Singer Jelena Tomašević was a member of the Serbian jury that voted in the final of "Eurovision Song Contest." A significant uproar in the region was caused when the Serbian jury awarded Croatian group "Lelek" zero points, while the Croatian jury awarded 12 points to the Serbian group "Lavina."
Jelena Tomašević took to her Instagram account to address the backlash, emphasizing that she personally gave Lelek a high score, but it was not reflected in the overall jury result.
-Dear Zorja and girls from the group Lelek, congratulations on your outstanding performance. You received a high score from me last night. I am sorry that this was not visible in the final tally of the jury. Let the points not be the main impression from the competition. In 2005, I received zero from the jury for my song "Jutro." I know how you feel. A big hug for you- she wrote.
Lelek on Lavina
Group Lelek made a statement after the Eurovision final, following the zero points from the Serbian jury.
Despite the lack of points from the Serbian jury, the Croatian representatives did not let it ruin their impressions, openly expressing satisfaction with their performance.
"On the Eurovision stage in the final, we felt like queens! We gave everything we had, and in the final, we completely felt the presence of the audience. We are happy! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who voted and supported us," the girls from Lelek stated right after the competition, also mentioning that their relationship with the Serbian group Lavina is not affected.
"We have nothing against the group Lavina, in fact, we socialized in Vienna and the boys told us that they were giving us maximum support," they added.
I can’t believe the drama around the jury votes in Eurovision! It’s supposed to be about the music and the performances, not about political grudges. Don’t you think it’s time for a change in the voting system? What do you think, fans?