Joker Out to represent Slovenia at Eurovision Song Contest

National broadcaster, RTV Slovenia, conducted this year’s selection of a Slovenian representative for Eurovision in a different way than in previous years. This year, they put their trust in Joker Out to prepare a Slovenian song. With the song released in February, we got to experience its sonic and visual identity. The members of Joker Out – Bojan Cvjetićanin (vocals, guitar), Kris Guštin (guitar), Jan Peteh (guitar), Nace Jordan (bass) and Jure Maček (drums) – premiered the song, Carpe Diem, in a special show.

The young musicians, who are extremely popular in Slovenia, admitted they were feeling the pressure, because they did not want to let people down. However, they have done something completely different with the song, a symbiosis of youthful energy and mature ambience. They are convinced that there is no universal recipe for a great song, but what is important to them is that they “did something that they themselves really liked”.

The song Carpe Diem

Carpe Diem is a call to all who know that there is more to life than meets the eye. This shagadelic dance anthem is a reflection of the band members’ year-round gigging performances and their enjoyment of life. The message is simple: for whatever life throws at you, music and dance are always the answer.

Joker Out recorded the song in Hamburg in December, where the band literally locked themselves in the studio for ten days with their producers Žare Pak and Todd Burke. “We only came out every few days to get some air, so we didn't see much of the city,” say the youngsters, who did manage to visit the memorial to the Beatles, who (like many other musicians) began their global journey in Germany’s second largest city.

The video of the song is set in a mystical hotel, where a seemingly ordinary and dreary world mingles with the crazy and magical. You never know what is waiting for you in the next room or around the corner. The only question is: do you dare to surrender to the magic?

The video was shot at the end of January in the disused Stol Hotel in Kamnik and at the Union Hotel in Ljubljana, under the direction of in-house video guru Marko Pirc and another very experienced director, Bonin Englar (Matter, MRFY), with a crew of 50 people and just as many extras. “The atmosphere on set was so energetic and vibrant that we forgot we were actually filming the party and didn't even have to act to really enjoy it,” say the Jokers, who are already preparing for their Eurovision performance following the premiere. 

At Eurovision, the song Carpe Diem will be performed in the Slovenian language. The boys’ first priority was to come up with a song they liked and to stay true to themselves. “We didn't want to step out of our skins, because then it wouldn't be us anymore, it wouldn't be sincere anymore,” they said. Prior to Eurovision itself, they will go on a tour of European cities.