Fenksta is a versatile artist from Umag, Croatia, excelling as an MC, producer, singer, and beatmaker. He began his career in 2008 with KUGA and has worked on nearly 100 projects spanning multiple genres. A graduate of NVCC and Berklee, he has appeared on talent shows like ‘Supertalent’ and ‘Joomboos Rap Camp’. He’s also a beatmaking champion and hosts beatbox battles in Zagreb. He also recently performed alongside Baby Lasagna at Šalata in Zagreb in 2024!

Now, he’s preparing for the Dora 2025 stage with his entry Extra.

DK: Firstly, why have you chosen the stage name Fenksta, and what does it mean? Or is it a secret?

Fenksta: There’s a bit of backstory needed. So my nickname for friends and family is Zuš (pronounced Zoosh), and the artist responsible for my love for Hip Hop and the drive to make music myself is Eminem, which isn’t new info haha. I was and still am so in love with Hip Hop that rapping is like breathing and I do it on a daily basis. Back in high school, people didn’t get that, so while people from other grades were asking me to rap for them all the time, to them it was still “look at this idiot”, which thankfully I didn’t understand and don’t care for now. One guy from my class, who also loves Hip Hop, so he wasn’t mocking me, randomly said “Zuš, the Gangsta” in a playful way, as Croatians still associate Hip Hop with being gangsta, playing basketball and smoking weed. Then by best friend jumped in who said “No, no. He’s Fenksta”. We all looked at each other confused, but he didn’t know either what he meant by that. Two years later in senior year, when I started writing my first verses, it randomly popped into my head again and I said “This is it”. It’s just a word that has no meaning, it’s unique, it’s me. Over time it became some sort of “fake gangsta”, so not the stereotypical rapper Europeans see from the US.

DK: You were introduced to many Croatians through your participation in ‘Supertalent’. Does a show like that help prepare you for Dora/Eurovision?

Fenksta: I don’t think it does. I am very open about the fact that I used that media attention from Supertalent as a stepping stone for Dora, which I hope also didn’t work, because that would mean that the song itself was good enough for me to get it haha. As cringe those talent shows are, it did double my social media following, so even more people have heard of me now. But Dora and Eurovision are sooooo much bigger than Supertalent, there’s more work you need to put in, the production value is bigger too, and you have the attention of the entire world, not just a select number of people watching TV in Croatia.

DK: You’re back at Dora for a second year in a row. Last year, “Ogledalo” didn’t get the recognition it deserved, so is your participation this year some unfinished business for you?

Fenksta: Frankly, “Ogledalo” was my first attempt at Eurovision, so this also kind of feels too soon to be part of it. With the mindset that is present in Croatia and the music industry, I was expecting it would take a year or two, but to get in on my second try feels like a giant accomplishment in itself. I’d say that any time I don’t make the national final would be unfinished business, ’cause I want to be part of Eurovision so badly haha.

DK: Could you tell us a bit about your Dora song “Extra”? You will perform it in Croatian, so what should fans who don’t speak Croatian take away from your performance?

Fenksta: The performance is very much tailored to the lyrics, where certain things I say have been translated into the choreography. I’m sure loyal ESC fans will have a tab open to read the translation if they haven’t already, but the main takeaway is that people shouldn’t conform to any social rules that are pressured on them. Everybody experiences it at some point that your parents or grandparents will tell you that you need to have a degree, you need to have a job, you need to have a family. Bro, no, you don’t have to do ANY of that. Bottom line is that you shouldn’t listen to anyone’s BS and go your own way. I saw this one quote somewhere online on a meme or something and I put it into the song: “Don’t let anyone dull your sparkle”, and I think that’s beautiful. Be yourself, be extra, people will talk no matter what.

DK: An interesting fact in your bio is your ranking in the top 100 in the world for fastest rapping. How did you develop this skill and will we get to see it in action on the Dora stage this year?

Fenksta: Sadly that’s already outdated. Apparently there’s a new formula to calculate the syllables per second even more precisely, and with even more people making music, it’s as dense as ever. Now only one person from the Balkans made the latest Top 150, someone I’ve worked with last year, who goes by the name of MIC-MC. For those who want to look it up, the song is called “Moderna” by Yokai feat. MIC-MC. I made the beat for it. As for the skill, I don’t remember which song was the first, but as soon as I heard the first fast rap song, I wanted to try it myself, because it was just so impressive. In high school it was “Break Ya Neck” by Busta Rhymes that I was performing in the bus on the way home from school. And so with every new song I’ve heard that has fast rapping, I just kept trying it out until I found myself in it. I wanted to be able to pronounce everything correctly, which is is something I’m praised for the most when it comes to that skill, especially since English is my 3rd language, and then I eventually started writing verses like that.

DK: That’s still very impressive! And you have some interesting links to Baby Lasagna – you’re both from Umag, and you were both chosen to participate in Dora from the reserve list. Are there more similarities, or is that where your links with him end?

Fenksta: I’d say we both have a huge love for music, regardless of genre, so I wouldn’t put either of us in a specific genre-box. Sure, I rap, and that’s the main thing about me, but I have also done songs in other genres. His beginnings were oriented more towards Hard Rock or Metal, but I know he also has a giant love for Hip Hop, he can rap too, and – a little inside info – we were supposed to do a song together back in 2018 or 2019, but that sadly didn’t happen. I blame myself for it hahaha

DK: You’re a huge Eurovision fan yourself, and you took it upon yourself to go back and watch all the Eurovision Song Contests. Do you have any favourite moments, songs, artists that stick out in your mind from the previous editions?

Fenksta: Not only did I watch all the years, but I also have a dedicated and color-coded spreadsheet with my personal ranking of each year, a combined score, and other sheets with more detailed info about it. I saw people on reddit do a Top 37, Top 43 and whatnot and wanted to do it myself, so I did. As for favorite moments, let’s do that chronologically:

• Jean Philippe – Le Retour (Switzerland 1962) – one Croatian rapper sampled this song. I loved the beat for it, but then when I realized what the original is, I was blown away even more
• Fernando Tordo – Tourada (Portugal 1973) – for some reason that entire year has such good sound quality, and “Tourada” is just the best of the bunch
• Dschingis Khan (Germany 1979) – this may be the first ESC song I’ve ever heard before I knew what Eurovision even is either that or Wadde Hadde Dudde Da (Germany 2000)
• Sertab Erener – Everyway That I Can (Turkey 2003) – this was the first year I started watching Eurovision
• Tina Karol – Show Me Your Love (Ukraine 2006) – as a kid, this song has stuck with me the most, plus Ukraine is on top of my rankings when it comes to what I call the modern era (from when I started watching onwards)
• Tamara Todevska – Let Me Love You (North Macedonia 2008) – after this year I had a 10-year hiatus from watching, but this was branded into my skull for years
• DoReDoS – My Lucky Day (Moldova 2018) – I think this is the best staging I’ve seen in ESC history, and the year I started watching ESC again regularly
• I am so in love with Dađi Freyr as an artist, I’ve seen him live twice, I bought his album on CD and vinyl, and I’m actually a backing vocal on one of the songs from the album
• the entire year of 2022 – probably the highest quality of music any year has ever had, and it also produced my all-time favorite song from ESC, which is Trenulețul by Zdob și Zdub, the true Balkan feeling haha
• the entire year of 2023 – the love between the artists is something that is soooo unmatched.

Let us know who your personal favorites are in both semi finals of DORA by voting for them in our polls below:

Last year at Eurovision, Croatia won the televote, but finished 2nd overall in the end with Baby Lasagna’s “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”.