Slovakia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song „Leť tmou“ written by Rastislav Dubovský, Petronela Kolevská and Anna Žigová. The song was performed by Kamil Mikulčík and Nela Pocisková. In September 2008, the Slovak broadcaster Slovenská televízia (STV) announced that they would be returning to the Eurovision Song Contest after an eleven-year absence due to pressure from local artists. The broadcaster selected the Slovak entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia through the national final Eurosong 2009. 50 entries competed in the national final which consisted of six shows: five semi-finals and a final. In the semi-finals, three entries were selected to advance from each show: two entries selected based on the votes from the public and one entry selected by a seven-member jury panel. A wildcard entry was also selected by the jury from the remaining entries to advance. Sixteen entries ultimately qualified to compete in the final on 8 March 2009 where a public vote selected three of the entries to proceed to a second round of voting. In the second round of voting, „Leť tmou“ performed by Kamil Mikulčík and Nela Pocisková was selected as the winner after scoring the most points from the jury.
Slovakia was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 14 May 2009. Performing during the show in position 7, „Leť tmou“ was not announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. It was later revealed that Slovakia placed eighteenth out of the 19 participating countries in the semi-final with 8 points.
Eurosong 2009
Eurosong 2009 was the national final format developed by STV in order to select Slovakia’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. The competition consisted of six shows which commenced on 15 February 2009 and concluded with a final on 8 March 2009. The six shows took place at the STV studios in Bratislava and hosted by Martin Rausch. All shows in the competition were broadcast on Jednotka as well as online at the broadcaster’s official website stv.sk.
Format
The format of the competition consisted of six shows: five semi-finals on 15 February 2009, 20 February 2009, 22 February 2009, 27 February 2009 and 1 March 2009, and a final on 8 March 2009. Results during each show were determined by a jury panel and votes from the public. The semi-finals each featured ten entries from which the songs first faced a public vote where the top two entries qualified to the final. The jury then selected an additional qualifier from the remaining entries to advance. The jury also selected a wildcard qualifier for the final out of the remaining non-qualifying acts from the semi-finals. In the final, the winner was determined over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the remaining sixteen entries faced a public vote where the top three entries qualified to the second round of voting. In the second round, the winner was determined exclusively by the jury. The initial format of the competition consisted of four shows: three semi-finals and a final. Four entries were to advance from each semi-final with three selected by a public vote and one selected by the jury, however, an additional two semi-final shows were included due to the amount and quality of the received submissions. Viewers were able to vote via SMS.
The seven-member jury panel participated in each show and selected entries to advance in the competition. The jury consisted of:
- Laco Lučenič – Musician and music producer
- Katarína Hasprová – Singer, represented Slovakia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998
- Marcel Palonder – Singer, represented Slovakia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996
- Anton Popovič – Composer
- Mirka Brezovská – Singer
- Dezider Kukoľ – Editor at The News Agency of the Slovak Republic (TASR)
- Lukáš Machala – Representative of STV
Competing entries
Artists and composers were able to submit their entries between 20 November 2008 and 20 January 2009. Artists were required to hold Slovak citizenship and songs were required to be performed in Slovak. The broadcaster received 177 submissions at the closing of the deadline and an expert committee selected fifty entries for the competition. The competing entries were announced on 3 February 2009.
| Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) |
| Alena Kortis | „Zbláznený za láskou“ | Ján Kortis |
| Alone | „Nezistím“ | Michel Cabala, Rasto Toman, Richard Labovský, Dodo Slíž |
| Anawi | „V predstavách“ | Peter Sanchés, Ivana Novotna |
| Andrea Zimányiová | „Prines si ten kľúč“ | Juraj Burian, Peter Konečný |
| Babenky a týpci | „Babenky a týpci“ | Vašo Patejdl, Miro Jurika, Marián Brezáni |
| Barbora Balúchová and Red Rose | „Nakoniec“ | Jimi Cimbala, Miroslav Jurika |
| Dáša Šarkozyová | „Krídla“ | Vašo Patejdl, Dáša Šarközyová |
| Desmod and Lucia Nováková | „Posledná minúta“ | Desmod, Roman Slávik |
| Dolores | „Kto nám slabým odpustí“ | Slavomír Repaský, Jaroslav Kuba, V. Mikláš |
| ENS | „Už je čas“ | Lubos Korčok, Z. Majeská |
| Editor | „Pod parou“ | Lubomir Šimo, Milan Jakubik |
| EmSoft | „Násilie“ | Stanislav Valigura, Peter Tomi |
| G-Strinx | „Rytmus vášne“ | Stano Herko, Karol Bertók |
| Golden Storm | „Daj mi len deň“ | Stano Šimor, Daniel Mikletič |
| Golden Vein | „Chcem nevedieť“ | Patrik Lago, Milan Eliáš |
| Hudba z Marsu | „Na hubách“ | Michal Štofej |
| Ivana Kováčová | „Všetko“ | Ján Kulich, Jozef Engerer |
| Jakub Petraník | „Nadomnou“ | Brunno Oravec, Miro Jurika |
| Janais | „Taram ta rej“ | Janais Kothajova |
| Kamil Mikulčík and Nela Pocisková | „Leť tmou“ | Rastislav Dubovský, Petronela Kolevská, Anna Žigová |
| Katka Koščová | „Pri sebe“ | Katka Košocová, Daniel Špiner, Ján Štrasser |
| Komajota | „7 nocí“ | Martin Husovský, Michal Baláž |
| Marek Kravjar | „Geniálny cvok“ | Roman Slávik |
| Mária Čírová | „Búrka“ | Mária Círová, Maroš Kachút |
| Martina Schindlerová | „Krídla“ | Ján Štrasser, Janko Lehotský |
| Metalinda | „Chcem pre teba žiť“ | Peter Sámel |
| Michal Chrenko | „Proti prúdom“ | Jimmy Cimbala, Miroslav Jurika, Marián Brezáni |
| Miro Jaroš | „Miesto kam patríme“ | Miro Jaroš |
| Milan Lieskovský | „Bliss“ | Milan Lieskovský |
| Mukatado | „Ja sa mám“ | Jana Kozáková, Peter Dobrik |
| Natália Hatalová | „Spím“ | Milo Suchomel, Peter Konečný |
| Nocaden | „Na čo asi myslíš“ | Robert Kopina |
| Palo Drapák | „Kričím na svätých“ | Palo Drapák, Juraj Žák |
| PapaJam | „Nemusíš sa báť“ | Jana Chochrumová, Marek Vozár |
| Peter Bažík and Andrea Súlovská | „Nebudem stáť“ | Peter Bažik |
| Peter Cmorík Band | „Ty spíš“ | Peter Cmorík |
| Peter Kotuľa | „Cesty sú stratené“ | Peter Kotuľa, Karol Bertok |
| Petra Kepeňová | „Odkedy nie si“ | Petra Kepeňová |
| Quasimondo | „16 barov“ | Marián Jaslovský, Roland Kanik |
| Robo Opatovský | „Prší“ | Juraj Žák, Robo Opatovský |
| Robo Papp | „Nádej máme“ | Vlado Čulík |
| Robo Šimko and MassRiot | „Môj anjel spí“ | Miroslav Jurika, Marian Brezáni |
| Roman Galvánek | „Láska z papiera“ | Roman Galvánek |
| Samo Tomeček and Free Inna Cage | „To čo chceš“ | Samuel Tomeček, Lukáš Duchovič, Ján Kmet |
| Smola a hrušky | „Na čom záleží“ | Jozef Kramár |
| TH13TH | „Všetko je inak“ | Rasťo Řezáč, Igor Hudcovský |
| Tomáš Bezdeda | „Každý z nás“ | Tomáš Bezdeda |
| VIP | „Hviezdy“ | Laco Jakubčiak |
| Zachariáš Hubáček | „Bolo bolo“ | Miro Tásler, Zachariáš Hubáček |
| Zuzana Haasová and Funny Fellows | „V mojej zime“ | Roman Féder, Zuzana Haasová |
Semi-finals
Five semi-finals took place in February and March 2009. Ten of the competing entries were assigned to each semi-final and in each show three entries qualified to the final. The competing entries first faced a public vote where the top two songs advanced; an additional qualifier was then selected from the remaining entries by the jury. An additional wildcard was also awarded by the jury to one of the eliminated entries, which also qualified for the final.
