Romania

Nico

About Quick Facts NameNico Matei Born1 February 1970 Nationality🇷🇴 Romanian National SelectionSelecția Națională 2009Selecția Națională 2008Selecția Națională 2007Selecția Națională 2006Selecția Națională 2005Selecția Națională 2004Selecția Națională 2003 In Eurovision2008 Belgrade SongPe-o margine de lune (&Vlad, 2008) Biography Nico, whose full name is Nicoleta Matei, is a Romanian singer and songwriter born on February 1, 1970, in Ploiești, Romania. Known for her powerful voice, she performs pop, soul, and jazz music. She has been an influential figure in the Romanian music scene for decades. Nico’s music journey began in the 1990s after graduating from the Școala Populară de Artă (Popular School of Art) in Ploiești. She became the lead singer of the Estradă section at the Toma Caragiu Theater in Ploiești and also completed her studies at the George Enescu Conservatory in Bucharest. Early in her career, Nico gained popularity by collaborating with Romanian hip hop artists like B.U.G. Mafia and Puya, blending pop with urban sounds. These collaborations helped her gain recognition in the Romanian music industry. In 2003, she released her debut album, Gând pentru ei (“A Thought for Them”), showcasing her emotional voice and versatile style. Between 2003 and 2008, Nico established herself as a household name, releasing hits like “Nu pot să mai suport” and participating in music festivals. Her performance at the Golden Stag Festival in Brașov further boosted her fame. Seven times in a row (2003-2009), she participated in Selecția Națională, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest. She won the contest in 2008. In 2008, Nico represented Romania at the Eurovision Song Contest with Vlad Miriță. Their duet, “Pe-o margine de lume,” was praised for its operatic and emotional style. It reached the Eurovision final and remains one of her most iconic songs. After Eurovision, Nico continued releasing music and performing at festivals. Between 2008 and 2020, she collaborated with artists like Cabron and Directia 5, exploring various music styles. In 2010, her hit “Poate Undeva” became a fan favorite. Ten years later, in 2020, she reunited with Cabron for “Oscar în doi,” a highly anticipated comeback collaboration. Nico is married to composer Laurențiu Matei, and they own a recording studio together. Balancing her career and family life, she remains a beloved artist in Romania, known for her talent, humility, and dedication to music. Entries Pe-o margine de lune (& Vlad) Country🇷🇴 Romania Year2008 LanguageRomanian LyricsAndreea AndreiAdina Şuteu MusicAndrei Tudor BackingsAndrei Tudor (piano) Results Semi Points: 94Position: 7Running order: 17 Results Finals Points: 45Position: 20Running order: 1 https://youtu.be/o_mvrGKbbqU?si=667haJAC01uY8QhA

