It’s going through, definitely. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s “Lejla”, performed by Hari Mata Hari, has enough difference between it and the others to make the Europeans vote for it — Serbia 2004, part two. It looks good on the telly and on the stage. I still don’t get the song, but I can see why it is going through.
“Lejla” was written by Željko Joksimović, Fahrudin Pecikoza and Dejan Ivanović. The Joksimović connection explains the Serbia 2004 comparison: he wrote and performed “Lane moje”, which finished second for Serbia and Montenegro.
It is a Bosnian-language Balkan ballad rather than a novelty or wildly theatrical entry, and that may be precisely why it stands out among the other performances in Athens. It’s not going to be Top 1 in the Eurovision, but it’s gonna do business, I think.
Update: The prediction was right about the semi-final: Bosnia and Herzegovina performed 22nd on 18 May and qualified in second place with 267 points. In the final on 20 May, Hari Mata Hari performed 13th and finished third with 229 points, behind Finland’s Lordi and Russia’s Dima Bilan. It was Bosnia and Herzegovina’s best result at the time — and remains its highest Eurovision placing.
