The Eurovision Song Contest is heading towards its 70th edition, which will take place in Vienna (Austria) on May 12, 14, and 16 at the Wiener Stadthalle.
Montenegro returned to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2025 and, just like in its last two editions, the public broadcaster RTCG once again relied on its national competition Montesong to select its representative.
15 artists with their respective original entries competed for the ticket to Vienna 2026. In the end, Tamara Živković became the winner with “Nova Zora”, after being the most voted by the professional jury and achieving second place in the public televote.
How has she reached Eurovision? What experience does she have in the music industry? How is she preparing her entry for Vienna 2026?
On this occasion, we review the musical career of Tamara Živković, the context of her candidacy, and her song. The Montenegrin representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will attempt to take her country to the Grand Final with “Nova Zora”, in what will be Montenegro’s 14th participation in the European contest.
This is Tamara Živković, a young talent who has performed across the main Balkan stages
Tamara Živković was born on 5 June 2000 in Kotor, a coastal town in the southwest of the country. A professional singer and flautist, she began her musical training at a very young age at the local conservatory, developing both her vocal and instrumental technique. She currently divides her life between her hometown and Belgrade, where she studies at the University of Arts.
From the beginning, she participated in numerous children’s festivals in Montenegro and the Balkan region. At just 14 years old she gave her first solo concert, combining the flute with her voice, which already showed her artistic versatility. Among her early notable experiences is her victory at the Glas Boke festival in 2019, as well as her participation in events such as Beogradsko Proleće.
Her television debut came in 2016 on Pinkove Zvezdice, although she did not manage to reach the final stages. Even so, this experience allowed her to become known in the regional scene. Later, in 2022, she participated in Zvezde Granda, one of the most popular music competitions in Serbia, where she reached the grand final. There she was evaluated by a jury that included Marija Šerifović, the winner of Eurovision 2008.
Her official recording debut did not come until 2024 with the single “Da Li Smesh?”, with which she participated in the Belgrade Spring Festival. That same year she took part in Montesong with “Poguban Let”, entering as a reserve. In 2025 she continued expanding her repertoire with songs such as “Prošla Godina”, “Bez Kontrole” and “Konačno Svoja”, the latter presented at the Biser Jadrana Festival in Tivat. In addition to her solo career, she has worked as a backing vocalist for various established artists, enriching her musical experience. Her influences range from pop to electronic sounds, with references such as Lady Gaga or Rosalía.
In 2025 she won Montesong with the song “Nova Zora”, becoming Montenegro’s representative at Eurovision 2026.
This is “Nova Zora”, the proposal by Tamara Živković to represent Montenegro at Eurovision 2026
Tamara Živković defends the colors of Montenegro at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with “Nova Zora (New Dawn)”, a song written by the Serbian composer Boris Subotić, with production by Marko Dreznjak.
The Montenegrin-language pop entry brings to the Eurovision stage a message of female empowerment, dignity, and the defense of women’s rights to “choose their own path”.
“Nova Zora” was built as a “song that encourages and reminds us that female strength is not taken for granted, but respected.” For this reason, the entry is conceived as a manifesto of support for fighting women in their daily lives. The protagonist tries to break free from restraints, symbolizing that “new dawn” as the moment when all chains are broken.
Lyrics
Montenegrin
Ko je ovdje ko?
Ma kraj je
Moj je jači hod,
Za dalje
Iz srca sad vadim olovo,
Sve je gotovo,
Sve je gotovo
Lijepe žene, jake kao stijene.
Lijepe žene, lijepe su zbog sebe.
Finally breathin’ and finding love inside.
Kiša traje, kiša traje,
Nebo znak mi daje
Grmi sijeva, grmi sijeva,
Sudbina se mijenja
Oe oe oe oe eo oe eo,
Iza gora, iza mora,
Rodila se nova zora
Nova zora
Ko si ti da mi pričaš,
Ko sam ja?
Da l’ ću doć ili poć?
Ja sam otišla.
Sve sto vodi do tebe,
Sam srušila.
Iz tvojih otrova,
Se sunce probija,
I nova zora zasija.
Lijepe žene, jake kao stijene.
Lijepe žene, lijepe su zbog sebe.
Finally breathin’ and finding love inside
Kiša traje, kiša traje,
Nebo znak mi daje
Grmi sijeva, grmi sijeva,
Sudbina se mijenja
Oe oe oe oe oe
Iza gora, iza mora,
Rodila se nova zora
Nema okova, nema okova,
Nema
K’o od gromova rođena
Žena
Nema okova, nema okova,
Nema
K’o od gromova rođena
Žena
English
Who’s who here?
That’s the end of it.
My stride is stronger,
For what’s ahead.
Now I’m pulling the lead out of my heart,
It’s all over,
It’s all over.
Beautiful women, strong as stone.
Beautiful women, beautiful for their own sake.
Finally breathin’ and finding love inside.
The rain goes on, the rain goes on,
The sky is giving me a sign.
Thunder, lightning – thunder, lightning,
Fate is changing.
Oe oe oe oe eo oe eo,
Beyond the mountains, beyond the sea,
A new dawn has been born.
A new dawn.
Who are you to tell me
Who I am?
Will I come or will I go?
I left.
Everything that leads to you
I tore down.
From your poisons
The sun breaks through,
And a new dawn shines.
Beautiful women, strong as stone.
Beautiful women, beautiful for their own sake.
Finally breathin’ and finding love inside.
The rain goes on, the rain goes on,
The sky is giving me a sign.
Thunder, lightning – thunder, lightning,
Fate is changing.
Oe oe oe oe oe,
Beyond the mountains, beyond the sea,
A new dawn has been born.
No shackles, no shackles,
None.
A woman born
As if from thunder.
No shackles, no shackles,
None.
A woman born
As if from thunder.
Montenegro at Eurovision: A Quick History
Montenegro debuted in Eurovision in 2007. Since then, it has had a trajectory marked by irregularity and the financial difficulties of its public broadcaster.
It has only managed two qualifications to the final: in 2014 with Sergej Ćetković (19th) and in 2015 with Knez, who achieved its best result with 13th place thanks to «Adio». The rest of its participations have ended in the semi-finals or have been marked by absences in 2010, 2011, 2020 and 2021.
After its return in 2022 without success with Vladana, it came back in 2025 with Nina Žižić, who presented a powerful vocal proposal with a classic Balkan style, but finished 16th in the semi-finals, failing to connect enough with the televote to reach the final.