Blast from the past: Romania 2003

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today we look back at Nicola’s Don’t Break My Heart, Romania 2003. Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest Romania made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994. The year before, they already did an attempt. That year, they took part in the Eastern European qualification round Kvalifikacija za Millstreet. Romania has never won the Eurovision Song Contest so far. Both Luminița Anghel & Sistem with Let Me Try (2005) and Paula Seling & Ovi with Playing With Fire (2010) reached a 3rd place. However, Romania did not participate in this year’s contest. They will also be absent in the 2025 contest. Luminița Anghel Selecția Națională 2003 The Romanian national selection is called Selecția Națională. That was already the case in 2003. Two semifinals were held with 12 songs each. Mălina Olinescu (Eurovision 1998) was one of the contestants but she didn’t reach the final. The 10 who did are listed below: Valahia sang Friends Are Friends, 11 pts. 3rd D’La Vegas sang Oxigen, 5 pts, 10th Nicola sang Don’t Break My Heart, 24 pts, 1st Genius sang My Life, 9 pts, 6th Paula Seling sang Let’s Go!, 11 pts, 3rd Răzvan Crivaci and Liviu Sorescu sang Once Upon A Time, 9 pts, 6th Alexandra Ungureau sang Make This Love Come True, 11 pts, 3rd Centru’ Civic sang Come With Us, 9 pts, 6th Aurelian Temișan sang Let’s Have A Holiday, 20 pts, 2nd Mihai Trăistariu (member of Valahia) and Paula Seling later also represented Romania, Paula even twice. Mihai Trăistariu Nicola Nicoleta Alexandru, known as Nicola, was born on November 5, 1966, in Bucharest, Romania. She began her music career in 1985, performing at the Mamaia Festival, where she won several awards. Nicola sang in various bands before launching her solo career in 1999 with the hit song Cu tălpile goale (Barefoot). The song gained widespread airplay on many radio and TV stations across Romania. In 2003, Nicola rose to fame after winning Romania’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Don’t Break My Heart. She represented Romania in Riga, Latvia, and secured 10th place. That same year, she released her album Best of Nicola, which achieved great success and earned her a Platinum Disc. Nicola continued her music career, releasing albums and singles such as De mă vei chema (If You Call Me) and Honey in 2005. She received several MTV Romania Music Award nominations and collaborated with well-known international artists, including Thomas Nichols. In 2019, Nicola competed again in Romania’s Eurovision selection with the song Weight of the World. Don’t Break My Heart Nicola wrote and composed Don’t Break My Heart, with her husband Mihai Alexandru producing the song. With its catchy tune and her strong performance, Nicola won first place in Romania’s national competition, securing her spot at the Eurovision Song Contest in Riga. On May 24, 2003, Nicola performed Don’t Break My Heart for an international audience. The song’s upbeat pop melody and her powerful vocals captured attention. Nicola finished in 10th place, earning 73 points from the voting countries, marking a strong result for Romania at that time.

🇷🇴 Blast from the Past: Romania 2006

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today: Mihai Trăistariu, who represented Romania in the 2006 contest with “Tornero”. Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest Romania made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994. The country has mostly participated every year, missing out only a few times. One notable absence was in 2016, when the country was disqualified due to unpaid debts to the European Broadcasting Union.Romania has achieved several respectable placements throughout the years, but, so far, the country hasn’t won the contest. Romania’s best results were third place, achieved in 2005 with the song “Let Me Try” by Luminița Anghel & Sistem and in 2010 with the song “Playing with Fire” by Paula Seling & Ovi. Romania is known for bringing a variety of music genres to the contest, from pop and rock to folk and traditional. Some entries, like “Zaleilah” by Mandinga in 2012, featured a mix of Romanian folk sounds with modern beats, giving it a distinct flavor.This year, unfortunately, Romania was facing their worst score ever, getting no points at all in the semifinal for “D.G.T. (Off and on)” by Theodor Andrei. Luminița Anghel Selecția Națională 2006 The Romanian national final always has the name Selecția Națională, also in 2006. Two semifinals and a final took place, three days in a row. The final, containing twelve songs, was held on February 26th. “Hey a hey”, Gina Pop Band, 4 pts, 10th “Se tu vuoi”, Linda, 10 pts, 6th “It’s our world”, Maria Radu & Mike Peterson, 5 pts, 8th “Sunshine”, Jasmine, 5 pts, 8th “Jokero”, Akcent & Nico, 20 pts, 2nd “Brand new feeling”, Dora, 13 pts, 3rd “Sagapo”, MiDo, 3 pts, 12th “Tornero”, Mihai Trăistariu, 22 pts, 1st “Be my boyfriend”, Indiggo, 6 pts, 7th “I believe in my star”, Laurențiu Cazan, 12 pts, 4th “Gândești prea high”, Delia, 4 pts, 10th “The universe”, Tony Poptămaș and Desperado, 12 pts, 4th Note that not only “Tornero” was a success. “Jokero” by Akcent and Nico also became an international hit. Aksent – Jokero Mihai Trăistariu Born on December 16, 1979, in Piatra Neamț, Romania, Mihai displayed an early passion for music. He began his music education at the Carmen Sylva Art School in Piatra Neamț and later graduated from the Bucharest Academy of Music. Mihai’s breakthrough came with his participation in various music festivals. In 1999 Mihai joined the group Valahia. They took part in the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2000 with the song “Why” and reached a 2nd place. Also in 2002 (“Mother”, 4rd), and in 2004 (“Friends are friends”, 3rd). In 2005 he also took part, now in duet with Nico, “All the time”. It was the same year that Mihai’s debut album was released. But his rise to international fame was cemented with his Eurovision entry. In 2006, he performed the song “Tornero,” a catchy pop track infused with operatic elements. The song finished in 4th place, one of Romania’s highest rankings in the contest, and subsequently became a hit across Europe.In total, Mihai released four albums. Also, he took part in Selecția Națională numerous times. His most successful participation, apart from “Tornero”, was “I won’t surrender” in 2017, which reached a 2nd place. In 2019 Mihai withdrew, because he did not agree with Romanian television on the way the contest was organized. He had taken part in a show on another tv-station (Your Face Sounds Familiar) and stated “I do not trust the objectivity of the Eurovision Romania organisers, regarding the unclear situation about the competitors — those who qualified through the pre-selection and those who were later favoured — I decided to withdraw.”Nowadays, Mihai Trăistariu has another career….. he is, as far as we know, the only Eurovision participant with an OnlyFans page. Tornero The song stood out due to Mihai’s powerful vocal range and its infectious pop-opera blend. At the contest, held in Athens, Greece, “Tornero” managed to achieve 4th place with 172 points. This ranking is one of the highest Romania has achieved in the contest. The track is a pop song with operatic elements, and its title, “Tornero,” is an Italian word meaning “I will return.” The song is about a man who promises his love that he will return to her. “Tornero” was well-received, not just within the Eurovision community, but also among general music enthusiasts. After the contest, it charted in several European countries and became a notable hit.

