#O Melodie Pentru Europa

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2006 - Number 61 - Millenium – "Cred în steaua mea"

The history of Formația Millenium (yes, one 'n') resembles a K-pop band formed of Soviet child musician heroes. They've had different generations of members, recruited in their teens to sing, record, perform everything from rock to pop to Christmas carol compilation LPs. They rehearsed and recorded in the basements underneath Chisinau State Circus, an abandoned Soviet monument to entertainment where they would freeze in winter and boil in summer. Their leader, impresario, and mentor was Vlad Gorgos.

The first incarnation started in the late 1990s and consisted of a group of kids including Vlad's own son. That band was 'replaced' in 2003 by a new brood of teenagers and students from the Chisinau music academy. They could sing, play instruments, perform - it was a modern day musical circus production line and I truly hope the conditions had improved by then.

It's this second generation of Millenium that found themselves on the second try that TRM had a national final in 2006. I'm not entirely sure which members of the band are on stage as there were more than six of them in the band at the time, but I'm fairly certain that the woman violinist and singer is Olga Gorcinschi. Until very recently one of their members had been a certain Natalia Gordienko - but she had other plans this year...

There was a semi-final and a final on TV. They sang Cred în steaua mea (I Believe in My Star) a turbo-folk fuelled rock workout started by a man cracking a whip. An allusion to their circus based home. It's a song sung by wide-eyed youngsters dreaming of a big, bright futures. They're fit, tanned and profess their belief in love just a little bit too much.

They cruised through the semi-final and the fun, young, vibrant group appealed both to the judges on the jury, who placed them second of the thirteen songs in the final and to the watchers at home who placed them fourth. That put them on seventeen points. Unfortunately for them, the three winners tied for first place, on eighteen points. Millenium were one point away from success!

Or so it seemed. That tie proved problematic for TRM. In order to resolve it, the took the unusual step of cancelling the entire national final after it had happened and scheduling a second one at short notice. They did invite the three bands who won, but only one of them agreed to take part. A completely new slate of another four acts were also invited to join in and it was one of those new acts (including former Millenium member Natalia Gordienko) that won. Obviously there were complaints, accusations of fixing and worse, but the new result stood.

The band were so close! As you might expect for a group managed by others, this wasn't going to be their final attempt and since 2006 they've taken part in two more Moldovan finals and one Romanian one. They've also continued to perform, record and churn out music with a line-up that has increasingly stayed static. Even now their members and former members release music under the Millenium banner. Olga Gorcinschi has even released a single on their YouTube channel within the last two months.

[thefandommess]

Europe:

Me:

[yodel-it]

Meanwhile in Moldova

Photo source: Eurovision Romania fb group

[anotherescsite]

The Moldovan

In the past, Moldova has been the poor cousin to it’s larger neighbors of Russia and Romania. But the last two years, Moldova has outshone both of these nations with two top 10 outcomes. They had a preliminary audition process and decided against a semi final, so they will have one show to select their one representative.

Anna Odobescu – Stay Nice clear vocals, decent song. Could be performed a bit more aggressively to give it an edge on the competition. At the moment, it’s a bit too safe.

Aurel Chirtoaca – La Cinema Moldovan. It’s kind of slow and jazz in style. Not really a fan of it; soundtrack is non existent and the song seems repetitive.

Tinna Gi – Virus Vocals are too quiet at the beginning and once they get louder we find that her voice is croaky. If it’s trying to be seductive, it is failing.

Diana Brescan – Lies Dianna seems like a vulnerable creature and it works well with this song. The song is very pained and Dianna puts that into her performance and vocals.

Siaj – Olimp Clunky up tempo number, and they seem to be performing appropriately. The singer doesn’t have an exceptional voice, but she doesn’t need it here.

Limonique – Gravity The mask on the drummer is brilliant. The ‘gravity’ quote has been filled, but this is a good song. It’s pleasant to listen to, and the group seem fun.

Maxim Zavidia – I will not surrender Handsome gentleman and he has an edgy song. It could do okay, song is strong and his singing isn’t so bad. There is scope.

Marcela Scripcaru – Meteor Didn’t start well, but the further into this song I get I start to enjoy it. Marcela has an okay voice and the song is nice enough.

Che MD – Sub Pământ Tone deaf people singing at each other what could have been a nice song to listen to. Maybe they can pull it together by the final.

Vera Turcanu – Cold It moves along nicely. The ladies voice is nice, the song is okay but it’s not remarkable. Has scope.

CONCLUSION

It’s too late for an internal selection so one of these is going to have to do. Gravity or I will not surrender.

[escunited]

TONIGHT: Five... yes, FIVE songs selected for Lisbon!

[eurovision-austria]

#Moldau: 26 Beiträge für O Melodie Pentru Europa 2019. #ESC #Eurovision #omelodiepentrueuropa Welche Beiträge werden es ins O Melodie Pentru Europa-Semifinale am 2. Februar schaffen? Der Rundfunk aus Moldau hat bekannt gegeben, dass 28 Beiträge für die nationale Vorausscheidung O Melodie Pentru Europa eingereicht wurden.

[nickelhatton]

Details of Moldova's O Melodie Pentru Europa 2018 Unveiled!

