writing hits for global stars like BTS, Mae Muller, Lauren Sanderson, Naughty Boy, 1991, 99 Souls, Nasty Cherry, Brooke Candy, Girli and Trevor Daniel. 

After a sucessful songwriting run July decided to focus on her own project and released her first mixtape called Silly Little Dream pt. 1, with which she toured Europe and the UK multiple times joining Slayyter, Tove Styrke, KAARJA etc. July devoted 2024 to reshaping her sound and finishing her mixtape set for release in 2025, which will kick off a tour and continue building her momentum. 

Žan Videc – Pusti Da Gori

Žan Videc, a singer and multi-instrumentalist from Slovenia, specifically from Maribor, began his musical journey with a style blending pop, soul and country. With his captivating and powerful voice, he quickly gained a large audience. Most notably, he won over the jury and audience at the 43rd Melodies of the Sea and Sun Festival in Portorož, where he triumphed with his song Neznano, and received two awards.

Žan has also performed at major concerts and events, such as the culinary experience Sočna vilica in Murska Sobota, the traditional student party Bujta repa at the Festival Hall in Ljubljana, UEFA Champions League at Ljudski vrt in Maribor, the Grand Charity Concert Podarimo srečo, the Lent Festival after-party at the Minoriti venue, and other prestigious events, including performances at the San Martin Hotel in Brda and the DiVino bar in Ljubljana, among others.

Trine – Grace

Trine is a Slovenian-born singer-songwriter whose music seamlessly flows through the pop-rock genre with an alternative touch. She began her career in the autumn of 2021 with her debut single Soulmate, and in October 2024, she released her latest single, If I Could. She describes this release as the beginning of a new chapter, delving into her evolving sound and vision. 

She works in collaboration with Jernej Kržič, who she considers a close friend and mentor. Kržič, best known for his work with Nina Pušlar, and last year’s Slovenia Eurovision competitor, Raiven, has had a significant impact on Trine’s creative process. Trine, who has been writing songs since the age of 12, often draws inspiration from personal experiences or observations of the people around her, lending her work an intimate and honest quality. 

RAI – Frederick's Dead

RAI is a newly-formed progressive rock/metal band. In their native language, RAI sounds similar to the word for paradise ('raj'), alluding to their ambitions to create a musical paradise in form of a song, album, music video or live performance. The band is made up of ambitious and experienced artists, who aim to take the listener on a journey into a musical utopia, where they play with rules, genres and emotions. 

The song Frederick’s Dead represents the impact that the chaos of sensational news and social media has on us. It talks about how often we see headlines about catastrophic events, natural disasters and murders, which ultimately leads to the inevitable desensitisation to the struggles of others. It shows how, for the purpose of capturing attention, every moment of our lives, be it positive or negative, gets turned into content. 

EMA 2025 is the first time that RTVSLO has used a national final to select its Eurovision entry since 2022.

In 2023, Joker Out were internally selected to go to the Contest with Carpe Diem, while in 2024, it was Raiven who competed with Veronika after another internal selection. Both entries made it to the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest. 

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