Ovi

© Albin Olsson About Quick Facts NameOvidiu Cernăuțeanu Born23 August 1974 Nationality🇷🇴 Romanian🇳🇴 Norwegian National SelectionSelecția Națională 2014Selecția Națională 2010Norsk Melodi Grand Prix 2009Norsk Melodi Grand Prix 2006 In Eurovision2014 Copenhagen2010 Oslo SongMiracle (2014, & Paula Seling)Playing With Fire (2010, & Paula Seling) Biography Ovidiu Cernăuțeanu, known professionally as Ovi Jacobsen or simply Ovi, is a Romanian-Norwegian singer-songwriter, producer, and musician. He was born on August 23, 1974, in Botoșani, Romania. Ovi began his music career in Romania, releasing several solo albums and singles. In the mid-2000s, he decided to relocate to Norway. This move led to a new chapter in his career, opening up international opportunities for him. In 2006, Ovi took part in the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix, the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. However, his song “The better side of me” got stuck in the 2nd chance round. In a new attempt in 2009 he did reach the final with his song “Seven seconds”. Ovi teamed up with Paula Seling again, and with Adrian Enache, to release the album “Duelul Pianelor” in 2017. A year later, her new solo album “Steaua Răsare” was released. In 2010, Ovi first came to prominence in the Eurovision scene when he represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest, partnering with fellow Romanian artist Paula Seling. The duo performed the song “Playing with Fire”, which proved to be a great success, finishing third in the contest – one of the highest placements for Norway in recent years. This performance also marked the first of several collaborations with Seling. In 2014, Ovi once again teamed up with Paula Seling to represent Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest. Their song, “Miracle”, managed to make it to the finals and ultimately placed 12th. Apart from his performances in Eurovision, Ovi is also known for his songwriting and production work. He has penned songs for various artists and contributed to several musical projects in both Romania and Norway. In 2019 for example, he wrote a song for Olivier Kaye. This song, “Right now”, was submitted to the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest and reached an 8th place in the final in Romania. In 2021, Ovi and others started a cross-country project playing live music. The band is called Popfolklorica. Also, he teamed up again with Paula Seling in January 2022 for the song “See You Again”. In March 2023, a new single came out for Ovi: “Două geci îmbrățișate”. In 2024 he went to Norway for a songwriting camp. He will also be part of ‘Eurovision on Tour’, performances of artists from the Eurovision Song Contest. Entries Miracle (& Paula Seling) Country🇷🇴 Romania Year2014 LanguageEnglish LyricsAndreas Sjo EngenFrida AmundsenKjetil HelgesenMarcus OnlyOvidiu CernăuţeanuPhilip Halloun MusicAndreas Sjo EngenFrida AmundsenKjetil HelgesenMarcus OnlyOvidiu CernăuţeanuPhilip Halloun BackingsJulie LindellLine KrogholmMads StormMarcus Only Results Semi Points: 125Position: 2Running order: 15 Results Finals Points: 72Position: 12Running order: 6 https://youtu.be/cAMpVodhiS4 Playing With Fire (& Paula Seling) Country🇷🇴 Romania Year2010 LanguageEnglish LyricsOvidiu Cernăuţeanu MusicOvidiu Cernăuţeanu BackingsAlexandra CraescuOana Puscatu Results Semi Points: 104Position: 4Running order: 10 Results Finals Points: 162Position: 3Running order: 19 https://youtu.be/J9EtMZXeQZw

