Croatia will choose an artist and a song for Eurovision 2022 via “Dora 2022“. The selection will include one show only that will be held on Saturday, the 19th of February 2022.
14 The results of “Dora 2022” will be determined by 50% national jury voting and 50% public vote.
The national jury will be composed of 10 different regional jury panels. Each regional panel will consist of 3 members.
The 10 different regions are: Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, Zadar, Vukovar, Osijek, Knin and Šibenik, Čakovec and Varaždin, Pula, and Dubrovnik.
In the case of a tie, the public vote will determine the winner.
In this I will give a short review of the songs:
#1. Mila Elegović – “Ljubav” (Eng: Love)
The song starts with an acoustic stringing playing of the guitar.
For a few moments, it still feels like a demo.
The chorus includes some backing vocals, while each line starts with the word “Ljubav”.
Towards the end, we can hear more music instruments added to the melody.
Mila’s voice is mid-low and the style of the song doesn’t require any special abilities.
The melody is simple and sounds like it can be easily modified into a song for children.
I think the song is quite basic and repetitive.
#2. Mia Negovetić – “Forgive Me (Oprosti)”
It’s a Disney love pop ballad, performed in English and Croatian.
The song starts with a simple piano playing, alongside a deep and low voice by Mia.
The pre-chorus is performed with a slightly higher tone.
As the song progresses, we have a richer production. Her voice reaches an impressive range.
The melody includes piano and violin.
The combination between languages feels natural in a strange way.
The style of the song sounds like a Disney song, but it has some twists.
I think the song is well-produced, and in fact I love it even more each time I listen to it.
#3. Marko Bošnjak – “Moli za nas” (Eng: Pray for us)
It’s a modern mid-tempo Balkan ballad.
The song starts with a sample of a light electronic beat.
Marko’s voice is notiable and stable. Towards the pre-chorus, we can hear some pre-recorded backing vocals. Thereafter, he tries to move on to higher notes, sometimes it is a little bit hard for him.
The beat from the introduction keeps decorating the whole melody, sometimes with other digital effects.
I think I’d change the key of the singing, so it will sound easier for him to sing.
The phrase “Moli za nas” repeats again and again. The song ends out of the blue.
The song has a good basis to begin with and it is quite catchy. I still think it should have some changes.
#4. Jessa – “My Next Mistake”
It’s a pop song with elements from the 1980’s music.
The song starts with digital sound, Jessa starts with mid-low voice.
As the song progresses, we can hear a light electro dance beat, as well as backing vocalists singing. The chorus is catchy and includes variations on the same sentence.
Later on, guitar and violin playing is added to the melody.
It is one of the catchiest songs in the selection. It seems that Jessa will perform it well enough. Can we say it is something that we’ve never heard, no.
#5. Zdenka Kovačiček – “Stay on the Bright Side”
It’s a musical – theatrical song.
Zdenka enters the song with her powerful and thick voice.
The melody is based on wind instruments (trumpet for example) as well as keyboards.
We can hear some backing vocalists singing. For me, the song is flatty and full of pathos.
It doesn’t include any surprises.
#6. Tina Vukov – “Hideout”
It’s an emotional ballad in the genre of dark music.
The songs start with piano playing and guitar singing.
The message is quite clear and direct: It’s a love ballad that describes an ending of a relationship.
Tina has a deep and stable voice. The melody is calming, but at the same time creates the required drama. In the chorus, she adds some improvisations to her vocal performance.
Between the different parts of the song, there’s an instrumental part.
The song builds slowly in a sophisticated way. The backing vocals are great.
Having said this, and even though the song is in English, I can tell that it reminded me of excellent Balkan songs that we have had at Eurovision: for example “Nebo” (Croatia, Eurovision 2012).
In my opinion, this one stands out for the different flavor it brings.
If it is staged wisely (by the way, not too much effort will be needed), then it can be the right song for Croatia.
#7. Roko Vušković – “Malo kasnije” (Eng: A little later)
It’s a typical singer-songwriter ballad.
Roko enters the song with his raspy voice.
The melody is based on guitar and keyboard playing.
There are some percussion elements in the melody, as well as drum beat that repeat from time to time. The chorus is faster and more rhythmic. We can hear some backing vocals in the background. Towards the end, his voice becomes more powerful.
It is a decent song, and it looks like Roko will be charismatic on stage.
However, it doesn’t have anything that makes it special.
The choice to sing in Croatian is the right one, but it isn’t enough.
#8. Bernarda – “Here for Love”
It’s a mid-tempo soul pop song.
The song starts with some vocal improvisations.
We can hear some percussion elements in the melody.
The pre-chorus is a little bit more energetic. The chorus relies namely on the vocal dimension of both Bernarda and the backing vocalists. In addition, there’s a digital processed vocals that consists of plenty of effects. Towards the end. she gives her all with manners in her singing.
