Following a three episode national selection of O Melodie Pentru Europa 2016, the representative of Moldova was selected by the public of the country and a jury of experts. Lidia Isac will fly the Moldovan flag in Stockholm in May.
Following two semi-finals that were held on February 23rd and February 25th, the final of O Melodie Pentru Europa 2016, which is the national selection for Moldova to select their Eurovision entry, was held tonight live from TRM Studio 2 in Chișinău.
The Songs
Valentin Uzun – Mine
Valentin is kicking off the show with his song Mine, which is serving us some Pasha Parfeny’s Lautar vibe with its folksy influences. Overall, a forgettable song that only reached sixth place in the first semi-final.
Maxim Zavidia – La La Love
No, this is not a cover of Cyprus’ Ivi Adamou, Maxim delivers his own La La Love. Another unfortunately forgettable pop song despite getting first place in the first semi-final and getting twelve points from the televote! Maxim, I’d say, is quite a charismatic performer however so that could help him.
Doinița Gherman – Irresistible
Doiniţa brings energy with Irresistible. The first song that truly has potential to make it to Eurovision, but could have a tough time qualifying to the final. It managed to get third place on Tuesday’s show and I can feel that Ruslana may have been an inspiration for it.
Lidia Isac – Falling Stars
Now this is getting better and better. Lidia has the best song so far with Falling Stars and I can see this doing decently in Stockholm. Lidia managed to get first place during the second semi-final and twelve points from the public televote.
Big Flash Sound – Când vrei
First non-English track of the night. This one is a high energy funky tune. Nothing special about it, it sounds very dated. This is also a song that was picked solely by the jury as the public gave it zero points during the semi-final.
Che-MD – Vodă E Cu Noi
The only good thing about this song is the flute. Considering there is already a much superior rock band competing in Stockholm, this wouldn’t stand a chance. It reached seventh place in the first semi-final. I think the lead singer needs a new hair stylist!
Andrei Ionița & Onoffrei – Lie
You really can’t fault someone for trying something different and this sure is extremely different to anything I’ve heard this year so far. Unfortunately, being different doesn’t always result in something good. I’m not quite sure what I’ve just witnessed. An odd fusion of rap and chanting that qualified in seventh place of the second semi-final.
Cristina Pintilie – Picture Of Love
Here is the first true ballad of the night. A pretty one but pretty forgettable, too. Clearly Moldova isn’t quite playing in the same league as other Eurovision nations yet. This one reached fourth place in the semi-finals.
Nadia Moșneagu – Memories
Nadia comes next with her ballad Memories. Again, this sounds rather dated, nothing original. Nadia sings with emotion but I can’t see this going far. It still managed to be second in its semi-final.
Rodica & Ivan Aculov – Stop Lying
After all the male-female duets we had in Vienna comes Moldova’s version of it. This one is a power ballad with some interesting modern sounds. It got fifth place during the semi-final, but with ten points from the public.
Emilia Russu – I Am Not The Same
Emilia brings another ballad. This one sounds quite good in the studio version. She was saved during the after-show at the first semi-final as the eighth act.
Viola – In The Name Of Love
Viola brings her raw emotion to In the Name Of Love. A perfect song for a chill blues lounge. Probably not so much for the Eurovision stage, but she brings some interesting elements to the main stage. It got fifth place in the first semi-final on Tuesday.
DoReDos – FunnyFolk
As the title mentions, this is a folk song with quite a funny twist to it. Imagine electro-folk. An interesting twist and something definitely different than anything we’ve heard so far. It still managed to get fourth place in the first semi-final.
Max Fall feat. Dan Vozniuc & Malloy – Game Lover
Finally something I could see doing decently in Stockholm! Game Lover is a fun funky rocky tune that finished third in the second semi-final with eight points from the televotes. Also, the lead singer looks exactly like Zac Efron!
Valeria Pașa – Save Love
Another decent ballad. Valeria’s voice reminds me a lot of Jessica Simpson actually and I’m not sure if that’s good or not. She has a good voice but it sounds like this song could have been out in 2001. It got the second place in the first-semi final earlier this week.
Felicia Dunaf – You and Me
Another ballad to finish the show by Felicia. You and Me sounds beautiful with a mix of piano sounds and flutes, and, midway through, the beat starts and turns it into a pretty decent tune. This one was saved during the second semi-final’s after-show on Thursday.
The Show
The final of O Melodie Pentru Europa was hosted by Sergiu Beznițchi and Olivia Furtună. The sixteen songs that qualified from the first two semi-finals earlier in the week were peformed and the winner was selected based on the combination of public televote as well as votes from a jury of experts.
The 2012 Eurovision Song Contest representative Pasha Parfeny also performed during the grand final.
The Results
| Artist | Song | Total | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valentin Uzun | Mine | 6 | 8 |
| Maxim Zavidia | La La Love | 14 | 5 |
| Doinița Gherman | Irresistible | 6 | 7 |
| Lidia Isac | Falling Stars | 20 | 1 |
| Big Flash Sound | Când vrei | 5 | 9 |
| Che-MD | Vodă E Cu Noi | 0 | 16 |
| Andrei Ionița & Onoffrei | Lie | 1 | 12 |
| Cristina Pintilie | Picture Of Love | 18 | 2 |
| Nadia Moșneagu | Memories | 1 | 13 |
| Rodica & Ivan Aculov | Stop Lying | 4 | 10 |
| Emilia Russu | I Am Not The Same | 0 | 15 |
| Viola | In The Name Of Love | 2 | 11 |
| DoReDoS | FunnyFolk | 16 | 4 |
| Max Fall feat. Dan Vozniuc & Malloy | Game Lover | 6 | 6 |
| Valeria Pașa | Save Love | 17 | 3 |
| Felicia Dunaf | You And Me | 0 | 14 |
Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest
Moldova has been competing in the Eurovision Song Contest every year since 2005. Their best placing so far has been in 2005 with the song Bunica Bate Toba performed by Zdob şi Zdub.
The worse result they’ve had so far was in 2014 when Cristina Scarlat’s Wild Soul not only failed to qualify to the finals but finished in last place.
In 2010, the entry Run Away by Sunstroke Project and Olia Tira became an internet phenomenon when the saxophone player’s solo was used in various YouTube memes, resulting in the popular Epic Sax Guy clips.
Check out below EuroVisionary’s highlights of Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest from 2010 to 2015.
