Slovenian descent singer to represent Luxembourg at Eurovision 2026

While Slovenia is sitting out this year's Eurovision Song Contest, at least one Slovenian voice will still be heard on the Vienna stage.

Eva Marija, a singer of Slovenian descent, has won Luxembourg's national selection and will represent the country at Europe's biggest music competition, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

Eva Marija, whose full name is Eva Marija Kavaš Puc, was born to Slovenian parents, who moved to Luxembourg to work in EU institutions there. She is currently living between Luxembourg and London, where she is studying songwriting.

A violinist and singer, she has been performing since she was 14, and she punched her ticket for Eurovision with the song Mother Nature, which features a violin solo. The 20-year-old has described her Eurovision entry as a symbol of freedom, hope and inner peace.

She told Luxembourg's broadcaster RTL that she was honoured to be chosen to represent the country at the high-profile contest. She sees this opportunity as a major step forward in her music career.

A total of 35 countries will participate in this year's Eurovision, the lowest number in more than two decades, after many countries, Slovenia included, decided not to take part due to Israel's participation.

More Slovenians turn to foreign selections

Shut out by the boycott, several Slovenian musicians are now trying to get a Eurovision spot abroad. Nives Cilenšek, a 22-year-old Balkan-pop artist performing under the stage name Zevin, is one of them. She will perform at Croatia's national selection in February and currently ranks among the favourites.

Four Slovenian musicians will also try their luck at the Dreaming San Marino Song Contest, a new format of competition where San Marino is selecting its entrant for Eurovision 2026.

The contest has welcomed audition applicants from all over the world, and among this year's are the pop-dance duo Maraaya and singers Aleksej Ivačič Kolar - PolarAce and Luka Basi, the portal Evrovizija reported.

Maraaya represented Slovenia at Eurovision 2015 with their song Here For You. They finished 14th in the final.

This year's Dreaming San Marino Song Contest casting process features Ivačič Kolar and Basi as well. The former, known as PolarAce, is a young pop singer who also competed for a spot at Eurovision during Slovenia's national selection last year.

Basi is meanwhile an established name on Slovenia's pop scene. His genre of pop features Latin, Mediterranean and Dalmatian music influences.

Photo: Eurovision.com