Macedonia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 with the song "Od nas zavisi" (Од нас зависи), composed by Nikola Perevski, with lyrics by Vladimir Krstevski, and performed by Karolina Gočeva. The Macedonian participant broadcaster, Macedonian Radio Television (MRT), selected its entry through Skopje Fest 2002.
Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) held the national final on 16 February 2002 at the Macedonian National Theatre in Skopje, hosted by Igor Džambazov. The winner was chosen by a combination of votes from the audience in the hall (20%), televoting (40%) and an expert jury (40%). Other participants included Andrijana Janevska who was the runner-up with the French lyrics song "O šeri, mon šeri" (O cherie mon cherie) and Risto Samardžiev who came third with "Nema veke pesni tazni".
Karolina Gočeva performed ninth on the night of the contest, following Estonia and preceding Israel. At the close of the voting she had received 25 points, placing 19th in a field of 24, thus relegating Macedonia from the 2003 contest.[1] During the performance, Gočeva appeared donning a dress and a golden corsette designed by Aleksandar Nošpal which received praise at the show. In a later review of her performance, Katerina Stevovska of the Macedonian journal Sloboden Pečat opined that Gočeva "perfectly" sang her song.[2]
Macedonia
