OMSC 29

Online Music Song Contest 29, often referred to as OMSC 29, was the twenty-ninth edition of Online Music Song Contest, held in Belgrade, after Serbia won the previous edition of the contest.

The Pre-Qualification Round of OMSC 28 occured on the 17ᵗʰ July 2022, the Semi-Finals on the 24ᵗʰ July 2022 while the Final occured on the 31ˢᵗ July 2022. Fifty-five countries participated in the twenty-ninth contest, under the slogan “Spread Your Wings!”.

Uganda won the contest with the song "I Cry", sung in English, receving a total of 154 points. Italy finished in second place with a margin of just four points from the winner, while North Korea finished in third place. They were followed by Poland, which reached the fourth place and Cuba which reached the fifth place.

Location
After it’s victory in the previous edition, the broadcaster RTS chose to host the contest in the capital and largest city of Serbia, Belgrade, which has a population of over 1,200,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. It is the third largest of all cities on the Danube river.

Belgrade is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe and the world. One of the most important prehistoric cultures of Europe, the Vinča culture, evolved within the Belgrade area in the 6ᵗʰ millennium BC. In antiquity, Celts inhabited the region and settled the city, naming it Singidūn. It was conquered by the Romans under the reign of Augustus and awarded Roman city rights in the mid-2ⁿᵈ century. It was settled by the Slavs in the 520s, and changed hands several times between the Byzantine Empire, the Frankish Empire, the Bulgarian Empire, and the Kingdom of Hungary before it became the seat of the Serbian king Stefan Dragutin in 1284.

Belgrade served as capital of the Serbian Despotate during the reign of Stefan Lazarević, and then his successor Đurađ Branković returned it to the Hungarian king in 1427. In 1521, Belgrade was conquered by the Ottomans and became the seat of the Sanjak of Smederevo. It frequently passed from Ottoman to Habsburg rule, which saw the destruction of most of the city during the Ottoman–Habsburg wars. In the period after the Serbian Revolution, Belgrade again was named the capital of Serbia in 1841. Northern Belgrade remained the southernmost Habsburg post until 1918, when it was attached to the city, due to former Austro-Hungarian territories becoming part of the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes after World War I. Belgrade was the capital of Yugoslavia from its creation in 1918 to its dissolution in 2006.

Nowadays, Belgrade has special administrative status within Serbia. It is the seat of the central government, administrative bodies, and government ministries, as well as home of almost all of the largest Serbian companies, media, and scientific institutions. The city is home to the Clinical Centre of Serbia, one of the hospital complexes with the largest capacity in the world, the Church of Saint Sava, one of the largest Orthodox church buildings, and the Štark Arena, one of the indoor arenas with the largest capacity in Europe. Belgrade hosted major international events such as the Danube River Conference of 1948, Eurovision Song Contest (2008), as well as sports events such as the UEFA Euro (1976) and EuroBasket three times (1961, 1975, 2005).

Participants
Fifty-five countries participated in the twenty-ninth edition of the contest: fifteen European countries (Andorra, Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom), fifteen Asian countries (Abkhazia, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Iraq, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Myanmar, North Korea, Philippines, South Korea, Syria, Taiwan), twelve American countries (Argentina, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Honduras, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, United States of America, United States’ Virgin Islands), eight Oceanian countries (American Samoa, Australia, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands) and five African countries (Canary Islands, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, South Africa, Uganda).

In this edition Bhutan participated for the first time.

Returning Artists
This edition featured seventeen representatives who had performed previously as lead vocalists for a country in the contest.

The Hardkiss represented Crimea in the first edition of the contest, together with Monatik. The performed song was "Kobra (Кобра)", sung entirely in Ukrainian, which achieved the 3ʳᵈ place out of 18 participating countries with 90 points. In this occasion the group was selected to represent Ukraine, this time without featuring artists. The song they performed this time was "Sestra (Сестра)", sung also in Ukrainian, placing 11ᵗʰ with 95 points.

Kwon Eun-Bi represented South Korea in the twenty-fourth edition of the contest, in Cochabamba. With her song "Door" she made it to the final, placing 21ˢᵗ out of 55 participating countries with 69 points. In this occasion Kwon was selected to represent North Korea with the song "Esper", which placed 3ʳᵈ with 141 points, achieving the nation's best result to date.

Bana Şîrwan represented Iraq at its seventh appearence in the contest, in the seventeenth edition of the contest, in Geneva. She performed her song "Şêtim (شێتم)", which marked the return of the Kurdish language in the competition after ten editions. It eventually placed 31ˢᵗ out of 50 participating countries with 77 points, without qualifying for the final. In this occasion she was selected to represent Iraq again, this time with her song "Dilî Shikaw (دڵی شکاو)" which placed 18ᵗʰ out of 55 participanting countries with 74 points.