The third semi-final was originally scheduled to take place on 22 February 2009, however due to a tragic accident in Bratislava on 21 February 2009 which led to a day of mourning in Slovakia, the semi-final was postponed to 23 February 2009 instead.
Desmod and Lucia Nováková were due to perform in the first semi-final, however they were later reallocated to perform in the fifth semi-final following an accident during the rehearsals. After qualifying from semi-final 5, Desmod and Lucia Nováková withdrew from the final and the jury selected Smola a hrušky as the replacement qualifier for their semi-final.
(S = SMS Voting / J = Jury Voting / W = Wildcard from Jury)
Semi-Final 1 – February 15th
| 1 | Nezistím | I don’t know | Alone | 6.5% | 6th | – |
| 2 | Odkedy nie si | Since you do not | Petra Kepenová | 19.0% | 3rd | – |
| 3 | Nádej máme | Hope we | Robo Papp | 6.4% | 7th | – |
| 4 | Násilie | Violence | Emsoft | 4.4% | 8th | – |
| 5 | Cesty sú stratené | The roads are lost | Peter Kotula | 6.6% | 5th | – |
| 6 | Hviezdy | Stars | VIP | 3.5% | 9th | J |
| 7 | Prines si ten klúc | Bring the key | Andrea Zimányiová | 20.5% | 1st | S |
| 8 | Môj anjel spí | My sleeping angel | Robo Šimko & MassRiot | 19.4% | 2nd | S |
| 9 | Na hubách | About mushrooms | Hudba z Marsu | 13.7% | 4th | – |
Semi-Final 2 – February 20th
| 1 | Babenky a Týpci | Grannies and guys | Babenky a Týpci | 19.458% | 3rd | – |
| 2 | Búrka | Storm | Mária Círová | 19.465% | 2nd | S |
| 3 | Nadomnou | Above | Jakub Petraník | 1.528% | 9th | – |
| 4 | Daj mi len den | Just give it to me | Golden Storm | 8.618% | 5th | – |
| 5 | To co chceš | What do you want | Samo Tomecek & Free Inna Cage | 13.772% | 4th | W |
| 6 | Pod parou | Tipsy | Editor | 5.860% | 6th | – |
| 7 | Ja sa mám | I shall myself | Mukatado | 3.818% | 8th | J |
| 8 | Geniálny cvok | Ingenious thing | Marek Kravjar | 1.492% | 10th | – |
| 9 | V predstavách | In the thoughts | Anawi | 3.825% | 7th | – |
| 10 | Každý z nás | Each one of us | Tomáš Bezdeda | 22.166% | 1st | S |
Semi-Final 3 – February 23rd
| 1 | 7 nocí | 7 nights | Komajota | 6.1% | 6th | J |
| 2 | Pri sebe | Near you | Katka Košcová | 7.7% | 4th | – |
| 3 | Bliss | Bliss | Milan Lieskovský, Peter Bulik & Janka Bajnoci | 7.6% | 5th | – |
| 4 | Nebudem stát | I won’t be | Peter Bažík & Andrea Sulovská | 20.8% | 2nd | S |
| 5 | Láska z papiera | Love made of paper | Roman „Galo“ Galvánek | 2.4% | 10th | – |
| 6 | Všetko | All | Ivana Kovácová | 4.7% | 7th | – |
| 7 | Už je cas | It’s the time | ENS | 4.1% | 8th | – |
| 8 | Krídla | Wings | Dáša Šarközyová | 3.1% | 9th | – |
| 9 | Rytmus vášne | Passion’s rhythm | G-Strinx | 17.8% | 3rd | – |
| 10 | Prší | It’s raining | Robo Opatovský | 25.8% | 1st | S |
Semi-Final 4 – February 27th
| 1 | Nakoniec | Finally | Barbora Balúchová & Red Rose | 5.03% | 8th | – |
| 2 | Na co asi myslíš | What are you thinking about | Nocaden | 2.59% | 10th | – |
| 3 | Chcem nevediet | I don’t wanna see | Golden Vein | 5.78% | 6th | – |
| 4 | 16 barov | 16 bars | Quasimondo | 3.39% | 9th | – |
| 5 | Bolo bolo | It was, it was | Zachariáš Hubácek | 5.75% | 7th | J |
