Singer-songwriter Raiven will represent Slovenia at this year's Eurovision Song Contest with Veronika, a dramatic epic song inspired by the story of Veronika Deseniška, the first woman in Slovenia known to be tried for witchcraft.

The public broadcaster TV Slovenija released the song and the video in a special show on 20 January, after announcing Raiven as the winning pick of an international judging panel to be Slovenia's Eurovision 2024 entrant.

Raiven, the stage name of Sara Briški Cirman, a 27-year-old singer, harpist and mezzo-soprano, created the song for her upcoming album in which she explores the stories of iconic women from various historic periods.

Speaking for the Mission Malmö show, she said it took her more than half a year to create and record the song, making the first demo at home, then working on it in London before completing the song with Maribor producers.

Raiven collaborated on the song with Bojan Cvjetićanin, the vocalist of Joker Out, Slovenia's 2023 entrant who finished 21st with their song Carpe Diem before carving out a successful international career for themselves.

The lyrics are in Slovenian but Raiven is convinced that both the story and the music are strong and expressive enough that their essence and emotional depth will be perceived and understood even by non-Slovenian speakers.

The video features dancers of the Ljubljana national ballet company, combining water and fire elements in a reference to Veronika Deseniška, the second wife of Frederick II, Count of Celje, who after being acquitted of witchcraft, was murdered in 1425, allegedly on orders from her father-in-law, by being drowned in a bathtub.

Raiven said the video was a good indication of what the international audience will be able to see on stage in Malmö, Sweden.

Slovenia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 28 times since making its debut as an independent county in 1993. It has never won the contest, and its best result is two 7th place finishes in 1995 and 2001.

Since the introduction of the Semi-finals in 2004, Slovenia has only managed to qualify for the Grand Final seven times out of 19.