Tonight's final of EMA 2009 was preceded by Saturday's semi-final, containing 14 songs competing för 8 tickets to the final. In the final they are joined by 6 automatic finalists, supplied by hitmusic songwriters, particularly with success in EMA in recent years.
The final will be decided by a 50:50 mix of jury and televoting. There will be no superfinal, so the viewers will only have one chance to make their opinion heard. During recent years, the jury and the televoters have disagreed markedly on several occasions in EMA.
The following acts qualifed from Saturday's semi-final:
Brigita Suler - Druga Liga
Karmen Stavec - A Zi Zelis
Nuska Drascek - Kako Lepo
Lea Sirk - Znamenje Iz Sanj
Quartissimo - Love Symphony
Nexys - Vsaj Za En Den
Ne Me Jugat & Slavko Ivancic - Kaj Me Briga
Bjonde - Blonde Power
The following songs are pre-qualified for the final:
Cuki - Mal' Naprej Pa Mal' Nazaj
Omar Naber - I Still Carry On
Eva Cerne - Vse
Aliya & Rudi - Zadnji Dan
Samuel Lucas - Vse Bi Zate Dal
Langa & Manca Spik - Zaigraj Muzikant
This gives the complete line-up for tonight's final, in order of appearance:
Lea Sirk - Znamenje iz sanj
Cuki - Mal' naprej pa mal' nazaj
Quartissimo - Love symphony
Omar Naber - I still carry on
Brigita Suler - Druga liga
Ne Me Jugat & Slavko Ivancic - Kaj me briga
Eva Cerne - Vse
Karmen Stavec - A zi zelis
Aliya & Rudi - Zadnji dan
Bjonde - Blonde power
Samuel Lucas - Vse bi zate dal
Nexys - Vsaj za en den
Langa & Manca Spik - Zaigraj muzikant
Nuska Drascek - Kako lepo
As with the semi-final, the final will be hosted by Peter Poles and Maja Martina Merljak. To Eurovision Song Contest viewers from previous years Peter Poles might be recognizable as the presenter of the Slovenian vote.
Interval acts during the show will be performed by Natalija Verboten, Helena Blagne, the 2008 Slovenian entry Rebeka Dremelj and the 2008 Eurovision winner Dima Bilan.
For EMA 2009, the organizing broadcaster RTV SLO originally received 113 entires, with 6 coming from foreign countries: two from Ireland, two from the United Kingdom, one from Sweden and one from Germany.
The final takes place between 19:55 and 22:00 CET. A webcast is available here.
Rebeka Dremelj, the Slovenian representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008, finished 11th in her semi-final with the entry Vrag Naj Vzname, thus not making it to the final. In 2009, Slovenia will take part in the second semi final, which will take place on May 14th.
