Croatia in the Eurovision Song Contest
Croatia debuted at Eurovision in 1993 after the dissolution of Yugoslavia. Their best result as Croatia came in 1996 and 1999, where they placed fourth on each occasion. The late 90s and early 00s were a prosperous time for Croatia, placing in the top 10 on six out of seven occasions between 1995 and 2001.
Since then, it has been lean pickings unfortunately; Croatia did not make the Grand Final between 2010 and 2013 and took a break from the Contest for the next two years. Upon return, they made the Grand Final in 2016 and 2017, but have failed to qualify since then, unluckily placing 11th in the semi-final for the past two Contests.
2023 Entry: Let 3 - 'Mama ŠČ!'
Let 3 will compete 7th in the running order of semi-final 1
My Eurovision Scoreboard Ranking: 28th
Odds to win ranking: 16th
(Rankings as of 20 April 2023)
About the artist
Let 3 are a Croatian band formed in the city of Rijeka in the late 1980s. The band has had several past members, but it is currently made up of Damir Martinović (bass guitar, effects, vocals), Zoran Prodanović (vocals), Ivan Bojčić (drums), Dražen Baljak (guitar, mandolin) and Matej Zec (guitar, backing tracks).
The band has released ten studio albums, the first of which was in 1989, and the most recent in 2016. One of their albums, 'Nečuveno (Unheard)', sold out despite being left intentionally and completely blank.
The band is extremely popular in Croatia and are known for their energetic and theatrical live art performances, often relating to social commentary of the time. They taken stands against conservative forces such as the Catholic church, and have voiced support for liberal causes such as women's and LGBT rights.
Let 3 are no strangers to controversy. In 2000, they unveiled a statue depicting a woman with a horseshoe moustache and a one-metre long phallus. In 2005, they released a song which was a play on a Serbian patriotic song (the song title and the video content are a little bit too fruity for Aussievision!). In 2006, the band performed naked in an open-air concert and were sanctioned by police; their defence was that they had corks in their anuses which did not mean they were naked, but they were still fined by authorities.
About the song
'Mama ŠČ!' was written by Damir Martinović and Zoran Prodanović. It is an anti-war song, according to the band and they say that the "šč" is in the song because:
"'Šč' is the first letter of the oldest alphabet in the world. After Armageddon, which will happen sooner or later, a rocket will land on the ground, which will contain the first alphabet".
The band claims that the song is a metaphor for the Russian Federation, and that they are mocking dictators for being "childish". There is thought that the tractor, which is mentioned numerous times in the song, symbolises Alexander Lukashenko, Belarusian president, who has supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine, by gifting a tractor to Vladimir Putin for his 70th birthday. The song criticises both leaders, calling them "psychopaths". The song, can, of course be interpreted in many different ways.
How Let 3 were selected for Eurovision
Let 3 competed in Dora, the Croatian national selection show in 2023 and won the competition. In the Grand Final, they won both the jury and the public and finished some 124 points ahead of second place. This was a resounding victory for the band to book their place at Eurovision.
Croatia will compete in semi-final 1 on May 9 (European time) in Liverpool.
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