Nadia Ali represented Libya at its debut in the thirteenth edition of the contest. She performed her song "All In My Head" together with music producer PANG!, which placed 36ᵗʰ out of 42 participating countries with 54 points, in the semi-final. In this occasion she was selected to represent Libya again, this time together with the French artist Michael Calfan. The chosen song was "3, 2, 1" and it placed 19ᵗʰ out of 55 participanting countries with 73 points.

Duda Beat represented Brazil in the twenty-first edition of the contest, with the song "Meu Pisêro", sung in Portuguese, which placed 9ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 84 points, achieving the best Brazilian result to date. In this occasion she was selected to represent Brazil again, with her song "Dar Uma Deitchada", sung in Portuguese as well, placing 36ᵗʰ out of 55 participating countries with 59 points, unfortunately not obtaining the same success as in her previous participation.

Nervo represented Dominica at its first and only participation in the twenty-seventh edition of the contest, in Oulu. The duo performed, together with the Dominican singer Carla Monroe, the song "Gotta Be You" which placed 12ᵗʰ out of 55 participating countries with 75 points. In this occasion they represented Guam, together with the Indian-American rapper Raja Kumari and the Pakistani-American duo Krewella, also returning this edition. The performed song was "Goddess", which placed 14ᵗʰ in the final with 87 points.

KEP1ER represented China five editions ago, in the twenty-fourth edition of the contest. The girl group performed their song "Wa Da Da", sung both in English and Korean, which unfortunately didn't make it to the final and placed 38ᵗʰ out of 55 participating countries with 60 points. In this occasion they were selected to represent Japan with the song "Up!", placing 26ᵗʰ out of 55 participanting countries with 34 points.

Sanah represented Poland in the tenth edition of the contest with her song "Duszki", sung entirely in Polish, which placed 2ⁿᵈ out of 46 participating countries with 129 points, achieving Poland's second-best result to date. She returned to the contest after two editions for the same country as part of the automatic qualifiers. She performed her song "2:00", sung in Polish as well, which eventually placed 17ᵗʰ out of 44 participants with 61 points. In this occasion she was re-selected internally to represent Poland one last time, this time not as soloist. She competed together with the Polish singer Daria Zawiałow, also returning this edition, performing the song "Eldorado". It eventually placed 4ᵗʰ with 126 points out of 55 competitors.

Julie Bergan represented Norway at its fifth appearence, in the twelfth edition of the contest, together with the Norwegian EDM record production duo Seeb. They performed the song "Kiss Somebody", which placed 4ᵗʰ out of 44 participating countries with 122 points, achieving one of the best Norwegian results to date. In this occasion she was selected to represent Norway again, this time as soloist, performing her song "We’re Coming Up". It qualified to the final, placing 22ⁿᵈ out of 55 participanting countries with 59 points.

Sabina Ddumba represented Uganda at its debut in the tenth edition of the contest, after winning the national selection "Ugandan Music Festival". She performed her song "Time", sung in English, which placed last in the final with 37 points. In this occasion she was internally selected to represent Uganda again. The chosen song was "I Cry" and was sung again in English. It won the contest with 154 points, making Uganda the second country to have ever won the contest.

Dolla represented Malaysia at its second appearence in the contest, in the ninth edition, following Malaysia's decision to compete again after their successful debut with the iconic Dato Seri Vida. The girl group performed their song "Impikan", sung both in English and Malaysian, which placed 3ʳᵈ out of 46 participating countries with 113 points, achieving Malaysia's second-best result ever and remaining one of the most rememberable in the history of the contest. The group returned to the contest for Malaysia after fifteen editions. "Bad" was the song they performed, which eventually placed 6ᵗʰ out of 55 participants with 130 points. After placing twice in the top ten, the Malaysian broadcaster Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) chose Dolla to represent the nation one last time. This time the performed song was "Fight", sung in English, Japanese and Malaysian, which placed 42ⁿᵈ out of 55 participating countries with 48 points, without unfortunately qualifying to the final.

(G)I-DLE represented Thailand at their last appearence, in the twenty-fourth edition of the contest, with the song "Hwaa", sung in Korean, which placed 8ᵗʰ out of 55 participating countries with 116 points, achieving the best Thai result so far. In this occasion the group was selected to represent Taiwan, with the song "Lion", sung both in English and Korean, placing 10ᵗʰ out of 55 participatins with 97 points, achieving Taiwan's second-best result.