Paula Seling

© Albin Olsson About Quick Facts NamePaula Seling Born25 December 1978 Nationality🇷🇴 Romanian National SelectionSelecția Națională 2014Selecția Națională 2010Selecția Națională 2008Selecția Națională 2004Selecția Națională 2003Selecția Națională 1998 In Eurovision2014 Copenhagen2010 Oslo SongMiracle (2014, with Ovi)Playing With Fire (2010, with Ovi) Biography Paula Seling (b. December 25, 1978, Baia Mare, Romania) is a well-known artist, performer, TV personality, composer and former radio show host. She graduated from High School in, and then from the Higher School of Journalism. She studied singing and piano. Paula is trilingual and speaks, writes and composes in French, English, and Romanian. In addition, she also performs well in Italian. She sang with Al Bano, Anita Doth (lead singer of 2 Unlimited), Tony Hawks and in the opening of concerts held in Romania by Joan Baez, Chick Corea, Michael Bolton, Beyonce. She collaborated with video producer Andreea Păduraru, obtaining an award for one of these collaborations (together with the director) in 2003 on MTV. Seling opened her own production house, Unicorn Records, together with her brother, Paul Seling, and her husband. Paula Seling has released over thirteen albums (including three Christmas albums) and more than twenty singles, including two top-ten hits in the Romanian Top 100, a minor European hit, which entered the charts in Finland and Norway, as well as the UK Singles Chart, and holds a good position on the global popularity chart by Starcount, which ranks artists from around the world. In 1998, Paula Seling took part in Selecția Națională, the national final for the Eurovision Song Contest, for the first time. The song “Te iubesc” reached a 4th place. In 2003 she reached one place higher with the song “Let’s go”. The song “Perfect” reached a 5th place in 2004, while, together with the band Provincialii, she reached a 3rd place again in 2008. In 2009, she released the music video for the single “Believe” from the album of the same name, which was launched a month earlier, specifically on June 10, at Silver Church. On March 6, 2010 she qualified for the 2010 Eurovision final in Oslo with the song “Playing With Fire together with Ovi.” They secured the third place in the Eurovision 2010 final in Oslo. In 2011, she accepted the invitation of Walt Disney Romania to lend her voice for the first time in an animated film, playing the role of Holley Shiftwell in the movie Cars 2 (the original voice belonging to Emily Mortimer). In 2012, she was chosen by Walt Disney to record the song “My Spirit Flies” (“I Can Really Fly”) for the Pixar Academy Award. In 2014, Paula and Ovi returned to Eurovision, this time with the song “Miracle”. A unique selling point in their act was Paula appearing as a hologram before the real Paula entered the stage. They reached the final again and secured the 12th place in it. In 2015, her new album “Povești De Iarnă” was released. A year later, Paula teamed up with Nicu Alifantis. Together they released the song “Weekend”. Shortly after that, her EP “De dragoste” came out. She also started teaching singing technics to young people in the Scoala de Muzika Paula Seling. Paula Seling teamed up with Ovi again, and with Adrian Enache, to release the album “Duelul Pianelor” in 2017. A year later, her new solo album “Steaua Răsare” was released. The duo teamed up again in January 2022 for the song “See You Again”. On June of the same year, her single “Soare Soare” came out, followed two months later by “Lasă doamne dor”. The song “Toata Lumea Are Un Dor” was released in September. Meanwhile, she worked on a project where she sang a song, “Neuitare”, based on the theme song of Schindlers List, in memory of the Romanian victims of the holocaust. In November 2022, Paula Seling released a new song and video, “Mandru cer senin”. For the folk songs “Ziua-i mare, Seara-i Sfântă” and “La Multi Ani de Sarbatori”, she teamed up with Ion Paladi. As a solo singer she released “Cel Mai Frumos Colind” and “S-a Nascut In Iesle”, all of these songs released in December 2022. In January 2023, Paula’s English song “My sweet and tender beast” was released, beside the English version of “Neuitare”, “I won’t light a candle”. In March “Tu nu vezi cerul” followed, and in the same month “Cer Si Mare Si Pamant”. Paula also played in a musical, “”vrăjitoarea Kera și cele 7 nestemate”. At the concert Potcoava de Aur she won a special award. In June 2023, Paula released a new single, “Noapte Calda”. The song was already written in 2000, but finally she made a video of it, recorded with The Angry Band. In October she released a new song, “Dor In Destin”. On 5 March 2024, Paula released a new single, “Inima Ce Inima Mi-a Dat”. Entries Miracle (& Ovi) Country🇷🇴 Romania Year2014 LanguageEnglish LyricsAndreas Sjo EngenFrida AmundsenKjetil HelgesenMarcus OnlyOvidiu CernăuţeanuPhilip Halloun MusicAndreas Sjo EngenFrida AmundsenKjetil HelgesenMarcus OnlyOvidiu CernăuţeanuPhilip Halloun BackingsJulie LindellLine KrogholmMads StormMarcus Only Results Semi Points: 125Position: 2Running order: 15 Results Finals Points: 72Position: 12Running order: 6 https://youtu.be/cAMpVodhiS4 Playing With Fire (& Ovi) Country🇷🇴 Romania Year2010 LanguageEnglish LyricsOvidiu Cernăuţeanu MusicOvidiu Cernăuţeanu BackingsAlexandra CraescuOana Puscatu Results Semi Points: 104Position: 4Running order: 10 Results Finals Points: 162Position: 3Running order: 19 https://youtu.be/J9EtMZXeQZw

