ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

Yugoslavia at Eurovision 1983

Yugoslavia made its debut at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1983, with singer Daniel representing the country for the first time. The contest was held on April 23 in Munich, West Germany, and Daniel sang the song "Huli" (translated from Montenegrin as "Julie"). Yugoslavia received a total of 125 points from five countries: Great Britain, Turkey, Finland, Denmark, and Belgium, with Spain and Israel awarding 10 points each. Luxembourg, Cyprus, and Norway scored eight points each, while Netherlands earned seven points, Germany and Greece six points each, Austria and Italy one point each, and the remaining countries failed to score a single point.

The national selection process for Yugoslavia took place on March 4, 1983, at the Studio M in Novi Sad. The event was hosted by Vesna Momirov and Tomislav Dražić, with six states and two autonomous areas participating as juries. Daniel's song "Džuli" ultimately emerged victorious from this selection.

At the contest itself, Yugoslavia performed twelfth out of twenty countries, following Netherlands and preceding Cyprus. Despite not winning, "Džuli" secured 125 points, placing fourth in the competition – a joint-best result for Yugoslavia at that time, tied with their 1962 entry "Ne pali svetla u sumrak" by Lola Novaković. The Yugoslav jury awarded its twelve points to contest winners Luxembourg.

This performance marked an early milestone in Daniel's Eurovision career and set the stage for future success for Yugoslavia in the competition.