The Nation on Stage: Eurovision and Serbian Identity

A Brief on Serbian National Identity

In my last blog post, I explored and defined Serbian national identity. Summarizing my findings, historic myths, the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), and significant others are the primary catalysts for Serbian national identity. Serbia’s frequent regime changes have meant that its history and its Others produce a sense of camaraderie and belonging for its citizens, which define national identity as a term (Connor, 1978). The increasing presence of the SOC in Serbian politics since the 1990s, as well as the large following it has amongst Serbian people, is also crucial in this sense of belonging (Morozova et. al., 2022). However, another key component of Serbian national identity I failed to mention in my previous blog post is their language. Serbia uses the Cyrillic alphabet, developed for Orthodox Slavic-speaking people. This connection to the SOC, along with the language’s difference from other Balkan countries’ languages, makes it a key driver of Serbian national identity. In this blog post, I will analyze Serbia’s 2025 Eurovision song, “Mila”, by Princ, and discuss its degree of alignment with Serbian national identity as outlined in this brief.

“Mila”

In 2025, “Mila” won the Serbian public vote for their Eurovision song contest entry and was performed in the 2025 Eurovision semifinals in Basel, Switzerland, finishing last place. The song is performed by the Serbian singer/songwriter Princ, along with 4 male dancers. “Mila”, which means ‘Darling’ in Serbian, is a Balkan ballad. This music genre is popular on the Eurovision stage among Balkan countries. The track included traditional Balkan ballad instruments: piano, drums, acoustic guitar, and strings, although these instruments were not present on stage.

Performance Analysis

Song Lyrics

The lyrics of “Mila”, sang in Serbian, tell a story of love, loss, and internal struggle. To do so, it draws from Greek and Christian mythology. In verse 1, Princ sings “Let this be for me the last supper”, and “Let the hound of Hades chase me into the night” (Bačić, 2025). The last supper was Jesus’ last meal before his crucifixion, and in “Mila”, it’s a metaphor for the depths of Princ’s love. He is prepared to die for “Mila”, and as this is the first line in the song, it’s as if the rest of the lyrics are his final words to the world like Jesus’ teachings during the last supper. The latter quote is a reference to the Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice, which Princ has mentioned was a key theme in the song’s performance. In in interview, Princ says “We’re going to hell. We want to represent what we were inspired by…the struggle between good and evil” (ESCplus International, 2025, 2:36). The myth is about a musician, Orpheus, who descends into the underworld to retrieve his late wife, Eurydice. He uses his musical skills to put Cerberus, the ‘hound of Hades’ to sleep and persuade Hades to bring his wife back to the overworld on the condition that he cannot look back at her on the ascent. The next line reinforces this theme, “Let the scent of memories wake you up, and my music, made from your name” (Bačić, 2025). It’s as if Princ is in the underworld during his performance, and he is singing “Mila” to Hades so he can reclaim his love. The rest of the lyrics, like “You have many reasons to love another one, but I only want to take care of you” (Bačić, 2025) suggest that Princ made mistakes in his relationship with his lover, and they are now with another man. Tying these together, “Mila” is about Princ reckoning with his mistakes as a partner and choosing love over evil. His descent into the underworld is a metaphor for his introspection of the evil that pushed away his lover, and the sacrifices he will make to redeem himself as their partner. 

Display and Staging

“Mila” uses the LED display, flame machines, and fog to enhance the performance and support the theme and storytelling of Orpheus and Eurydice. In the first half of the song, the stage is lit with a deep blue light. The LED display resembles both an ocean and the night sky, with sparkles swirling around a blue background. At one point, a large blue eye opens on the stage, perhaps a nod to how Orpheus struggles not to look back at Eurydice on their ascent from the underworld. Around the 2-minute mark, Princ kneels to look at a red LED reflection of himself on the floor as the lighting shifts from blue to red. This marks his descent into the ‘underworld’ of his introspection. He then lies on the stage, getting dragged forwards by his demonic dancers. The song reaches its climax here, and flames fire in background as the lights and display flash red, blue, and white—Serbia’s national colors. This use of Serbian national colors in the most memorable part of the performance is likely to remind audiences that this is Serbia’s Eurovision song.

Outfits and Dancing

In his performance of “Mila”, Princ wears an all-red suit with long flowing hair. This outfit choice represents his place in the song as a desperate and internally conflicted lover. Even when the entire stage is lit in blue, Princ remains as the only part of the set covered in bright red. His love is the only thing that matters to him, burning bright through the tone shifts around him on stage. Red is also symbolic of evil and hell. Princ is prepared to go to hell for his “Mila”, but he also struggles with how he has treated them in the past. His suit highlights his readiness to earn his “Mila” back. Suits are symbolic of ambition and power, and Princ has a meeting with Hades to get his love back. 

