Country Croatia Selection date(s) 5 March 2005 Selected song "Vukovi umiru sami" | Selection process Dora 2005 Selected entrant Boris Novković Semi-final result 4th, 169 points | |
Croatia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 by Boris Novkovic and Lado Members with the song "Vukovi umiru sami". The Croatian National Selection was held from March 3 until the 5th, 2005 at the HRT TV Studios in Zagreb, hosted by Nina Badrić and Robert Ferlin. There were two Semi-Finals; 14 of the 18 songs proceeded to these Semi-Finals which were held on 3rd and 4 March. The Croatian National Final took place on March 5. The top 3 winners were chosen by 50% televoting & 50% from a professional three-member jury. Televoting only then selected one of the 3 songs to represent Croatia at the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev. Notable participants were the former Croatian representatives Magazin (1995), Danijela Martinović; (1995, 1998), Goran Karan (2000) and Vesna Pisarović (2002). The eventual winner, however, was Boris Novković featuring members of the ethno group Lado, with the song "Vukovi umiru sami" (Wolves Die Alone). The song is written by Boris Novković and composed by Franjo Valentić.
Boris Novković was born on 25 December 1967 in Sarajevo to a family of musicians. His father Đorđe Novković is one of the greatest Croatian pop composers and songwriters and his mother Ozana is a music teacher. During his impressive career, spanning almost 20 years, Boris has released 14 albums of which Ostvaren san is his most recent release in 2004. Boris competed in the Yugoslavian finals for Eurovision in 1989 with the song "Dajana" which came in second. Boris also competed in the International Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He has performed at most Croatian festivals and has won many prizes.
At Eurovision, Boris delivered a simple performance accompanied by a bagpipe and the Lado members in the background. One of the main features of his performance was the drum player who not only made a spectacle out of his drum playing, but also jumped around the stage and did some gymnastics. The song remained in Croatian. The song is considered a Balkan ballad for having Croatian folk influence.
The spokesperson who revealed Croatia's votes for other countries was Barbara Kolar, an HRT host.
National final
The Croatian National Final was held on March 5, 2005.