Skopje Fest
Encyclopedia
Skopje Fest or Festival na zabavni melodii Skopje (Фестивал на забавни мелодии Скопје) is one of the main musical events in the Republic of Macedonia
.
SkopjeFest began in 1968 in the Universal Hall in Skopje
, and continued until 1980. In this short time, the festival became one of the biggest music events in Yugoslavia
. Skopjefest was the place where famous Macedonian singers such as Slave Dimitrov
, Zafir Hadzimanov, Nina Spirova made their performances together with eminent Yugoslav
performers. Audiences enjoyed over 50 songs.
After Macedonia gained its independence peacefully from Yugoslavia
, SkopjeFest was revived in 1994, and has since taken over from MakFest
as Macedonia's premier music festival.
The show involves some of Macedonia's finest performers, singing original tracks submitted to MRT (Makedonska Radio Televizija), usually accompanied by the orchestra of MRT (excluding some of its latest editions).
It has also been used as the Macedonian national selections for the Eurovision Song Contest
, since the late 1990s. The first Macedonian representative in Eurovision, was Macedonian singer Vlado Janevski
who won SkopjeFest 1998 with the song "Ne Zori Zoro", for the Eurovision Song Contest 1998
. This was Macedonia's first participation in the Eurovision Song Contest
. Ever since, SkopjeFest has been shadowed by many controversial debates regarding the strategies behind the song selections and the lack of transparence concerning the winner. Such allegations are not new to this contest, however they intensified as the Eurovision participation became a factor. After the decision to make SkopjeFest the National Pre-Selection round for Macedonia's representative to Eurovision, the traditional point award ceremony was eliminated and replaced by the controversial announcement of only the Top 3 places. Neither the points of the jury nor the televoting results are made public.
Up until 2002, SkopjeFest used to be the biggest musical activity in the country, however it faced financial problems. In 2003, the festival wasn't held in order to save money for the next year when Macedonia was going to particate in the Eurovision Song Contest
. In the meantime, MRT made new criteria for the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest
, the festival returned in 2004 only to celebrate the 60th anniversary of MRT. After that, financial problems increased and it wasn't organised until 2008, again as a ESC national final.
After the first details about selecting the Macedonian participant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012
were revealed, it was announced that Skopje Fest will continue being held as an independent event without being involved in the Macedonian selection process for the Eurovision Song Contest
.
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
.
SkopjeFest began in 1968 in the Universal Hall in Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, and continued until 1980. In this short time, the festival became one of the biggest music events in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. Skopjefest was the place where famous Macedonian singers such as Slave Dimitrov
Slave Dimitrov
Slave Dimitrov is a Macedonian composer, singer and record producer. He composed and sang "Chija si" , labeled as the "song of the millennium" in the Republic of Macedonia.-References:...
, Zafir Hadzimanov, Nina Spirova made their performances together with eminent Yugoslav
Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
performers. Audiences enjoyed over 50 songs.
After Macedonia gained its independence peacefully from Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, SkopjeFest was revived in 1994, and has since taken over from MakFest
MakFest
MakFest founded in 1986, is the largest festival of Macedonian popular music. It is held every year in November, in Štip, Republic of Macedonia, at the Cultural Center "Aco Šopov" . MakFest is a member of FIDOF with headquarters in Los Angeles, CA, USA. In 1997, MakFest was awarded the "Festival...
as Macedonia's premier music festival.
The show involves some of Macedonia's finest performers, singing original tracks submitted to MRT (Makedonska Radio Televizija), usually accompanied by the orchestra of MRT (excluding some of its latest editions).
It has also been used as the Macedonian national selections for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
, since the late 1990s. The first Macedonian representative in Eurovision, was Macedonian singer Vlado Janevski
Vlado Janevski
Vladimir Vlado Janevski is a popular Macedonian singer. He was Macedonia's first Eurovision contestant, finishing 19th in Birmingham at the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Ne Zori, Zoro".-Biography:...
who won SkopjeFest 1998 with the song "Ne Zori Zoro", for the Eurovision Song Contest 1998
Eurovision Song Contest 1998
The Eurovision Song Contest 1998 was the 43rd Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 9 May 1998 at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The presenters were Terry Wogan and Ulrika Jonsson...
. This was Macedonia's first participation in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. Ever since, SkopjeFest has been shadowed by many controversial debates regarding the strategies behind the song selections and the lack of transparence concerning the winner. Such allegations are not new to this contest, however they intensified as the Eurovision participation became a factor. After the decision to make SkopjeFest the National Pre-Selection round for Macedonia's representative to Eurovision, the traditional point award ceremony was eliminated and replaced by the controversial announcement of only the Top 3 places. Neither the points of the jury nor the televoting results are made public.
