Serbia heads to Vienna with LAVINA and ‘Kraj Mene’, chosen through Pesma za Evroviziju ’26 after a decisive win. They took top marks from both jury and televote in the final.
LAVINA are a six-member metal band from Niš, and ‘Kraj Mene’ sits in that darker, art-punk-adjacent space Serbia does well: intense, stylised, slightly severe, but with enough movement in the arrangement to stop it simply sulking in a corner. There’s real force in the performance, and the song shifts in ways that keep it engaging, even if it never quite settles into anything cosy. It’s not exactly inviting, but manages to stop just shirt of oddly addictive. For me, it’s very much a song of two halves. I was there right until the midpoint, then I was out. The roaring isn’t so much release as try-hard. Up to that point, it was doing a decent job of being tense without becoming tiresome.
History
Serbia’s recent Eurovision record has been respectable. Luke Black reached the final in 2023, Teya Dora did the same in 2024 and finished 17th, while Prins qualified again in 2025 before ending up 14th.
‘Kraj Mene’ feels like a plausible qualifier with a slightly wider range of outcomes than some cleaner, safer entries. Juries may appreciate the ambition and structure, though the harsher vocal moments will divide. Televoters may either find it gripping or let it pass by entirely while reaching for a sausage roll or dips. It ought to do alright for itself, but it’s also the sort of non-froth that could vanish if the camera work or live mix goes awry. Serbia has sent stranger things. It’s also sent outright awful songs. This lands somewhere usefully in between.
4 Points
