Serhat has been speaking to the media in Turkey following the announcement that he will once again represent San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Following a period of speculation, last week SMRTV revealed that the Turkish singer Serhat will return to Eurovision for the second time, representing the microstate. He previously competed in Stockholm in 2016 but didn’t make it to the final.

It is speculated that his song will be revealed toward the end of February. In the meantime, Serhat has been promoting his participation in Istanbul. Serhat told the media that it was a great honour for him to return to the Eurovision stage and that his previous participation was one of the best memories of his life. He also praised the San Marino Eurovision team and the strong friendship that grew between them since 2016.

Serhat’s return will mark the 10th anniversary of the smallest nation in Eurovision’s participation in the contest. In that time, San Marino have only managed one qualification for the final: in 2014, with Valentina Monetta’s Maybe.

For 2019, Serhat has promised a song full of energy, “that is an embrace open to the world, to people and beyond every boundary”.

Also present at the press conference was Carlo Romeo, Director General of San Marino RTV, who stressed the importance of the competition to the small nation:

The Republic of San Marino, despites its small territory, is standing strong and we are still among the Eurovision competitors. It is our 10th participating year, a round number, so we have evaluated thoroughly our Eurovision entries, and we realised that we try hard thus deserve an equal treatment. So this year, we ‘press the button of new decade’ and we participate with a very talented singer, who we really believe in, and with a good song.

As I said, Serhat has a particular emotional tie with San Marino. He is also a citizen of the world, and binding Istanbul, London and Paris to San Marino, is an additional value for a small reality as ours.

Tel Aviv as a location, in a country which has always been friend to, points out the importance of the public broadcasters in the intercultural Dialogue for the culture of Peace”.

Serhat has become the second artist to represent San Marino on multiple occasions, following Valentina Monetta who competed three times from 2012 to 2014 and then once more in 2017 with Jimmie Wilson.

In his previous attempt in 2016, listening to fans on social media, Serhat decided to perform the disco version of his entry I Didn’t Know despite originally releasing a slower version of the song.

Source: SMRTV

San Marino in the Eurovision Song Contest San Marino debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008 alongside Azerbaijan. On their debut they were represented by Miodio and the song “Complice”, and finished last in their semi final with just 5 points. San Marino withdrew from the contest before returning again in 2011. Since then the country has participated annually and in 2014 qualified for their first final. The nations worst result came in 2017 when Valentina Monetta represented San Marino for the fourth time alongside Jimmie Wilson with “Spirit of the Night.” The pair finished last in their semi-final with just 1 point.