Eurovision welcomes Serbia back to the competition after their hiatus in 2014.

It’s not unusual for countries to go on hiatus for one or more years. Usually, this is due to financial reasons, since the winning country must be able to host the next Eurovision contest. Sadly, the reason for non-participation can also be political, such as Ukraine’s withdrawal this year. They will be missed.

The reason can also be silly, such as a certain country’s withdrawal from the competition after their Man Boat song didn’t win. Whatevs!

But Serbia is back, baby, and they are back strong! Bojana Stamenov was chosen to fly the Serbian flag in Vienna after winning the national competition with her song, Ceo Svet Je Moj. The song has since been translated into English as Beauty Never Lies. Fans were invited to be part of the official video by recording their own versions of the song. Here’s the result:

I love it all: the song, the fans, the video, but most of all, her. The song has a great message and a catchy beat. I like how it transitions from pop ballad to EDM.  Makes me want to dance! Bojana Stamenov has great pipes.

Though I always wonder, is the singer as good live as they are on a potentially auto-tuned video? This is why I seek out live versions of Eurovision songs. So, here is Bojana Stamenov’s performance at the Serbian national contest.

Yaaas! Loving her even more. And that dress! Most of all, her voice and stage presence are magnificent. I’m a fan. I prefer the song in Serbian, but I don’t feel it suffers much in translation to English. It’s such a great message; you want people everywhere to understand it.

Kisses and best wishes to Serbia and Bojana Stamenov in Vienna.

Find out more about Bojana Stamenov here.