Liverpool live: rehearsal schedule

We already head to day 5: some rehearsals of the 2nd semifinal, and….. the big 5. 11.30 – 11.50 Denmark11.55 – 12.15 Armenia12.20 – 12.40 Romania12.45 – 13.05 Estonia13.10 – 13.30 Belgium 14.40 – 15.10 Germany15.20 – 15.50 France16.00 – 16.30 Italy16.40 – 17.10 Ukraine17.20 – 17.50 Spain18.00 – 18.30 United Kingdom

Liverpool Live: a favourite in green

photo credits: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett/Corinne Cummings Finland After the lunch break, it is time for a lot of energy: Finland. As expected, Käärijä wears the green bolero jacket we know so well. He is accompanied by four dancers wearing pink. The show starts with Käärijä in a huge wooden box, climbs on top of a couple of pallets and sings there before he goes to the floor to continue his performance. We can at least say Käärijä’s performance spots a lot of energy. With Käärijä’s rehearsal, we saw all the participants in the first semifinal rehearse. It is time to continue with the second semifinal. Denmark Reiley’s performance is cleverly designed with a revolving structure that showcases three different colored rooms as he passes through doorways, utilizing the LED floor and projected graphics to special effects. The visuals range from swirling clouds to hearts and emojis, creating an atmosphere that gives the performance a dreamy feel. It’s very much in line with Gen Z sensibilities according to Eurovision.tv. Reiley himself is wearing pink, a colour we saw before today. Armenia Brunette is wearing a white dress with black sewings. She starts her performance on a sloped structure that is put upright. The structure has blue and pink swirls projected on it. The graphics and lightning change halfway as the song is changing it’s tempo. Brunette leaves the sloped structure, the stage is quite white with white squares in the background. Eurovision.tv speaks of strong vocals. Romania Yellow is the colour when we talk about Romania. Yellow suits, a yellow jacket and even yellow Pikachu socks! Theodor Andrei starts off with only a guitar on an empty stage. In the second half of the song, that all changes with much more energy. There is a dancer on stage as well. The end of the presentation seems to be quite dramatic, although eurovision.tv does not give more details about it. Belgium Belgium surprises with a completely different outfit than he had in the national final. Gustaph wears a white suit and a white hat, and a pink blouse. Gustaph has his own flight of stairs, which he intensively uses. He is supported by three backing vocals who play a main role in the entire show. He has a LED backdrop of vogueing, drag queens. A dancer also has a role in the act. Cyprus Eurovision.tv mentioned being impressed by Andrew’s vocal capacities. Andrew is wearing a black sleeveless vest. There’s an exciting energy in the way this song gradually intensifies from its opening note to an even more explosive conclusion. The LED background alternates between serene waterfalls and fiery flames. The floor has smoke and four banks of flames. in collaboration with Eurovision Artists

