Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest

Vice Vukov performing "Čežnja" in Naples (1965)

Eva Sršen performing "Pridi, dala ti bom cvet" in Amsterdam (1970)

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961 along with Spain and Finland. The national pre-selection organized by the Yugoslav broadcaster Yugoslav Radio Television (JRT) was Jugovizija, and it featured entries submitted by the subnational public broadcasting centers based in the capitals of each of the constituent republics of the Yugoslav federation: SR Bosnia and Herzegovina (RTV Sarajevo), SR Croatia (RTV Zagreb and RTV Split[1]), SR Macedonia (RTV Skopje), SR Montenegro (RTV Titograd), SR Serbia (RTV Belgrade) and SR Slovenia (RTV Ljubljana) and also the broadcasting services of the autonomous provinces within SR Serbia: SAP Kosovo (RTV Priština) and SAP Vojvodina (RTV Novi Sad).[2] The first to compete in 1961 were Belgrade, Ljubljana and Zagreb, while the others joined in the following years.[2]

Yugoslavia was represented by a variety of artists from five of the eight Yugoslav federal units. These artists were from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia, with Macedonia, Vojvodina, and Kosovo never passing the national pre-selection. Croatia was the most successful constituent republic, as its performers won the national contest 13 out of the 26 times SFR Yugoslavia took part in the contest. From 1977 to 1980, and in 1985, Yugoslavia did not participate in the contest.

Yugoslavia won the Eurovision Song Contest 1989 with the song "Rock Me" by the group Riva. Following the rules of the contest, the Eurovision Song Contest 1990 took place in Zagreb, as the entry came from Croatia.

During the process of breakup of SFR Yugoslavia in 1991, the former constituent republics of Croatia, Slovenia and Macedonia proclaimed independence and hence withdrew from Jugovizija, while the then-leaderships of Serbia and Montenegro agreed to maintain a close alliance. On 28 March 1992, the republics that still (at least formally) constituted the fading and shrunken former Yugoslav federation took part in 1992's Jugovizija held in Belgrade. It included artists not only from Serbia and Montenegro, but also from Bosnia and Herzegovina, although the latter declared independence on 1 March of that year. Among its candidates was Alma Čardžić.[3] The winner of that pre-selection was "Ljubim te pesmama" performed by Extra Nena (Snežana Berić) from Serbia.[4] Before that year's ESC took place, on 28 April, a new federal state was formed consisting of Serbia and Montenegro called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia which was represented by the previously mentioned Extra Nena in the Eurovision Song Contest 1992 held on 9 May.[5][6][7] Yugoslavia was banned from participating in the Song Contest until 2001 due to UN sanctions during the Yugoslav Wars. The sanctions went into effect only a few weeks after the 1992 Contest.

After the dissolution of SFR Yugoslavia its former constituent republics proclaimed independence. The once subnational public radio and TV stations changed to national but under new names, including: RTV Slovenia, HRT, RTS, MKRTV and so on. Since joining the EBU respectively, all of the ex-Yugoslav countries have participated in the Eurovision Song Contest: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia (until 2018 designated as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia).

Overall the results of the new republics have been mixed: Croatia had some top 10 finishes in the late 1990s, and the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina have enjoyed high scores in the 2000s, the Republic of Macedonia has secured a top 10 result and made it through to the final each year until 2008, in which, even though they came 10th, they didn't qualify to the final. In 2004, Serbia and Montenegro debuted and came in 2nd and in 2007, Montenegro joined the contest but failed to qualify for the final, while Serbia won the Eurovision Song Contest the first time it entered as an independent nation. In 2013, no ex-Yugoslav country secured a spot in the final, as Bosnia and Herzegovina withdrew before the contest began; Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia all failed to qualify in the first semi-final; and Macedonia failed to qualify in the second semi-final.