Bea Miller represented the United States of America in the sixth edition of the contest, together with the American singer and rapper 6LACK, with the song "It’s Not U, It’s Me". It placed 15ᵗʰ out of 27 participating countries with 49 points, marking the United States’ first qualification ever for the grand final. She returned to the contest after seven editions for Papua New Guinea with her song "Wisdom Teeth", which eventually placed second-last in the grand final with 28 points. In this occasion she was re-selected one last time to represent the United States of America, this time again as soloist. She competed with her song "Playground" which eventually placed 39ᵗʰ with 56 points out of 55 competitors.

Vendredi Sur Mer represented Réunion in the twenty-first edition of the contest, in Yerevan. With her song "La Femme À La Peau Bleue" she didn't make it to the final, placing 33ʳᵈ out of 50 participating countries with 69 points. In this occasion she was selected to represent France, returning to the competition after six editions of hiatus. The chosen song was "Écoute Chérie", sung in French as well, which placed 13ᵗʰ with 89 points.

Krewella represented Pakistan at its only two participations in the fourth and twenty-fifth edition of the contest: In the fourth edition they competed together with the Dutch duo Yellow Claw and the Chinese rapper VaVa, with the song "New World", sung both in Chinese and English, which placed 23ʳᵈ out of 38 participating countries with 67 points, in the semi-final; In the twenty-fifth edition they participated together with the Indian-American artist KSHMR and the Belgian record producer Yves V. They performed the song "No Regrets" which achieved the 13ᵗʰ place with 90 points, out of 55 competitors. In this occasion they represented Guam, together with the Indian-American singer and rapper Raja Kumari and the Australian duo Nervo, also returning this edition. The performed song was "Goddess", which placed 14ᵗʰ in the final with 87 points.

Daria Zawiałow represented Poland nine editions ago, in the special twentieth edition of the contest. She sung her song "Hej Hej!", sung entirely in Polish, which made it to the final and placed 14ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 70 points. In this occasion she was selected to represent the same nation but not as soloist: She participated together with the Polish indie singer Sanah, also returning this edition. The competing song was "Eldorado", which placed 4ᵗʰ out of 55 participants with 126 points.

Karra represented the United States of America in the twenty-sixth edition of the contest, as part of the automatic qualifiers. She performed her song "Underwater" in the grand final, which achieved the 3ʳᵈ place out of 55 participating countries with 133 points. In this occasion she was selected to represent China, this time together with the Chinese-American singer Lizzy Wang. The song they performed was "Stranger Things", sung in English, placing 12ᵗʰ with 91 points.

AleXa represented South Korea three editions ago, in the twenty-sixth edition of the contest, together with the Kuwaiti-Saudi singer Bader Al-Shuaibi. They performed the song "Is It On", sung in Arabic, English and Korean, which placed 26ᵗʰ out of 55 participating countries with 45 points. In this occasion she was selected to represent Puerto Rico, this time as soloist, performing her song "Tattoo", sung in English and Korean. It unfortunately didn't qualify to the final, placing 49ᵗʰ out of 55 participanting countries with 11 points.

Withdrawing Countries
These countries confirmed their non-participation in the twenty-ninth edition of the contest:

• Åland Islands – Television Åland (TVÅ) confirmed on the 4ᵗʰ July 2022 that the Åland Islands would not take part in the twenty-ninth edition of the contest.

• Afghanistan – Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) announced on the 7ᵗʰ July 2022, that Afghanistan would withdraw from the contest for unknown reasons.

• Algeria – Algeria's broadcaster Établissement Public de Télévision (EPTV) announced on the 10ᵗʰ July 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, probably because of the poor results achieved in the last participations.

• Anguilla – National Broadcasting Corporation of Anguilla (NBCA) announced on the on the 8ᵗʰ July 2022, that they would not participate in the twenty-ninth edition of the contest, despite placing 13ᵗʰ in the previous edition and achieving the island nation's best result so far.

• Armenia – Armenian broadcaster Hayastani Hanrayin Herrustaynkerut'yun (ARMTV) announced on the 6ᵗʰ July 2022 that Armenia would withdraw from the contest after six consecutive participations.

• Aruba – Aruba Television (ATV) announced on the 10ᵗʰ July 2022 that Aruba would not take part in the twenty-ninth edition of the contest, despite their first qualification ever achieved in the previous edition.

• Belgium – Belgium's broadcasters VRT and RTBF announced on the 5ᵗʰ July 2022 that Belgium would not take part in the twenty-ninth edition of the contest, due to a lack of interest from the Belgian public.

• Estonia – Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) announced Estonia's withdrawal on the 9ᵗʰ July 2022.

• Fiji – Fijian Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) announced Fiji's withdrawal from the contest a couple of days after the confirmation period started, for unknown reasons.

• Ghana – Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) announced on the 10ᵗʰ July 2022 that Ghana's participation in the twenty-ninth edition of the contest would not be possible, citing debts and the ongoing financial issues.

