Today the first rehearsals for Eurovision 2023 continue in Liverpool. Countries rehearsing on Day 2 include Israel, Azerbaijan, Czechia, The Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Armenia, Romania, Belgium, and Cyprus. The eighth to rehearse today is Romania’s Theodor Andrei.
Theodor Andrei’s first rehearsal
The eighth to take to the Eurovision 2023 stage at Liverpool Arena in Liverpool today was Theodor Andrei. Theodor Andrei will be competing in this year’s competition with his entry “D.G.T. (Off and On)” following his win at Romania’s national selection Selecția Națională.
Following Theodor Andrei’s first rehearsal a clip of what went on was posted on the official TikTok account of the Eurovision Song Contest. The clip showed Theodor Andrei before and after he took to the Eurovision stage for the first time, as well as giving us some insight into how well his first rehearsal went.
What did we learn about Theodor Andrei’s staging?
Photo Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU
The song has been given a revamp. At the start the song starts off acoustic and very stripped back. The song picks up the rockier theme around halfway through the performance. Theodor is wearing a yellow suit, with Pikachu socks included according to the Eurovision live-blog. Theodor has great stage presence throughout his performance. Joining Theodor on stage is a dancer which helps for a dramatic finish to Romania’s performance.
What we thought of Theodor Andrei’s first rehearsal
After Theodor Andrei’s first rehearsal, Rosie gave her initial thoughts on the snippet that we saw.
Who is Theodor Andrei?
Theodor is an 18-year-old singer-songwriter originally from Bucharest, Romania. He knew from a young age that he wanted to write and perform his own songs and takes inspiration from artists such as Elvis Presley, Aerosmith, and Bon Jovi as musical influences.
He first gained notice in 2017 when he participated on the Romanian version of The Voice Kids, where he reached the semi-finals. In 2020, he participated on The X Factor Romania, this time reaching the bootcamp stage.
Theodor has released several singles since 2017, including “Ţigări mentolate” with Valentina and “Prigoria Teen Fest” with Shtood. In 2022, he released his debut album Fragil.
“D.G.T. (Off and On)” was written by Theodor Andrei, Mikail Jahed, Luca de Mezzo and Luca Udățeanu.
Romania’s Eurovision Journey
Romania joined the Eurovision family in the Eastern wave of enlargement, making their debut in 1994. Their entry – Dan Bittman’s “Dincolo de nori” – finished in 21st place with a total of 14 points. At the introduction of semi-finals, Romania found their stride and were present in every Eurovision final until 2018. Romania’s best result is third place, scored twice in 2005 and 2010 respectively.
In 2022, Romania was represented by WRS with his song – “Llámame”. Performning at the second semi-final in Turin, Romania qualified for the final for the first time since 2017. At the close of voting in the final, Romania finished 18th in a field of 25, scoring 65 points.
What do you think of “D.G.T. (Off and On)”? Can Theodor bring Eurovision to Romania for the first time? Let us know your thoughts! Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok as we prepare for Eurovision 2023!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU
