Eurovision in Malmö is now just over a month away. In the lead-up to the start of rehearsals, we will get to know a bit more about this year’s artists, their discography, and their Eurovision 2024 journey so far. Next up, we will preview Moldova’s 2024 representative Natalia Barbu.
Natalia Barbu’s Eurovision Journey So Far…
Natalia Barbu was selected to represent Moldova with “In The Middle” after winning national final “Etapa Națională 2024”. Late last month it was determined that Natalia will perform eleventh in the first Eurovision Semi-Final in Malmö on May 7th.
Natalia Barbu has been confirmed to be taking part at Eurovision in Concert on April 13th. Prior to writing, Natalia also took part in Pre-Party ES24 in Madrid on March 30th. As well as this, Natalia also participated in the London Eurovision Party on April 7th.
What do we think of “In The Middle”
The team at That Eurovision Site have reacted to Moldova’s entry for Malmö. Tim gave his thoughts on “In The Middle”, which you can check out below, you can also check out our written review here:
Who is Natalia Barbu?
Natalia Barbu is a 44-year-old singer-songwriter born in the Moldovan city of Bălți. A prominent member of the Moldovan jazz scene, Natalia often collaborates with up-and-coming artists to help expand her own musical experimentations. Natalia is musically trained and received her training first at the Stefan Neaga Music School, then at State Conservatory. Natalia has also received a major as a violinist. She first came to public knowledge in 1998, through competing in various music competitions.
In 2007, Natalia represented her nation at Eurovision in Helsinki with her song “Fight”. At the close of voting, she finished in 10th place. She then shifted her style to summer pop and was well-received in her native country. After Eurovision 2007 Natalia has released four albums and twenty singles. Her most well known single outside of competing at Eurovision is “lubeste-Ma Azi”, which is a track off her latest album “La Capatul Cerului”.
Her Eurovision song for 2024, “In the Middle”, is written by Natalia herself and Khris Richards.
Moldova’s Eurovision Journey
Moldova is relatively new to the Eurovision Song Contest, joining in 2005. Their debut entry, Zdob și Zdub, finished in 6th place, which had remained their highest scoring entry up until 2017. This was thanks to the Sunstroke Project performing ‘Hey Mamma’, finishing in 3rd place. At the close of voting, Moldova received 374 points.
In 2023, Pasha came back to the Eurovision stage to represent Moldova at the Contest in Liverpool. Performing his song “Soarele și luna”, Moldova qualified for the final, finishing in 5th place. Following the jury and televote points in the final, Moldova received 96 points, finishing in 18th place. Of the 96 points, 20 were given by the jury, while the remaining 76 is given by the televote.
What do think about “In The Middle”? Are you excited for Moldova’s participation at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
News Source: Natalia Barbu/ That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Mihai Turculet
Rory Gannon