• Grenada – Grenada did not appear on the list of participants published on the 10ᵗʰ July 2022.

• Guatemala – Radio y Televisión de Guatemala (RTG) announced on the 9ᵗʰ July 2022, that Guatemala would not participate in the twenty-ninth edition of the contest, for unknown reasons.

• Hong Kong – Hong Kong's broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) announced on the 8ᵗʰ July 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, because of the broadcaster's intention to focus on news content instead of music and entertainment.

• Iceland – Iceland's broadcaster Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) announced on the 6ᵗʰ July 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, without further explanations.

• Iran – Iranian broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) announced the country's withdrawal right after the final, citing low ratings during their time in the contest.

• Ireland – Ireland's broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ) announced on the 7ᵗʰ July 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, without further explanations.

• Israel – When confirmation period started, Israeli broadcaster Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC) stated that they had yet to make a decision on their participation. Israel later confirmed its withdrawal on the 9ᵗʰ July 2022, despite achieving good results in the previous editions.

• Lebanon – Télé Liban (TL) announced on the 5ᵗʰ July 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, for unknown reasons.

• Mexico – While Sistema Público de Radiodifusión del Estado Mexicano (SPR) had provisionally confirmed their participation in the contest on the 4ᵗʰ May 2022 and rumours about a possible representative, Mexico later announced a withdrawal in the following days.

• Netherlands – Dutch broadcaster Netherlands Public Broadcasting (NPO) announced on the 5ᵗʰ July 2022 that the Netherlands would withdraw from the contest, due to a lack of interest from the Dutch public.

• Nigeria – Nigeria's broadcaster Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) announced the country's withdrawal on the 10ᵗʰ July 2022, after the disappointment from the results of their previous attempts in the contest.

• Niue – Niue did not appear on the list of participants published on the 10ᵗʰ July 2022.

• North Macedonia – Macedonian Radio-Television (MRT) announced the country's withdrawal on the 6ᵗʰ July 2022, without further explanations.

• Palau – Palau did not appear on the list of participants published on the 10ᵗʰ July 2022.

• Samoa – Samoa Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) announced on the 9ᵗʰ July 2022 Samoa's withdrawal from the contest, because of financial crisis.

• Sierra Leone – Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) announced on the 10ᵗʰ July 2022, that Sierra Leone would not participate in the twenty-ninth edition, despite achieving a good result and their best result to date in the previous edition.

• Singapore – Singaporean broadcaster Media Corporation of Singapore (MEDIACORP) announced on the 8ᵗʰ July 2022 that Singapore would withdraw from the contest, without further explanation.

• Slovakia – While Rozhlas a Televízia Slovenska (RTVS) had provisionally confirmed their participation in the contest on the 5ᵗʰ May 2022 and rumours about a possible representative, Slovakia later announced the withdrawal in the following days.

• Solomon Islands – Solomon Islands did not appear on the list of participants published on the 10ᵗʰ July 2022.

• Tonga – Tonga Broadcasting Commission (TBC) announced the island nation's withdrawal on the 7ᵗʰ July 2022, probably because of the poor results achieved since their debut.

• Turkmenistan – Turkmenistan's broadcaster (TTV) announced on the 4ᵗʰ July 2022, that Turkmenistan would not participate in the twenty-ninth edition of the contest.

• Yemen – Yemen's broadcaster (YTV) announced on the 10ᵗʰ July 2022 its withdrawal from the contest, due to a lack of interest from the Yemeni public.

Other Countries
These countries confirmed their non-participation in the twenty-ninth edition of the contest:

• Isle of Man – On the 4ᵗʰ July 2022, the the Isle of Man's broadcaster Manx Radio announced that they were planning a debut again in OMSC 29, after their attempt in the previous edition. However, it was confirmed later on that day that the country would not debut in this edition of the contest either.

• Malawi – On the 3ʳᵈ July 2022, the Malawian broadcaster Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) announced that they were planning a debut in this edition of the contest. However, it was later confirmed that the country would not debut in OMSC 29.

• Maldives – Television Maldives (TVM) announced on the 6ᵗʰ July 2022 that the Maldives were planning a debut in OMSC 29. However, it was later confirmed on the following day that the insular nation would not debut in this edition of the contest due to bureaucratic issues.

• Nepal – On the 4ᵗʰ July 2022, the Nepalese broadcaster Nepal Television (NTV) announced that they were planning a debut in OMSC 29. However, it was later confirmed on the following day that the country would not debut in this edition of the contest, without further explanation.

• São Tomé and Príncipe – On the 3ʳᵈ July 2022, rumours about a debut of São Tomé and Príncipe in OMSC 29 arose. However, it was later confirmed that the island nation would not debut in this edition of the contest denying the rumours spread.