Serbia at Eurovision 2027: RTS Confirms Burgas Trip
Serbia's public broadcaster told the German site ESC kompakt by email that Serbia is going to Burgas, but it is still silent on how the song will be chosen.
There is still not a word about Eurovision 2027 on the RTS website, yet Serbia is already on the list of countries heading to Burgas. The confirmation came by an unusual route: a short email reply to the German site ESC kompakt, which published the news on October 20. Serbian media picked it up on October 21.
In that reply, the press office of Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) confirmed that Serbia is taking part in the 71st Eurovision Song Contest, held from May 11 to 15, 2027, in Burgas, Bulgaria. The person at RTS who answered is not named. RTS did not comment on how the song will be selected, or on deadlines and dates.
Why was Serbia’s participation in doubt?
According to ESC kompakt, RTS usually announces its call for Pesma za Evroviziju (the national selection show) by September, and this year there was none. The same report says Serbian media and fan blogs have lately linked the silence to a change at the top of the broadcaster: Manja Grcic is the new director general and has held the post for a few months. Telegraf and Eurovoix report that the change fed speculation about a different approach to the contest, and even about a withdrawal. ESC kompakt, though, notes that the contest being held in neighboring Bulgaria also pointed toward participation.
The sources differ on how the confirmation was delivered. ESC kompakt writes that RTS replied to its inquiry, and Eurovoix repeats that account. Telegraf, which uses the word “reportedly,” claims the confirmation was sent to the European Broadcasting Union and partner Eurovision platforms, which put Serbia on the list of participants. With Serbia, the preliminary list for 2027 has 33 countries.
Who will sing in Burgas?
RTS has not answered that question. Telegraf and B92 write that it is unknown whether Pesma za Evroviziju will take place. B92 says that if there is no festival, the representative would be chosen internally, which the media describe as a first in a long time. ESC kompakt judges that a national selection could still be organized in theory if RTS opens applications in the coming days, but considers an internal pick more likely.
A petition with more than 50,000 signatures asking for Jelena Karleusa to represent Serbia in Burgas is also part of the conversation. According to ESC kompakt, she recently confirmed her interest in the contest again and reportedly already has a suitable song. RTS said nothing about it.
What is left from Vienna?
This year in Vienna, Serbia was represented by the band Lavina with the song “Kraj mene.” It finished 17th in the final with 90 points, including 12 points each from the juries and the public in Croatia and Montenegro. Bulgaria’s Dara won with “Bangaranga,” which is why the next contest is held in Burgas.
Serbia has competed at Eurovision as an independent country since 2007. Its debut brought a win: Marija Serifovic took the title in Helsinki that year with “Molitva,” scoring 268 points. Eurovoix recalls that Serbia has finished in the top ten four more times since, including third place in 2012 with “Nije ljubav stvar” by Zeljko Joksimovic.
