Last night the audition round of Etapa Națională too place, and saw 24 acts get narrowed down to 12 finalists; all hoping to represent Moldova at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel.
The finalists
The following 12 acts will participate at the final of Etapa Națională on the 22nd of February.
| Royals ST | “Zboară-n sus” |
| Nadya Crajevschi | “Not a Shadow” |
| Sasha Bognibov | “All-Night Party” |
| Chris Cross | “Eu vin” |
| Vadim Eleni | “Mamă, să fii!” |
| Rina | “Dorințele” |
| Bacho and Carnival Brain | “Semafoare” |
| Priza feat. Mc Mike | “Kookoo” |
| Lodos | “Sentimental” |
| Katy Rain | “Timpul” |
| Cătălina Solomac | “Demons” |
| Zelorielle | “Miracle” |
In addition to the 26 acts that participated last night, there were four other acts who were initially selected to participate in the audition round, but did not. Eblash band were forced to withdraw, citing the illness of one member. Additionally three more acts did not compete:
- Anna G – Meet Me in the Dark
- Dan Alexandrov – Can’t Escape
- Valleria – A picture of myself
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.
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.
Are you happy with tonight’s Etapa Națională qualifiers? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2025!
Source: TRM
Photo credit: TRM
Giwrgos Oiko