Sometimes she pushes too much with her voice, as this song is more upbeat and rhythmic and not the right type for “Diva” singing. The most memorable part of the song would probably be the chorus and derived effects.
#9. Erik Vidović – “I Found You”
It’s a pop song with disco and dance elements.
The song starts with electric guitar playing and backing vocalists singing.
The first verse melody is quite basic. The chorus is a little bit more funky with some light disco elements and whistling sounds. Unfortunately, the song goes nowhere from there. It just keeps on repeating the same structure until we achieve the “desired” 3 minutes duration.
#10. ToMa – “In the Darkness”
The first part of the song is performed with sound effects over the singer’s voice.
It feels a little bit too blended, and will probably be modified if it is Croatia’s entry for Eurovision 2022. Later on, we can hear keyboards playing. The atmosphere of the song becomes more emotional and personal. The singer uses some mannerisms in his singing.
The production of the second chorus becomes richer, as it includes some percussions and wind instruments.
I think it is one of the modern songs in the running. One of the advantages is the singer’s interposition and his pleasant voice. What I didn’t like was the wide use of sound effects which sometimes was too much
#11. Elis Lovrić – “No War”
It’s a dark Indie folk rock song.
The song starts with intense guitar stringing which creates an atmosphere of tension.
After the instrumental part, Elis enters the song. She sings with passion and a mid-low voice.
The melody continues the same trend, as drum beat is added as well. In the pre-chorus, we can hear a secondary female vocal accompanies her. The chorus is short and continues the dark line the song was meant to show. Thereafter, she moves on to singing in Croatian.
In this case, I would prefer the singer to sing the whole song in Croatian, since the her accent is little bit problematic. After a minute and a half, the song changes in a positive way. It transforms into a folk rock genre. The vocal performance as well as the production are richer. You can hear keyboards and violin playing in this part. The song ends with repeating the words “innocent”.
I think the song has a decent basis, but it definitely should change a little bit. The second half of the song is much better than the first one.
#12. Ella Orešković – “If You Walk Away”
It’s a dance pop song.
The song starts with a short instrumental part that’s composed of guitar playing and a light electronic beat. Ella starts the singing part with a stable and thick voice. There’s an excellent fit between her voice and the melody. Pre-chorus is more rhythmic than the first verse. The chorus is a piece of a dance pop song in the style of the 1980’s and 1990’s music. In the second part, the keyboards playing get a bigger place. The last third of the song begins with an instrumental part that’s composed of digital production. Thereafter, she moves on with soft and gentle singing until the expected modulation arrives.
On one hand, the song sounds like several other songs we have heard in the past, but at the same time it is enjoyable and her voice stands out.
#13. Tia – “Voli me do neba” (Eng: Love me to heaven).
It’s a mid-tempo pop song.
The song starts with piano playing, Tia sings at the very beginning and we can hear some vocal effects over her singing. As the song progresses, she speeds up her singing. The chorus includes some digital production and faded effects alongside her singing.
In the second verse, there is a cyclic beat that builds the melody. In the second chorus, we can hear another secondary beat. Thereafter, the melody “calms down” a little bit and we can hear backing vocalists.The last part includes guitar playing and a soft interpretation of Tia.
Tia has a special voice stamp that makes the whole package.
What I like in this song is the way it builds, it keeps you awake and waiting for the next to come. My only remark is that the the first part might be a little bit too blended.
#14. Mia Dimšić – “Guilty Pleasure”
It’s a singer-songwriter ballad.
The song starts with an acoustic guitar playing. Mia has a unique voice that captivates you from the very beginning. The first verse is a typical singer-songwriter’s song.
The pre-chorus includes some backing vocals and the rate is slightly faster.
The melody is composed of violin, keyboards and a cyclic gentle beat.
The violin stringing creates a frame for this part. The violin and guitar playing build the melody of the second part of the song. Once again, we get the backing vocals, sometimes they duplicate her singing, and sometimes it is arranged like a “question and answer” shape.
My Personal Ranking
- Tina Vukov – Hideout
- Mia Dimšić – Guilty Pleasure
- Mia Negovetić – Forgive Me (Oprosti)
- Ella Orešković –If You Walk Away
- Tia – Voli me do neba.
- Jessa – My Next Mistake
- Marko Bošnjak – Moli za nas
- ToMa – In the Darkness
- Roko Vušković – Malo kasnije
- Bernarda – Here for Love
- Elis Lovric – No War
- Erik Vidović – I Found You
- Mila Elegović – Ljubav
- Zdenka Kovačiček – Stay on the Bright Side.
Prediction
First of all, I must mention that “Dora 2021” was a better edition than “Dora 2022“.
I see 4 potential winners here:
Mia Dimšić
Mia Negovetić
Bernarda
Marko Bošnjak
Croatia will perform in the second half of semi-final 1 which will be held on the 10th of May 2022.
If Croatia qualifies, the country will participate in the grand final on the 14th of May 2022
You’re welcome to read all about Eurovision 2022 on our homepage
