EUROVISION 2025: NEONOEN WINS MONTESONG AND GOES FOR MONTENEGRO

UPDATE 4.12.2024: Neonoen have withdrawn and will not go to Eurovision after all. They released the following statement in social medias and RTCG will decide on the new participant in coming days, most probably the runner up Nina Žižić.

"“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. RTCG, in accordance with the regulations, will choose another representative, and we will be the first to wish him luck and provide him with full support.

“Winning at Montesong brought us publicity whose type and extent we did not choose, nor could we control. We note, and the facts confirm this, that performing the working version of the song live neither jeopardized the Montesong festival process itself, nor could it have influenced its final outcome and our placement. The fact is that there were many similar examples and that the EBU always decided that these songs could participate (one even won at

Eurovision), because they did not have a competitive advantage over others, which is clear to everyone. However, we simply do not want to be part of any stories outside of music, nor to promote our authorial work in this way.

“Eurovision has never been a goal in itself for us. Expanding the field of our musical activity – it certainly is!

The Montesong Festival organized by the Association of Entertainers brought 16 new songs and that is its greatest value. We would like to thank the management of RTCG for their benevolent attitude and intention to give us space for other options. We believe that they will understand our decision to give up on Eurovision and we also thank them for that.

Special and immense gratitude for the support of fellow musicians, lovers of good music, friends, acquaintances, journalists and the general public from Montenegro and abroad, which gave us strength in the last days. Our families together with us have experienced all the splendor and despair of this process and now it is time to repay them and dedicate ourselves in the right way.

CLICKBAIT continues to live as a musical single, but we are also afraid of it as a contemporary social phenomenon.

Once again, thank you all. Now let’s all support Montenegro at Eurovision!!!”

After 2,5 months of nothing after Cyprus announced Theon for Basel 2025 Eurovision the season really started last night with the very first national final and also the very first returning artists not making it back. Read more about the national final Montesong 2024 here. RTCG put a good looking show with staging not shy of any usual Eurovision cliches. In short: a perfect start of the season!

Neonoen won with Clickbait after finishing second in both televotes and jury votes. Eurovision veteran Nina Žižić won the jury but Baryak won the televotes. Scroll down for detailed results. Let's say I don't quite agree. Montenegro had potential to be one of my favourites in Basel with 2-3 songs but .... no.

Neonoen band was founded in Podgorica in 2012 and is made of singer Marko Vukčević, guitarist Ilija Pejović, bassist Filip Vulanović and drummer Milan Vujović. The band was originally called just neon and released their first original song and debut single only in 2018. In 2023 they changed the name as Neonoen. Clickbait is their seventh single release. Their other songs include Dječak sa vjetrom u kosi, Dok ne udahnem te and Daleko odavde.

Montesong 2024 results:

(Full votes were changed to usual Eurovision 12, 10, 8, 7....1)

1. Neonoen - Clickbait (jury 54/10 + tele 443/10) 20

2. Nina Žižić - Dobrodošli (59/12 + 316/7) 19

3. Baryak - Dva srca (25/3 + 476/12) 15

4. Đurđa - To ljubav je (26/4 + 328/8) 12

5. Kejt - Obala raja (45/7 + 152/2) 9

6. Milena Vučić - Škorpija (48/8 + 49/0) 8

7. Tina Džankić - Nova (34/5 + 154/3) 8

8. Isak Šabanović - Ljeto ljeto ljeto (24/2 + 241/5) 7

9. Tamara Živković - Poguban let (39/6 + 107/0) 6

10. Glumsi bend - San (4/0 + 288/6) 6

11. Verica Čuljković - Čuješ li (6/0 + 168/4) 4

12. Nemanja Petrović - Među zvijezdama (18/1 + 109/0) 1

13. Luka Radović - Kada dođe maj (5/0 + 147/1) 1

14. Dolce Hera - Repeat (8/0 + 84/0) 0

15.Anastasija Koprolčec - Kraj (9/0 + 57/0) 0

16. Bend 9 - Sto war (2/0 + 143/0) 0

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Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

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