The dancers are male and dressed in tight black clothes with gothic makeup on. They dance hypnotically, swirling around Princ and at times touching him. These dancers represent demons which bring Princ to the underworld. Their look is camp, and along with the choreography may have been a way for the Serbian broadcaster to appeal to LGBTQ+ audiences. In the first chorus, one dancer is held up by the others and grabs the microphone from Princ’s hand, smiling at him seductively while he sings into it. The gender identity of “Mila” is never mentioned and Princ has not publicly identified as LGBTQ+, so the song is not explicitly about gay love. This is instead subtle pinkwashing, using LGBTQ+ imagery to appeal to a wider audience on the Eurovision stage despite the song’s lack of a connection to gay identity or rights.

A Balkan Ballad

“Mila” is a Balkan ballad, a popular music genre in Balkan Eurovision performances. They are characterized by their powerful vocals, traditional Balkan instruments, and melancholic sound, and are sung in the native language of the country (Jameson, 2013). When asked in an interview what message he wants to send with his song, Princ said that “Mila” is about pure love, which is why he chose to sing a Ballad (ESCplus International, 2025). The song’s instrumentation reinforces its themes of love and loss. Acoustic guitar, piano, and Balkan string instruments accompany Princ’s intense singing, producing an emotionally charged and distinctly Balkan sound.

“Mila” and Serbian National Identity

The lyrical and musical aspects of “Mila” reinforce Serbia’s national identity, but most of the staging and costumes contradict this. As such, “Mila” lies in a middle ground where it both confirms and contradicts Serbian national identity. 

The most aligned component of the performance was its Balkan ballad genre, which is generally sang in the home country’s language. Princ sang “Mila” in Serbian, which uses an alphabet different from many of its Balkan neighbors. Also, many Serbians have a sense of ‘Euro-skepticism’, especially towards NATO and Western Europe (Jovánovic, 2018). Because “Mila” is sung in Serbian, it affirms Serbia’s identity as a nation separate from its Balkan and Western others. Princ’s ethnicity and career also agree with Serbia’s national identity. He is Serbian and was born and raised in Serbia, and in 2020 played the lead role in the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar (Wikipedia, n.d.). His Serbian background presents Serbia as an ethnically homogenous state, and his history leading a Christian performance aligns with the key role Christianity plays in Serbian national identity. And so does the first line in “Mila”, a reference to the last supper. The rest of the song’s lyrics are neutral; they don’t align with or contradict Serbian national identity. The lyrical references to Greek mythology are a historical myth, but since they are not Serbian myths, they play a neutral role in the performance’s alignment with Serbian national identity. 

The costume design and staging in “Mila” have tension with or at times contradict Serbian national identity. The dancers’ costumes, adorned in goth makeup and flamboyant black outfits, are no doubt campy and draw on queer themes. This queerness does not agree with the conservative and religious aspects of Serbian national identity, where homosexuality is legal but often discriminated against (Wikipedia, n.d.). Their representation as demons, along with the staging theme of Princ entering hell, has tension with the Orthodox Christian component of Serbian national identity. While it draws on Christian themes, Princ being held by demons and entering hell doesn’t send a message many Christians may not like.

Serbia’s “Mila” was partially aligned with Serbian National identity as outlined in my first blog post. While it didn’t connect to historic myths, it was sung in Serbian and had Christian themes which both reinforced and contradicted the importance of Serbian Orthodoxy. It was a well-performed Balkan ballad and hit on themes of love and loss through a retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice. 

Word count: 1627

References

Connor, W. (1978). A nation is a nation, is a state, is an ethnic group is a … Ethnic and Racial Studies, 1(4), 377–400.

ESCplus International. (2025, April 26). Princ (Serbia 2025) on “Mila”, love and Eurovision staging: “We’re going to hell!”. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OpvHSTE4xQ

Eurovision Song Contest. (2025). Princ – participant profile: Basel 2025. Eurovision.com. https://www.eurovision.com/eurovision-song-contest/basel-2025/all-participants/princ/

Jameson. Top 10 best Balkan ballads in ESC history. (2013, August 29). ESC Views. https://escviews.wordpress.com/2013/08/29/top-10-best-balkan-ballads-in-esc-history/

Jovanovic, V. (2018). Informal allies on a common mission: The Serbian state and the Orthodox Church in recent nation-building processes. Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, 17(51), 38–52.

Morozova, N. M., Kolobova, S. A., Korshunov, D. S., Mitrović, M., & Zhiganova, A. V. (2022). Serbian Orthodox Church and Serbian national identity. In I. Savchenko (Ed.), Freedom and responsibility in pivotal times (Vol. 125, pp. 675–683). European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2022.03.81

Princ od Vranje. (2025). “Mila” (Serbia). Eurovision Song Contest 2025 Basel [DVD]. Universal Music Group.

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). LGBTQ rights in Serbia. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ_rights_in_Serbia

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Princ od Vranje. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princ_od_Vranje