Tamara Živković: "Eurosong brought me a new audience"

A month ago, Tamara Živković represented Montenegro in Vienna at this year's edition of one of the largest music festivals - Eurovision. Although the song "Nova zora" attracted great attention from the regional and European audience, Živković finished the first semi-final night in 13th place.

"Montenegrin representative Tamara Živković won a total of 45 audience points, which clearly shows that the song 'Nova Zora' found its way to a large number of viewers. The most votes came from the audience in Serbia and Croatia - ten each, followed by six from Poland, Greece and Portugal - four each, while Italy, Israel and the 'rest of the world' awarded Montenegro two points each. In other words, if the audience had been the only one to ask, Tamara Živković and 'Nova Zora' would have secured a place in the final. The audience votes showed that the Montenegrin performance had strong support, but this result was not enough to compensate for the significantly weaker ratings of the expert juries. The support of the expert juries was significantly lower - a total of 26 points. The most points came from Greece - eight, San Marino awarded seven, Germany four, Portugal three, and Finland two points," RTCG wrote after the end of Eurovision.

However, Živković is not disappointed because, as she said in an interview with "Vijesti", "the support of the audience is particularly important to her", and she also looked back at her future plans in the music world, shared her experience from Vienna and revealed what she will remember the competition for.

"The impressions are still very fresh. I would say that the whole experience was a real rollercoaster of emotions, from excitement and pride to the responsibility of representing your country on such a big stage," shared the musician.

"What I will remember most about it is socializing with the other participants. I met wonderful people from different countries, created friendships and memories that I will carry with me for the rest of my life," she continues, and then reflected on everything that participating in the Eurovision Song Contest and representing Montenegro has brought her, both personally and professionally.

"Eurovision has brought me a lot. First of all, a new audience and the opportunity to present my music to people all over Europe. On a personal level, I have learned a lot about myself, acquired new habits and adopted a healthier lifestyle. Professionally, this has been an invaluable experience that has enriched me in every sense and given me additional motivation for everything that follows," she claims.

When asked if she was disappointed that she didn't make it to the finals, but also that the audience liked "Nova zora" and that if it had been up to them, the placement would have been better, but the jury was not in her favor, the singer commented:

"Of course, every performer wants to make the final, but at the end of the day, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and their own experience of the song. I respect the work and decisions of the jury, but the support of the audience is especially important to me. It is the people who listen to our music, come to concerts and follow our work. That is why the fact that 'Nova zora' found its way to the hearts of the audience means a lot to me."

When it comes to her plans after the Eurovision Song Contest, Živković hints at new material.

"I can't reveal much yet, but what I can promise with certainty is that the audience can expect new songs very soon. I'm working on a lot and I can't wait to share new music with everyone," she says, emphasizing that she will also take advantage of the opportunities for performances outside Montenegro, which her participation in Eurovision has brought her.

"After the Eurovision Song Contest, I received many invitations to perform across Europe, which makes me very happy. My plan is to take advantage of as many of these opportunities as possible and to connect with audiences beyond the borders of Montenegro through my performances," she points out.

At the end of the conversation, Živković also reveals whether she would apply to Montesong again in the future, or if she is among those musicians who think that one win at that festival is enough.

"For now, I think my chapter in that field is complete and that other performers should be given the opportunity to present themselves and have a similar experience. I never say never, but at this point I believe it's time for some new people and new stories," the musician believes.