Serbia’s rising hope: TEYA DORA is in full bloom

Serbia’s Eurovision entry for 2024 TEYA DORA has already faced fierce competition. She stood up against 15 other entries in Serbia’s national final, Pesma za Evroviziju, and her moving performance won her the ticket to Malmö.

The title of TEYA’s song RAMONDA refers to the Serbian ramonda plant (Ramonda serbica, if you wanted to know), which is indigenous to the country’s mountains. With small lilac flowers, they represent resilience, strength, and hope, and they thrive under extreme conditions. These plants are hugely significant in Serbian culture and folklore. They have a beautiful nickname too — they are sometimes called the Serbian phoenix flower. We’ve known a few Eurovision stars to rise like these particular mythical birds. TEYA herself is coming out of the ashes of a difficult time, especially given the passing of her father.

TEYA’s most memorable moment was when she finished recording her song Džanum — a song which is very personal to her — and played it to her family. The song has now had over 110 million listens on Spotify.

While TEYA’s music is moving and emotional, there is still room for silliness in this popstar’s life. Whilst in the shower, she’s been known to perform concerts for her cat. We hope she always gets a round of ap-paws…

TEYA could only ever pick one Eurovision superstar to be her hero, and that person had to be Marija Šerifović. TEYA says: “[She] made us all so proud. She possesses one of the most amazing vocals in our country and has such a beautiful soul.”

Marija performed Molitva in the 2007 Contest, which was the first time that Serbia had competed as an independent country. Marija won, snatching Serbia’s first and only (so far) Eurovision crown. That’s the kind of RAMONDA flower power we love to see.

As well as stirring songs like Billie Eilish’s When The Party’s Over, and Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black, TEYA also listens to R&B, pop, and hip hop tracks like Tears In The Club by FKA twigs and The Weeknd, Tia Tamera by Doja Cat and Rico Nasty, and Dio$ No$ Libre Del Dinero by ROSALÍA. All her favourite tracks are emotionally charged, just like her own music.

As she gets ready for Malmö, we asked TEYA what she most associates with Sweden. She said legendary music producer Max Martin, friendly people, and beautiful nature. With the Contest around the corner, TEYA is looking forward to meeting all the other participants.

Look out for TEYA on upcoming episodes of the Official Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

You can learn more about TEYA DORA from Serbia right here.