Lavina Triumphs in National Selection
The Serbian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, 'Pesma za Evroviziju 26', concluded with the band Lavina and their song 'Kraj Mene' securing the victory. The final, held at the RTS Košutnjak studio in Belgrade, featured 14 competing acts vying for the honor of representing Serbia at the international competition in Vienna.
Hosted by Dragana Kosjerina and Kristina Radenković, with Stefan Popović in the Green Room, the winner was determined by a combined score of 50% from a professional jury and 50% from public televoting. Lavina earned the maximum 12 points from the jury and also won the public vote, receiving 29,759 calls and texts. This gave them a total of 24 points and first place. Zejna with 'Jugoslavija' finished second with 16 points, while the group Harem Girls with Ivana and the song 'Bom Bom' placed third with 15 points.
The Story of Lavina
Formed in 2020, Lavina consists of the following members:
- Vocalist Luka Arandjelović
- Keyboardist Pavle Arandjelović
- Guitarists Pavle Samardžić and Andrija Cvetanović
- Bassist Nikola Petrović
- Drummer Bojan Ilić
The band released their debut album, 'Odyssey', in October 2022. They previously participated in the project The Song 18 with the track 'This Too Will Pass', where they finished in 12th place.
Other notable finalists in the Serbian selection included:
- Brat Pelin with 'Fräulein', who placed fourth with 14 points
- Zona with 'Čairi', who finished fifth with 10 points
Lavina will join other already confirmed artists at Eurovision 2026, such as:
- Akylas for Greece with 'Ferto'
- Senhit for San Marino with 'Superstar'
- Sal Da Vinci for Italy with 'Per sempre sì'
This victory grants Lavina the prestigious platform of Eurovision, one of the world's largest televised music events. The contest offers a unique opportunity to showcase Serbian music to a global audience of millions. While the competition in Vienna will be fierce, Lavina's win reflects strong domestic support and positions them to potentially elevate Serbia's profile on the international stage.