Liverpool live: rehearsal schedule day 2

Today is already the 2nd day of the rehearsals. What to expect today? After Sweden, we have another favourite in the contest today: Finland. But there is more: 11.30-12.00 Israel12.10-12.40 Azerbaijan12.50-13.20 Czechia13.30-14.00 The Netherlands15.10-15.40 Finland15.50-16.20 Denmark16.30-17.00 Armenia17.10-17.40 Romania17.50-18.20 Belgium18.30-19.00 Cyprus

Theodor Andrei

About Quick Facts NameTheodor Andrei Born09 October 2004 Nationality🇷🇴 Romanian National SelectionSelecția Națională 2023 In Eurovision2023 Liverpool SongD.G.T. (Off and on) (2023) Biography Theodor Andrei, born in Bucharest in 2004, is a Romanian singer. Theodor’s first success came in 2017, when he took part in Vocea Romaniei Junior (The Voice Kids Romania) and managed to reach the semifinals. Meanwhile, Theodor was performing many covers, which he placed on Youtube. His first original release came on 21 September 2017: “Young and sweet”. It was followed in October 2018 by a song in Romanian, “Și dacă azi zâmbesc”. Theodor Andrei released many singles, all in Romanian. In 2020, Theodor participated in the X-Factor. Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to survive the bootcamp. One year later, he had one of the main roles in the theatre play “Brainstorm”. On 25 July 2022, Theodor released the single “Ţigări mentolate”, for which he teamed up with Valentina. On 15 October of the same year, his debut album “Fragil” was released. On 11 February, 2023, Theodor was chosen to represent Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “D.G.T. (Off and on)”. With the song, he unfortunately did not reach the final of the contest. Entries D.G.T. (Off and on) Country🇷🇴 Romania Year2023 LanguageEnglishRomanian LyricsTheodor AndreiMikail JahedLuca de MezzoLuca Udățeanu MusicTheodor AndreiMikail Jahed DancersDiana Colea Results Semi Points: 0Position: 15Running order: 3 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/Bf3iPXU1RYU

It’s Theodor Andrei for Romania

Theodor Andrei will represent Romania. “D.G.T. (Off and on) is chosen out of 12 songs. The song is written and composed by Luca De Mezzo, Luca Udățeanu, Theodor Andrei and Xjahed. The rull results are: Theodor Andrei, “D.G.T. (Off and on), 5.230 pts Andreea D Folclor Orchestra, “Periniţa mea”, 4.845 pts. Andrei Duţu, “Statues”, 4.302 Aledaida, “Bla bla bla”, 4.250 Amia, “Puppet”, 4.232 pts. Steven Roho, Gabriela Lazar & Formaţia Albatros, “Lele”, 2.857 pts. Maryliss, “Hai vino”, 2.471 pts. Jaxman, “Bad & cool”, 2.459 pts. Deiona, “Call on me”, 1.878 pts. Andrada Popa, “No time for me” 1.606 pts. Ocean Drive, “Take me home” 1.469 pts. Adriana Moraru, “Faraleis” 925 pts.