It’s the Eurovision down season, and don’t you for a second think we’re going to stop speculating, arguing, and pushing our heated opinions. Our latest series will look at the national finals of Eurovision, and discussing how we would reform the national finals of Eurovision. Today we’re having a look at Melodi Grand Prix.
In part ten of this series Daniel, Kittens, and Angus discuss what changes they’d make to Moldova’s national final
What is Etapa Națională?
Like most things Moldova do, Etapa Națională is frequently one of the more chaotic national selections of the season. Famed for its live auditons stage, Moldova’s selection in the last couple years has consisted of around 30 songs, of which a jury will assess and advance the songs they approve of to the live final stage. You don’t have to win the selection to become a hero, the likes of Tudor Bumbac and Misscatylove have worked their way into Eurovision folklore from their entries.
Do we like what the NF does so far, and do we think there’s a chance of it producing a winner?
Daniel
I love the chaos of Moldova’s selection. but I don’t think they will produce a winner through Etapa națională, they’re amongst Eurovision’s biggest underdogs and are already doing brilliantly relative to their economy and population. Maybe if Zdob şi Zdub come back in the 2030s for their once a decade participation they’ll get the win. I sadly doubt it will ever happen, but would absolutely adore being proved wrong.
Angus
Moldova, my beloved. This national final is a truly singular camp experience every year, with some of the best music of the year competing during a televised audition round during the afternoon on Moldovan TV, just waiting (usually in vain) to be found by audiences worldwide. Moldova has a surprisingly strong and varied music scene considering the size of the country, and we have seen some amazing stagings courtesy of TRM. Despite that, a Moldova win would be a true shock, albeit a very welcome one.
Kittens
I do have Moldova stan tendencies. Moldova’s NF is normally a treat, by which I mean absolutely chaotic mess, in the most affectionate way. There’s always an outside chance that it might produce a winner but everything feels so baffling that I can’t help but it would be distinctly on the rare chance rather than through any particular push, unless something changed. This year felt like they forgot how to Moldova, which is a bit of a shame.
What changes would we make to the National Final?
Daniel
TRM should really stop platforming some of the people that get into this selection, there’s apparently a round they have to go through but it doesn’t seem to be doing much. Beyond this, my usual point of 12-1 point schemes being stupid applies.
Angus
Considering the limited budget TRM operates with and the fact that part of the audition round jury votes again in the final, a smaller set of finalists might help the show. It means the jury can select the songs they truly like instead of adding songs just to make up the numbers, and gives TRM just a bit of extra financial wiggle room to help the artists give as good a show as possible at Etapa Națională and Eurovision. If we are worried about public favourites losing out in this system, I would not be opposed to a wildcard system where people can vote a NQ into the final. Speaking of the final, clarifying the tiebreak rules and in general changing the point system to be proportional would go a long way in making me a happier viewer.
Kittens
The temptation to say strip the whole thing down and remake it. Or even go internal, honestly. Yes we’d miss our Saturday afternoon popcorn and screaming session, but still. But realistically, if they still want to do a NF, they really need to take a look at what’s coming through their selection. I’d be in favour of a much tighter selection, whittled down to fewer acts but with higher production values. We all know that money is an issue here and there’s no hiding that, so looking at other ways to push the money that they do have to work harder would be a good idea.
Do we think any reforms are likely to happen to this NF?
Daniel
I don’t think so. The auditions phase has become a beloved part of the selection, and I think TRM know that and don’t want to mess with things.
Angus
This year was a bit of a miss overall, but in my opinion the submissions were also a bit weaker. So if the music quality bounces back, as it has often done in Moldova, I think Etapa Națională will not only remain pretty much the same for 2025, but also beyond.
Kittens
I don’t realistically see many changes happening. I do think this was a particularly poor year for the selection of songs and you can’t win them all for sure. It felt a little bit like Moldova just gave up at some point this year, which is such a shame. Moldova does best when it leans into the weird, so hopefully they get a return to form and push through in 2025.
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. They were dethroned by returners Sunstroke Project and the song ‘Hey Mamma’, which finished in 3rd place. At the close of voting, Moldova received 374 points.
After representing Moldova in 2007, Natalia Barbu returned to Eurovision in 2024 with the song “In the Middle”. She received 20 points in the first semifinal, ultimately placing thirteenth and missing out on the grand final.
What do you think about our reforms? As always, let us know what you think by commenting down below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all the latest Eurovision news!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Corinne Cumming / EBU
Tim J