Izmedu in the World Hit Festival

Izmedu first debuted in the World Hit Festival at the 15th edition in Rowland, Titaniumland. The contest is broadcast by the Radio-televizija Izmedu, which also selects the national entry primarily via internal selection ever since its debut. Since its debut, Izmedu has missed four editions, namely the 16th, 17th, 23rd, and 25th contests, but the country has had success in its later editions. The country has won the contest seven times, winning in the 29th, 30th, 35th, 39th, 40th, 44th, and 45th editions. It has also placed in top 3 in nineteen occasions, with a seven-edition streak of podium places that started from Izmedu's third win WHF35. Izmedu has also hosted the World Hit Festival nine times, four times in Vodiznad, twice in Mousiki, twice in Polumisec, and once in Gralicna

Izmedu's debut in Rowland's WHF15 landed with a respectable 8th place, but the country's early history in the contest was muddled with budgetary problems that prevented the broadcasting channel, RTI, from submitting an entry in the following two editions. It was not until the 18th edition in Senmeri that a World Hit Festival team was established and made separate from its WorldVision counterparts. The WHF18 entry was a success, giving Izmedu its first top 5 placing following a two-edition absence. WHF19 also saw the country inch closer to a victory, placing 3rd with Senka's "Salvation." The following editions established Izmedu's longer-term presence in the contest, capped off with Emil's emotional "Forsaken" yielding another 3rd in WHF22. However, the period inbetween WHF23 and WHF25 coincided with a recession that led to a controversial entry being submitted to WHF24 and the temporary disbandment of RTI's WHF delegation.

It was not until WHF26 that the remnants of the WHF delegation secured the confidence of RTI's executive board to re-establish the country back in the contest after tying for last in WHF24. Taking a more emotional and intimate approach to the contest, Izmedu returned to WHF with Zoran Saldo's "Penitence," securing a 2nd place in what was a lengthy tiebreaker that saw a Britonish victory in Monterra. From there, Izmedu had rode a wave of good fortune that persists up to the upcoming edition. WHF27 saw Etela Tomac place 2nd and "A Reason" with 21 points, as did WHF28 with Helena Dakovic & Arijana Kovac "Damaged Hearts." The string of three 2nd place finishes was unprecedented and caused interest in the contest to surge, but an even bigger surprise awaited the country just after WHF28. With Arioslavia declining hosting rights, Izmedu had the rights to host a WHF for the first time. RTI duly took the honor of hosting WHF29, and staged it in the capital, Vodiznad.

To immense surprise, Izmedu's fortunes in the contest only increased as RTI had taken on the hosting mantle. Entering another Izmepisma runner-up in the form of Anamarija Lubina, the channel was largely expecting a respectable result with the focus of the partiuclar WHF being to put on a good show. However, Anamarija brought in Izmedu's first WHF victory in a tie with Polkopia, with more nations having found to have voted for the host country. RTI eagerly accepted the rights to host the landmark 30th edition in Vodiznad, entering an emotional ballad in the form of Katarina Zunic's "Standing Tall." The intimate piano ballad resonated strongly, scoring an astounding 38 points and securing a second consecutive WHF title for Izmedu.

Voting History
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Additional Links

YouTube Playlist of Izmeduan entries