Norwegian-Romanian singer OVI, who represented Romania alongside Paula Seling in 2010 and 2014, has shared via his Instagram that he may try to participate in the competition a third time.
“We’ve been on the grind”
Earlier this month, OVI shared an Instagram post of himself in a studio alongside singer and composer Laurentiu Duta, captioned “Ne-am pus pe treabă!” (English: “We’ve been on the grind!”). The post was tagged with #ESC2024 and the Swedish flag emoji. Romanian producer and songwriter Daniel Antonescu was also tagged.
Born in Romania, OVI–real name Ovidiu Cernăuţeanu–moved to Norway in 1995 and attempted twice to represent Norway at Eurovision. He first entered Melodi Grand Prix in 2006, and was a finalist in 2009, but lost to Alexander Rybak. The following year, he represented his home country alongside Paula Seling; their song “Playing with Fire” placed third, Romania’s best result in the contest to date. The duo returned in 2014, where “Miracle” placed twelfth in Copenhagen.
Romania has yet to confirm its participation in 2024; EurovisionFun reports that participation is contingent on TVR’s budget being approved by the Ministry of Finance. The initial funding allocated to TVR was not sufficient to cover Romania’s Eurovision participation, but the broadcaster has submitted a revised budget plan.
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. Following 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, which they achieved in both 2005 and 2010.
In 2023, Romania was represented by Theodor Andrei with his song – “D.G.T. (Off and On)”. Performing at the second semi-final in Liverpool, Romania failed to qualify for the final. At the close of voting in the semi-final, Romania finished joint last, scoring 0 points from the televote.
Would you like to see OVI return in 2024? Do you think Romania will participate in the upcoming contest? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok as we look ahead to Eurovision 2024!
News Source: Ovi, EurovisionFun
Photo Credit: Ovi
