Serbia
Princ – Mila
It begins, as so many Eurovision ballads do, with a solemn piano flourish and a voice that sounds like it’s recovering from a light head cold. Princ—real name Stefan Zdravković and widely known as the “vocal miracle from Vranje”—steps into the spotlight with Mila, a song that promises much but never quite gets around to delivering any of it.
What follows is a masterclass in Eurovision ballad tease: breathy verses, intense staring into the middle distance, and the sort of faux-dramatic stillness that usually precedes a key change. But instead of soaring, the track slumps back to its starting point, like a climber deciding the summit just isn’t worth it after all. By the time the chorus finally commits to a crescendo, we’re already emotionally packed and ready to leave.
The staging offers mild distraction. Mila herself appears mid-song, draped in netting and doing expressive things with her arms, while Princ—dressed like a banquet manager who’s been asked to sing because the entertainment cancelled—wanders theatrically through dry ice. There’s some hand-touching and shared glances that suggest depth, but you’ll be hard pressed to care.
It’s not that Mila is bad in the traditional sense—it’s just inert. A great deal of effort has clearly gone into the styling, the emoting, and the obligatory vaguely spiritual aura, but there’s nothing here that connects. It’s all sad eyes, caught breaths, and drama-by-numbers, delivered with the hushed intensity of someone about to explain their dream in great detail.
Princ is clearly talented—his résumé includes Jesus Christ Superstar and a strong run on The Voice of Bulgaria—but this feels like a missed opportunity to showcase anything other than his ability to look mournful in tailored formalwear.
Hard work for very little reward.
2 points
