Sanja Ilić & Balkanika have won the Serbian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, 'Beovizija 2018' and will represent the country in Lisbon in May with the song 'Nova deca'. The winner was decided by a combination of jury and public votes.
Sanja Ilić & Balkanika have experienced increasing popularity as a band recently but have also sought to further the popularity of Balkan music over the last few years.
Lead composer Aleksandar Sanja Ilić ensures that the group assembles musicians who play old instruments from the Balkans, trying to blend them into a modern pop-rock sound.
The musical style of Balkanika can be described as an original sound combined with the elements of the world music. The group have performed around the world and their entry for Eurovision 2018, Nova deca, translates as 'New Children'.
Serbia will participate in the Second Semi-Final of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon on Thursday 10th May.
Serbia first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007. Previously Serbia had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest as part of Yugoslavia as well as Serbia and Montenegro. The country won with its debut entry, Marija Šerifović, and her song Molitva in 2007 and hosted the competition in the capital Belgrade the following year.
