Serbia wins the ESC 2026. True or false? Stay with me to the very end of this text to find out if this is possible at all. And if you watch the video till the end, you’ll be able to hear my song “I’m Choosing a New Era” that I submitted to the Polish Preselection for the ESC 2026.
Hello, Guys!
This is your EurovisionaryVoice calling! My name’s Janusz Jacek Siwiorek JJS. I present my reactions here.
This time I’m going to show you my most sincere reaction to the song that will represent Serbia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. This is “Kraj mene” (Крај мене) (in English “By My Side”) by Lavina.
Let’s watch the video:
Lavina – “Kraj mene” (LIVE) – Serbia 🇷🇸 | Eurovision 2026 | Reaction
Well, first things first.
The Serbian entry was chosen both by the public (50%) and the jury (50%) > it came first both in the public voting and the jury vote.
This year’s Serbian song was created by Andrija Cvetanović, Bojan Ilić, Ivan Jegdić, Luka Aranđelović, Nikola Petrović, Pavle Aranđelović, Pavle Samardžić. It’s sung in Serbian.
What genre is that? Progressive metal (with melodic / alternative rock influences).
What’s the song about?
“I still hold a place for you by my side
But this one-sided love still breaks me inside
Can you see my pain, feel our divide?
The more I give the less you have me”
The song is about being there for someone in hard times and giving them strength so they don’t feel alone.
“The lyrics deal with themes of emotional struggle, unrequited love, and inner conflict. The narrator is invested deeply in someone who might not feel the same way, who has feelings of holding onto hope even as it hurts, as the song says “This one-sided love is killing me”, and the emotional weight of wanting someone close (“next to me”) while feeling rejected or distant”.
Lavina is a Serbian progressive metal band that was formed in 2020.
A fun fact: The band’s name in English means: Avalanche.
The song was originally written in English but adapted into Serbian to better express its emotion.
The live vocals are very emotional and intense. The singer uses a mix of clean singing and rough, almost gritty tones, which fits the metal style.
The performance feels raw and honest, not overly polished
There is a strong sense of pain and urgency in the voice
He builds well from soft, controlled verses to more powerful, explosive moments
His stage presence adds to the impact — it feels authentic and expressive
👉 Overall:
The vocals are not about perfection, but about emotion — and that makes them very powerful live.
Is this going to be a banger? Hmm, first let’s ask a question: Is this song going to make it to the Grand Final?
All in all, I’d say this is a very good song with great vocals.
As each juror is going to rank all the competing songs in each show based on the given criteria, I will assign points in the same categories (eurovision.com):
– composition and originality of the song, 9 out of 10;
– quality of the performance on stage, 10 out of 10;
– vocal capacity of the performer(s), 10 out of 10;
– overall impression of the act, 9 out of 10.
So the total is: 38 out of 40 points that is 95%.
Will Lavina’s “By My Side” lead them to victory? We’ll see if they will get the best result for Serbia. To do that he would have to win the whole Contest (as the best result for Serbia so far was the 1st place; it happened once: it was in 2007).
In the end, I can only say: Well done, Lavina! Congratulations, Serbia! I assume this song might qualify for the Grand Final but of course it depends on the other entries as well. What do you think, Guys?
What do the bookmakers say about the Serbian entry? Well, at this moment (22nd March 2026) Serbia is in 24th/35 place.
Let’s hear it for Lavina and the whole team!
Let me know what you think of this performance in the comments section below. I encourage you to watch my previous videos about the Eurovision Song Contest and read my texts.
And if you’d like to watch my first song ever “I’m Choosing a New Era” that I submitted to the Polish Preselection 2026, click on the screen which you see below.
𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝘀𝘇 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗸 𝗦𝗶𝘄𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗸 𝗝𝗝𝗦 – „𝗪𝘆𝗯𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗮̨ 𝗲𝗿𝗲̨” / “𝗜’𝗺 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗘𝗿𝗮” | 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲
Thank you for watching my video and reading my text!
I’ll be back soon.
Stay tuned!
Bye, Guys! 😊
