Three Balkan Countries Eye Eurovision Crown

Albania, Bulgaria and Serbia will be among the 26 contenders in the Grand Final of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest that takes place this Saturday in Lisbon, Portugal.

Albania is represented by the love song "Mall", sung by Eugent Bushpepa, who describes himself as a "creative professional".

"Besides being so creative, he has some interests that vary from loving art to supporting human rights. However, music is his religion," said the Eurovision official website.

However his heavily-inked arms caused his performance in the semi-finals to be censored by Chinese television under a new law that bans the showing of tattoos or other subcultural symbols on screen. Ireland's entry was also cut because it showed dancers acting out a gay love story.

The five-member band EQUINOX are representing Bulgaria with another love song entitled "Bones". The band was formed specifically for the 2018 Eurovision contest, and its members had never performed together before.

The band consists of three Bulgarian singers Georgi Simeonov, Zhana Bergendorff and Vlado Mihailov, and two Americans, Johnny Manuel and Trey Campbell.

Serbia's representatives, Sanja Ilic and Balkanika, are appearing in the finals with the song "New Children".

Their band was founded in 1998 with the proclaimed goal of revitalising Serbian medieval music traditions.

"For years, the band Sanja Ilic and Balkanika have been growing in popularity in both the Balkan region and the world," the Eurovision website says.

Joke About Children Falls Flat in Montenegro

Montenegro's contestant Vanja Radovanovic did not make it to the finals, and also provoked anger on Friday by making a joke that drew claims he had...

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