Following her second rehearsal at Eurovision 2024, our Rory got a chance to catch up with Natalia Barbu to discuss her Malmö experience so far.
Watch out interview with Natalia Barbu here:
Together, Rory and Natalia had a quick chat about her rehearsals on the stage in Malmö, as well as the comparisons to her previous Eurovision experience in 2007. She also describes her love for violins and her pride in representing the Moldovan music scene.
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 you think of our interview with Natalia Barbu? Do you think she will qualify for the final this year? Where would you like Moldova to finish this year? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we cover the rehearsals of Eurovision 2024!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: That Eurovision Site
Rory Gannon