The first scandal at Eurovision 2025: Montenegro's representatives may be disqualified due to a gross violation of the rules

The 69th Eurovision Song Contest 2025 has not been without scandals, even though the participants have not yet had time to meet on the international stage in the Swiss city of Basel, where the show will take place. Montenegro's representatives, the band NeonoeN, may be disqualified due to a serious violation of the rules.

The fact is that at the music competition, performers must present new songs that have not been released or presented to the public before September 1, 2024. However, the band won the National Selection with the song "Clickbait," which they performed at a festival in 2023, according to the Eurofans Telegram channel.

Currently, NeonoeN's participation in the song contest remains in question, as, according to the Montenegrin broadcaster, the necessary investigation is underway: "A decision on potential disqualification will be made after consultation with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organizer of the Eurovision Song Contest."

Evidence of violation of the rules

The members of the NeonoeN band ignored one of the most important rules of the Eurovision Song Contest, which concerns the song they chose. A video from the Kulture Zabjelo festival, which took place in June 2023, showed a moment when the artists performed a fragment of the competition track "Clickbait" in front of a large audience, but in a slightly different sound.

The band's reaction

On their Instagram page, the performers noted that they were very little known before winning the National Selection. Most of their concerts took place in half-empty venues, so they don't see a problem with a few people hearing a fragment of the song.

"We're really curious if anyone in the audience even remembers hearing it. Especially if they decided to vote for us at the Montesong festival two years later. But, as we said from the very beginning, our goal is to actually play the music we create and expand its possibilities. Please note that the song has not been published, commercialized or used in any other way and that it could not have a competitive advantage in the competition," the musicians wrote.

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