Balkan Singers Prepare for Eurovision Kickoff

While some western Europeans might not quite feel the pull of Eurovision, the contest is a serious undertaking in the Balkans, where locals gather in cafés in their respective countries to cheer on their contestant.

Albania's Aurela Gaçe will "share her song with you" with her rendition of Feel The Passion, a pop-folk tune at the semifinal on Tuesday in Dusseldorf. Gace is an established singer in the Albanian community and continues to perform in the US, where she currently resides.

Serbia, meanwhile, will get magical with a performance by Nina Radojcic, a 21-year-old pharmacy student in Belgrade who was swept onto the national stage overnight.

Radojcic's vintage appearance at the national final reminded viewers of Tajci’s 1990 song, which represented Yugoslavia at the Eurovision Song Contest that year.

Nina admits that she didn't have a strategy to win the national contest. "I went out on the stage and sang the best I could and that’s it,” she told Serbian daily Blic.

Croatia's Daria will pump up the audience with her pop tune Celebrate. The twenty-two year old, who grew up in both Croatia and Germany, said after winning this year's national contest that she would be moving back to Croatia.

The top twenty performers in Tuesday's and Thursday's semifinals will go on to the final, which will be held on Saturday.

Bosnia's Dino Merlin will be the first to take the stage in the second semifinal on Thursday, while other Balkan performers in the second semifinal include singers from Bulgaria, Macedonia, Slovenia, Romania. 

Kosovo is not allowed to participate in the event as it is not a member of the European Broadcasting Union.