Up until 2002, SkopjeFest used to be the biggest musical activity in the country, however it faced financial problems. In 2003, the festival wasn't held in order to save money for the next year when Macedonia was going to particate in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. In the meantime, MRT made new criteria for the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
, the festival returned in 2004 only to celebrate the 60th anniversary of MRT. After that, financial problems increased and it wasn't organised until 2008, again as a ESC national final.
After the first details about selecting the Macedonian participant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012
Eurovision Song Contest 2012
The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 will be the 57th annual Eurovision Song Contest. It will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, following Azerbaijan's win in the 2011 Contest with Ell & Nikki's song "Running Scared". The two semi-finals will be held on 22 May and 24 May 2012, with the final on 26 May 2012,...
were revealed, it was announced that Skopje Fest will continue being held as an independent event without being involved in the Macedonian selection process for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
.
History
A selection of winners:- 1969 Elda Viler won with the song "Doviduvanje".
- 1973 Goce Nikolovski won with the song "Tivko tivko"
- 1994 Maja Odžaklievska won with "Ne me dopiraj"
- 1995 Lidija Kočovska won with the song "Što te nema"
- 1997 Pece Ognenov won with "Manastirski son"
- 1998 Vlado JanevskiVlado JanevskiVladimir Vlado Janevski is a popular Macedonian singer. He was Macedonia's first Eurovision contestant, finishing 19th in Birmingham at the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Ne Zori, Zoro".-Biography:...
won with the song "Ne zori, zoroNe Zori, Zoro"Ne zori, zoro" was Macedonian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, performed in Macedonian by Vlado Janevski...
" - 1999 Sašo Gigov - Giš won with the song "Sejačot".
- 2000 XXL won with "100% te ljubam"
- 2002 Karolina GočevaKarolina GocevaKarolina Gočeva, often credited as Karolina Gocheva is a Macedonian singer. She represented Macedonia in the 2002 and 2007 Eurovision Song Contests, ranking 19th and 14th, respectively...
won with "Od nas zavisiOd nas zavisi"Od nas zavisi" was the Macedonian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2002, performed in the Macedonian language by Karolina....
". - 2003 festival was not held
- 2004 The festival was held without prize winners
- 2008 Tamara TodevskaTamara TodevskaTamara Todevska , known as Tamara, is a Macedonian pop singer. She was born to a Macedonian father and a Serbian mother from Turkey. Her sister is the well known Macedonian pop singer Tijana Todevska-Dapčević.-Early life:...
, Vrčak, AdrianAdrian GaxhaAdrian Gaxha is an Albanian pop musician from the Republic of Macedonia. He started playing the viola at an early age and also graduated from a Music High School...
won with "Vo imeto na ljubovta" - 2009 Next TimeNext TimeNext Time is a rock duo from Skopje, Republic of Macedonia. The duo consists of twin brothers Martin and Stefan Filipovski. Stefan fronts the band as the lead singer, while Martin plays the guitar and sings back-up vocals...
won with the song "Nešto što kje ostaneNešto što kje ostane"Nešto što kje ostane" is a song by the Macedonian band Next Time. It was the Macedonian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia, but it failed to qualify for the final round...
". - 2010 Gjoko TaneskiGjoko TaneskiGjoko Taneski is a Macedonian singer. He won the National final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, after which he represent Macedonia with the song "Jas ja imam silata" at Eurovision Song Contest 2010.-Eurovision 2010:On 20 February 2010, Taneski won the Macedonian national final and...
won with the song "Jas ja imam silataJas ja imam silata"Jas ja imam silata" is a Macedonian pop-rock song, composed by Kristijan Gabrovski and performed by Gjoko Taneski together with Billy Zver & Pejčin as the Macedonian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010. The song was selected on 20 February 2010 from 16 participating songs at the final of...
". - 2011 Vlatko IlievskiVlatko IlievskiVlatko Ilievski is a Macedonian pop rock singer and actor. He was the runner-up to be the Macedonian entry for the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest and is currently set to represent Macedonia in the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Rusinka in Düsseldorf, Germany. He previously appeared at...
won with the song "RusinkaRusinka"Rusinka" is a song performed by Macedonian singer Vlatko Ilievski. The song represented Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany, but it failed to qualify in the final...
".