"he won the third prize, including the award for the "New face of the festival".

The Spin

Stefan Filipovic was born in Podgorica, on 18th January 1987. He is a student of the Music Academy in Cetinje, but he is into music industry since the age of seven. He participated in many musical contests as a child, in Montenegro and abroad, and he even won many of these contests and festivals, as the songs he was presenting became instant hits.

Then, after a longer break from these kind of musical contests, he participated in the important Mediterranean festival - Music Festival Budva in 2006 and he finished 4th with a song Ja Mogao Bih Sve and won the award for the best new artist. Same year he took part in Zrenjaninski Festival (Serbia), with the song Ne Umijem ?ivjeti and he won the third prize, including the award for the "New face of the festival".

In 2007 he competed in the Montenegrin national selection event (MontenegroSong) for the Eurovision Song Contest, where he ended up on the second place, and in the 14th Budva Music Festival in the same year, he won the Grand Prix with the song Nebo I More. Finally, this year he won the Montenegrin national final, and will participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade.

He will perform the song Zauvijek Volim Te (Never Forget I Love You).

The Singer
 

The Past
  
Montenegro didn't have a history in the competition until 2007 which saw their first time as an independent nation. Previously they had a not-so-happy agreement that gave the Serbian broadcaster the choice to send a representative one year and the Montenegrin one the go after that. It all kicked off in 2006 though, when the Montenegrins fancied another go straight after 2005, by voting in their hundreds to send No Name (the only band in Montenegro) to the party. Serbians were put out, started throwing insults and bottles, and No Name exited stage right. They are now an independent state and have the challenge of finding a singer every year, which isn't No Name. Unfirtunately they stank in 2007, and now that their neighbours are hosting the thing, no doubt their will be envious glances over the garden fence to try and crib what's needed to score big points. It may take them quite a while to cotton on, I fear.

The Song

Dulux may know which colours don't match, but that's no use to Stevant. He wears a green tank-top, I wince.

Ouch. It appears this year's Montegrin act has filmed the video in exactly the same spot as all their previous entries, but to be fair, it's a lovely spot. They couldn't fool me with the addition of a snow blower, I'd recognise that church anywhere.

Overall

 

   
 
 
   
   
 

Zauvjek volim te

Ponoc nad gradom kuca
Ja ne znam gdje si ti
Srce od ljubavi puca
U praznoj postelji!

Tuga mi pjesme piše
Dok suze padaju
Jastuk na tebe miriše
A dugo, dugo nisi tu! Ne daj mi da poludim

Tako je tužno sve
Ponovo moja budi
Zauvjek volim te!

Ne daj mi da poludim
Ne mogu više sam
Praštaju
Bog i ljudi
Tebi ja pripadam!

Ponoc nad gradom kuca
Ja ne znam gdje si ti
Stojiš na ivici srca
A tako, tako trebaš mi!

Opet bi da te ljubim
Da korak pratim tvoj
Vrijeme ja uzalud gubim
Jer ti si život moj!

Ne daj mi da poludim
Tako je tužno sve
Ponovo moja budi
Zauvjek volim te!

Ne daj mi da poludim
Ne mogu više sam
Praštaju
Bog i ljudi
Tebi ja pripadam!

Ne daj mu da poludi
Tako je tužno sve
Ponovo njegova budi
Zauvjek volim te!

Never forget that I love you

Midnight in our town
Thinking where you are
Baby, I'm feeling down
Can't take you out of my mind

Dreaming you say hello
And I'm down on my knees
You are in my arms
And your sweetest kiss

Never forget I love you
Never forget me too
Never forget I miss you
Love is the only truth

Never forget I love you
Baby, you feel the same
Never forget I need you
Come and stay with me

Living in your shadow
The sorrow is so deep
If you're gone forever
I'll find you in my dreams

Midnight in your town
Your eyes are like the sea
Baby, with you in my arms
How wonderful life can be

Never forget I love you
Never forget me too
Never forget I miss you
Love is the only truth

Never forget I love you
Baby, you feel the same
Never forget I need you
Come and stay with me

(Never forget I love you)
(Never forget me too)
(Never forget I miss you)
Come and stay with me

Prediction Semi Final 1 13th
Final Hopping over the border early