Balkanika is a Serbian band formed in 1998 by Aleksandar "Sanja" Ilić, a well-known composer. He is no stranger to Eurovision, having written the song Halo, halo for the group Aska who represented the former Yugoslavia at the 1982 contest in Harrogate.
They fuse together electronic and traditional Balkan instruments to create a new and original sound.
The group represented Serbia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 in Lisbon with the song Nova deca, finishing in 19th place in the final.
Ilić passed away on 7 March 2021 at the age of 70 due to complications from COVID-19.