| 6 | V mojej zime | In my winter | Zuzana Haasová & Funny Fellows | 11.61% | 3rd | – |
| 7 | Kricím na svätých | Shout at the saints | Palo Drapák | 7.23% | 5th | – |
| 8 | Taram ta rej | Taram ta rej | Janais | 20.61% | 2nd | S |
| 9 | Malý hlas | Little voice | Miro Jaroš | 10.82% | 4th | – |
| 10 | Krídla | Wings | Martina Schindlerová | 27.18% | 1st | S |
Semi-Final 5 – March 1st
| 1 | Ked spíš | When you sleep | Peter Cmorík Band | 26.18% | 3rd | – |
| 2 | Nemusíš sa bát | Don’t worry | PapaJam | 0.65% | 11th | – |
| 3 | Proti prúdom | Against current | Michal Chrenko | 2.35% | 7th | J |
| 4 | Všetko je inak | Everything is different | Štvrtok Trinásteho – TH13th | 1.60% | 8th | – |
| 5 | Let tmou | Fly through the darkness | Kamil Mikulcík & Nela Pocisková | 28.25% | 1st | S |
| 6 | Chcem pre teba žit | I want to live by your side | Metalinda | 4.72% | 4th | – |
| 7 | Zbláznený za láskou | Crazy for love | Alena Kortis | 0.88% | 10th | – |
| 8 | Kto nám slabým odpustí | Who forgives our weakness | Dolores | 3.99% | 5th | – |
| 9 | Na com záleží | What does it depend on | Smola a Hrušky | 2.39% | 6th | W |
| 10 | Spím | I’m sleeping | Natália Hatalová | 1.02% | 9th | – |
| 11 | Posledná minúta | Last minute | Desmod & Lucia Nováková | 27.97% | 2nd | S |
Final
The final took place on 8 March 2009 where the sixteen entries that qualified from the semi-finals competed. The winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the top three entries as determined by a public vote advanced to the second round, the superfinal. In the superfinal, the jury selected „Leť tmou“ performed by Kamil Mikulčík and Nela Pocisková as the winner. In addition to the performances of the competing entries, guest performers included 2009 Azerbaijani Eurovision entrants AySel and Arash performing „Always“, and 2009 Czech Eurovision entrants Gipsy.cz performing „Aven Romale“.
Final – 8 March 2009
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
| 1 | VIP | „Hviezdy“ | 0.33% | 16 |
| 2 | Andrea Zimányiová | „Prines si ten kľúč“ | 1.51% | 14 |
| 3 | Robo Šimko and MassRiot | „Môj anjel spí“ | 1.54% | 13 |
| 4 | Zachariáš Hubáček | „Bolo bolo“ | 0.97% | 15 |
| 5 | Martina Schindlerová | „Krídla“ | 5.98% | 5 |
| 6 | Mukatado | „Ja sa mám“ | 14.73% | 3 |
| 7 | Tomáš Bezdeda | „Každý z nás“ | 15.10% | 2 |
| 8 | Robo Opatovský | „Prší“ | 5.13% | 6 |
| 9 | Smola a hrušky | „Na čom záleží“ | 4.46% | 9 |
| 10 | Peter Bažík and Andrea Súlovská | „Nebudem stáť“ | 2.20% | 10 |
| 11 | Janais | „Taram ta rej“ | 2.47% | 8 |
| 12 | Mária Čírová | „Búrka“ | 14.60% | 4 |
| 13 | Kamil Mikulčík and Nela Pocisková | „Leť tmou“ | 25.27% | 1 |
| 14 | Michal Chrenko | „Proti prúdom“ | 1.59% | 12 |
| 15 | Komajota | „7 nocí“ | 2.11% | 11 |
| 16 | Samo Tomeček and Free Inna Cage | „To čo chceš“ | 4.00% | 7 |
Superfinal – 8 March 2009
| Draw | Artist | Song | Place |
| 1 | Kamil Mikulčík and Nela Pocisková | „Leť tmou“ | 1 |
| 2 | Tomáš Bezdeda | „Každý z nás“ | 3 |
| 3 | Mukatado | „Ja sa mám“ | 2 |
Gallery
Source: ESCKaz & ESC History Archives
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