Slovenia 1998

Vili Resnik (left) won the Slovenian National final on 28th February with the song "Naj Bogovi Slisijo". Telephone voting determined the winner - results below.

April 9th: Thanks to Chris Zavos, here's now biographies and lyrics further down the page - just click here to jump.

I have now seen the excellent show on videotape, after failing to see it broadcast on the Internet in RealVideo 4.0. I only got to see Mojca Mavec introducing Tanja Ribic singing last year's Slovenian song, before it all stopped!

Marko Prpic of Slovenian TV reminds us that a recording is be available on the Slovenian TV web site, so take a look there.

Vili Resnik took part in both the 1995, and 1996 Slovene finals.

Marko adds: We have a EMA 98 home page and all information is there - in Slovene in English language, too. On Monday, January 19 artists drew lots for the national final which will be held on February 28, 1998.
Darja Svajger (1995 entry) and Regina (seen here in her 1996 entry) tried again this year.

Thanks Marko. The Slovene version is at
http://www.rtvslo.si/evrosong and now in English at
http://www.rtvslo.si/eurosong/indexa.html

Some changes since first announced, with "Uslisi Me Nebo" sung by Nusa Derenda seemingly dropped. Listed here in performance order.

WILL THE GODS SET ME FREE

composer: Matjaz Vlašiè

lyrics: Urša Vlašiè

arrangement: Matjaz Vlašiè

English adaptation by Toby Darling

Now all there is left for me.

Are lost hopes and memories.

Still the vision of her face.

Never fades away.

It shines each day...

I'll wait for a thousand years.

I'll be calling on my knees.

Can they all see my tears,

I'm crying (to the skies).

I love her...

(Chorus)

Will the gods not set me free.

Will they hear my plea.

Will they save me,

I can't live without her love.

And my heart lays down and dies..

Can they all hear my tears.

I'm crying to the skies.

I love her...

(Chorus)

Will the gods not set me free.

Will they hear my plea.

Will they save me.

I can't live without her love.

And my heart lays down and dies...

Will the gods not set me free.

Will they hear my plea.

Will they save me.

I can't live without her love.

And my heart lays down and dies.

My heart lays down and dies.

VILI RESNIK - Soloist

Vili was born on 27 November, 1963 in Ljubljana.

He does not have fond memories of his childhood, as he lived in poverty and was constantly reminded that he would never amount to much. He remembered that very well. When Vili was in the fifth grade, his mother bought his brother Brane a guitar, but since Brane wasn't too enthusiastic about playing it, Vili was more than happy to try. That marked the beginning of his musical career. The guitar became his best friend. He never thought he would succeed as a singer, all he wanted was to be a good guitar player. He often got together and practised with his friends. Abounding in energy, he was also active in sports, soccer and rugby being his favourites. As a member of the national rugby team, he travelled to the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy and Hungary.

After graduating from the Secondary Medical School, he got a job at the Oncological Institute. He was well-liked by patients and co-workers because he had "a way with people". When he appears in TV contact programmes, he still receives calls from former patients hoping he will return to give them the willpower and strength he always seems to radiate.

Despite his employment at the Clinical Centre, his guitar reminded his best friend. He played and sang in the rock bands Herbie, Junaki noène kronike, Pomaranèa, Yunk, Spin...

In 1988 he married his present wife Mojca.

In 1990 Tone Košmrlj, the leader of POP DESIGN, a pop music band, invited him to perform with the group at the Yugoslav national preselection for the Eurosong Contest in Zadar.

In 1991 Pop Design was the most successful pop band on the Slovene music scene. Acknowledgements and awards were pouring in from everywhere:

-first prize at the Makfest in Macedonia,

- gold cassette (1992 Greatest Hits) for the song NE BOM TI LAGAL

- Song of the Year award NE BOM TI LAGAL,

- GOLDEN NOTE award for the best pop group, best album, song of the year, and best singer,

- VIKTOR award in 1993, 1995

The project KO SI NA TLEH (1993) was also recorded in English (DREAMS).

Vocals were recorded at the Power Station studio in New York.

The project SPOMIN IZ PAJÈEVINE is a successful arrangement of foreign hits. Vili's last song recorded with POP DESIGN was POTEPUH, song of the year in 1995.

Vili co-operation with POP DESIGN brought the group 5 gold records, 2 silver compact discs, 2 bronze compact discs and 3 silver cassettes.

Vili's last performance with POP DESIGN was on 10th September, 1995. For a month he wandered like a vagabond searching for the right path. His wife Mojca stood by him, and his nine year-old daughter Sara said: "Dad,you have to sing!" He decided to continue singing because of his two children, Sara and Tim, and because of the piles of letters from his fans, begging him not to leave them.

MATJAZ VLAŠIÈ - writer of music for"Naj Bogovi slišijo"

Matjaz was born into a musical family on 9th March, 1971 in Kranj. His first instrument at the primary school was the violin, which he began to play at age 5. Since his father and aunt are musicians, music was always an important part of his family's life. Matjaz played in various ensembles in elementary school, and as a young violinist frequently participated in Slovene violin competitions. After completing elementary school, he enrolled at the Secondary Music School in Ljubljana and continued to study the violin. In those years he also began to write music for various Slovene pop musicians. With his songs he often competed at various festivals throughout Slovenia and the republics of the former Yugoslavia. He later enrolled at the Academy of Music and continued the study of violin. In this period, more precisely, in 1991, he joined one of the most popular and admired Slovenian music bands in the past fifteen years, Pop Design. The time spent with this group has undoubtedly left an remarkable stamp on his musical creativity. Many of the songs he has written for the group have become great hits. It would be difficult to recall all the festival prizes, popularity awards, Victors, Golden Note awards, and bronze, silver and gold records...

In addition to his work with the group, he also wrote music for other very popular and successful Slovene singers and music performers. He left Pop Design at the end of 1997, and devoted even more attention to writing music and music arrangements for various musicians, not only for the most popular ones, but also for young and promising musicians.

After participating in several national preselections for the Eurosong Contest, he will now be appearing for the first time in the final Eurosong '98 event in Birmingham as writer of music for the song "Naj Bogovi slišijo".

URŠA VLAŠIÈ - author of text for "Naj Bogovi slišijo"

Urša was born on 29 September, 1968 in Ljubljana. Music became a part of her life very early - at the age of six she began to take piano lessons. After completing primary music school, she enrolled at the Secondary Music School in Ljubljana, where her successful performances at music competitions brought her a second and a third prize. At the time she was already recording back vocals for various music groups, and later began to make her own recordings.

She experienced her "baptism of fire" in 1988 at the Yugoslav national preselection for the Eurosong Contest, when she performed with Simona Weiss and one of the most popular singer of the time, Moni Kovaèiè. In the mean time she enrolled at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana and successfully completed the study of solo piano with Prof. Aci Bertoncelj.

Her second appearance at the national preselection for the Eurosong Contest was in 1990 in Zadar. It was here that she fell in love with her future husband, Matjaz Vlašiè, who sang back vocals. Five years later, Urša and Matjaz were married, and in 1996 their son, Maj, was born. Now two years old, Maj already demonstrates a great talent for music.

Urša is presently teaching piano at a music school and her pupils are attaining excellent results at competitions. She also writes songs for popular Slovene singers and music performers.

"Third time lucky". That's what one could say about Urša, whose third appearance at the national preselection - as author and co-performer of the song "Naj Bogovi slišijo" - was truly victorious.

Details from Slovene TV, passed to me by Chris Zavos

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