Exactly one week after Montenegro chose its Eurovision representative, they are back to square one, as NeonoeN withdraws from the contest.
Montenegro, returning to Eurovision after making its most recent appearance in 2022, launched a new national final, Montesong. That final was held on 27 November, far earlier than most other countries are holding their national selection shows. (A full list of the national final schedules can be found here.)
As it turns out, they will need that extra time, as Montenegro’s national broadcaster, RTCG, must select a new act to go to Basel or withdraw from the contest.
What Happened at Montesong?
On 27 November, the Montenegrin band NeonoeN won the contest designed to pick the country’s representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. A bit of a surprise contender, the band beat the bookmakers’ favorite, Nina Žižić, by a single point. The winning song was entitled “Clickbait.”
NeonoeN Withdraws: How Did We Get Here?
In the days after the contest, some sleuthing member of the internet community found a video of the band singing a version of “Clickbait” at a music festival in the summer of 2023. The annual festival, called Festival Kulture Zabjelo, took place in the capital city of Podgorica. The video was dated 10 June 2023. (Instagram, n.d.)
The problem for NeonoeN and Montenegro is that the Eurovision Song Contest’s official rules state that submitted songs must be new. Per the most recent issued rules from 2024 – and there is no reason to think they would be different in 2025 – a submitted song must not have been released to the public prior to 1 September. The excerpt of the rules state (we edited the year to reflect the current Eurovision year):
“The songs (lyrics and music compositions) submitted to represent the country of each Participating Broadcaster’s country in the ESC must be original and must not have been released and/or publicly performed in part or in full before 1 September 2024 (the“Release Date”).”
(European Broadcasting Union, n.d.)
There are also other clauses in the rules pertaining to how the song was released, if the early release gave the performers a competitive advantage, and what the EBU can do as a remedy, which includes disqualification. (European Broadcasting Union, n.d.) In the past, there has been some leniency shown by the EBU.
Once this video was discovered, it put NeonoeN’s participation at Eurovision in question. The band was in limbo for several days, with RTCG saying they were not going to rush into a decision while consulting with the EBU on eligibility. Unfortunately, the band decided to pull the plug themselves.
RTCG Releases Statement Issued by Band
On 4 December, a week after winning Montesong and the right to attend Eurovision 2025 as Montenegro’s representatives, NeonoeN announced they were withdrawing from the contest.
In part, the band said (translated into English): “In the best public interest, with the desire to end the uncertainty and once again contribute to the music that we are here for in the first place, we inform you that we are voluntarily withdrawing from participating in Eurovision.” (NeonoeN Svojevoljno Odustaje Od Učešća Na Evroviziji, n.d.)
They also referred to their June 2023 performance as a “working version” of the song and stated that there have been other examples of songs which had been performed prior to the drop-dead date of 1 September which were allowed to compete. However, NeonoeN stated that “we simply don’t want to be part of any stories outside of music” and further noted that Eurovision was not their end goal. (NeonoeN Svojevoljno Odustaje Od Učešća Na Evroviziji, n.d.)
NeonoeN Withdraws: Well, Now What?
We can speculate if they would have been disqualified if they had not withdrawn, but it is all academic now. This will definitely be the answer to a Eurovision pub trivia question in a few years. In the end, we are back down to zero known songs.
This must be a disappointing day for the performers, who a few days ago thought they were going to perform in front of a global audience, and now are staying home. NeonoeN handled the situation this week with class and dignity, and for that, they have our respect.
On the other hand, we realize that not every national broadcaster has ample resources, but one must wonder how RTCG did not discover this on their own during the vetting and selection process. This issue could have been avoided if someone thought to ask a few more questions before Montesong.
Montenegro now has two options: Pick a new representative, which they seem most likely to do, or withdraw from Eurovision 2025. If they go with the former, one would imagine they will make it easy on themselves and pick Nina Žižić, and then she would have to accept. It’s very unlikely they will ask someone else first, as Nina placed a close second and is a prior Eurovision entry herself.
References
European Broadcasting Union. (n.d.). The Rules of the Contest 2024. Eurovision Song Contest. Retrieved December 4, 2024, from https://eurovision.tv/about/rules
Instagram. (n.d.). https://www.instagram.com/reel/CtT7DquI9Hz/?igsh=aTNwM29jYm94NGht
NeonoeN svojevoljno odustaje od učešća na Evroviziji. (n.d.). RTCG – Radio Televizija Crne Gore – Nacionalni Javni Servis. In Montenegrin. https://rtcg.me/montesong/635598/neonoen-svojevoljno-odustaje-od-ucesca-na-evroviziji.html
r/eurovision. (2024, December 1). I found the video (Clickbait @ Festival Kulture Zabjelo). Reddit. Retrieved December 4, 2024, from https://www.reddit.com/r/eurovision/comments/1h4fxor/i_found_the_video_clickbait_festival_kulture/