Who will succeed Sunstroke Project in representing Moldova at Eurovision? TRM outline selection process for Eurovision 2018!>>>

In 2018 Moldova will be hoping to improve on their best ever Eurovision result achieved last year with Sunstroke Project’s third place for ‘Hey Mamma!’. This quest will begin with their selection show O Melodie Pentru Europa 2018 and earlier this week Moldovan broadcaster TRM unveiled just what this would entail. (more…)

[eurovision]

Natalia Gordienko representará a Moldavia en Eurovision 2020 con “Prison”

Ya se ha dado a conocer la selección por la televisión moldava (TVM) para representar al país en Rotterdam el próximo mes de mayo.

A través del “O melodie pentru Europa 2020″ y entre 19 participantes Natalia Gordienko se ha alzado como favorita del jurado y televoto para ganar.

Recordemos que Moldavia participará en la segunda semifinal de Eurovision 2020 el próximo 14 de mayo en Rotterdam.

[mirai-desu]

Loving you is a losing game: An Ode to the Amazing Songs We Lost the Eurovision National Final Season 2020

YouTube Playlist Here

A few of my favorites did win their NFs but I did have others I loved. And here they are! I went with studio cuts to be consistent. List of songs with individual links below. [2019′s playlist is here.]

Rein Alexander - “One Last Time”  (Melodi Grand Prix - Norway) [image above comes from his performance, watch here] 

Pinguini Tattici Nucleari - “Ringo Starr” (Festival di Sanremo - Italy)

Victor Crone - “Troubled Waters” (Melodifestivalen - Sweden)

Magnus Bokn - “Over the Sea“  (Melodi Grand Prix - Norway)

Traffic - “Üks kord veel”  (Eesti Laul - Estonia)

Monika Marija - “If I Leave”  (Pabandom iš naujo! - Lithuania)

Anna Bergendahl - “Kingdom Come”  (Melodifestivalen - Sweden)

Kristin Husøy - “Pray For Me”  (Melodi Grand Prix - Norway)

Rasmus Rändvee - “Young” (Eesti Laul - Estonia)

Olga Lounova - “Dark Water” (ESCz - Czech Republic)

Aistay - “Dangus man Tu”  (Pabandom iš naujo! - Lithuania)

DRIKSNA - “Stay” (Supernova - Latvia)

Francesco Gabbani - “Viceversa”  (Festival di Sanremo - Italy)

Robin Bengtsson - “Take a Chance” (Melodifestivalen - Sweden)

Jordan-Ravi - “Pushing Stars” (Australia Decides)

Edgars Kreilis - "Tridymite"  (Supernova - Latvia)

Gabrielius Vagelis - “Tave Čia Randu” (Pabandom iš naujo! - Lithuania)

Miks Dukurs - “I’m Falling For You”  (Supernova - Latvia)

Kenny Duerlund - “Forget It All” (Dansk Melodi Grand Prix - Demark)

Sondrey - “Take My Time”  (Melodi Grand Prix - Norway)

Raphael Gualazzi - “Carioca“ (Festival di Sanremo - Italy)

Bárbara Tinoco - “Passe-Partout” (Festival da Canção - Portugal)

Méndez feat. Alvaro Estrella -” Vamos Amigos” (Melodifestivalen - Sweden)

Erika Vikman - “Cicciolina” (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailuun - Finland)

Sasha Letty - “Summer of Love’ (O melodie pentru Europa - Moldova)

Senhit - “Obsessed” (Senhit’s Digital Battle - San Marino)

Eden Alene - “Roots”  (HaShir HaBa - Israel)

Elin & The Woods - “We Are As One" (Melodi Grand Prix - Norway)

Iva - “Oculis Videre”  (Söngvakeppnin - Iceland)

Madara - "Māras zeme” (Supernova - Latvia)

Elísabet - “Elta þig” (Söngvakeppnin - Iceland)

Era Rusi - “Eja Merre”  (Festivali i Këngës 58 - Albania)

Darya Hmelnitskaya - “On Fire”  (Natsionalniy Otbor - Belarus)

Olea Roşu - “Alive”  (O melodie pentru Europa - Moldova)

Karelll - “At Least We've Tried”  (ESCz - Czech Republic)

Laika Upe - “All My Roads”  (Supernova - Latvia)

CLOUDLESS - “Drown Me Down” (Vibir - Ukraine)

Geirmund - “Come Alive” (Melodi Grand Prix - Norway)

Audiokvartāls - “Connection"  (Supernova - Latvia)

Elodie - “Andromeda” (Festival di Sanremo - Italy)

Elvana Gjata - “Me tana”  (Festivali i Këngës 58 - Albania)

Rūta Loop - “We Came From The Sun”  (Pabandom iš naujo! - Lithuania)

Merilin Mälk - “Miljon sammu”  (Eesti Laul - Estonia)

F3M - “Bananas”  (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailuun - Finland)

Lisa Børud - “Talking About Us” (Melodi Grand Prix - Norway)

Mariliis Jõgeva - “Unistustes” (Eesti Laul - Estonia)

Annemarija Moiseja - “Undo” (Supernova - Latvia)

Nína - “Ekkó”  (Söngvakeppnin - Iceland)

LITTLE MESS - “Without a Reason”  (Eesti Laul - Estonia)

Kanita -  "Ankth" (Festivali i Këngës 58 - Albania)

Thea Devy - “Sudnji dan“  (Beovizija  - Serbia)

Tika - “I Let My Heart Break“  (Uuden Musiikin Kilpailuun - Finland)

Eden Alene - ”Savior In The Sound “ (HaShir HaBa - Israel)

Malou Prytz - “Ballerina”  (Melodifestivalen - Sweden)

Igor Simić - “Ples za rastanak” (Beovizija  - Serbia)

Dotter - “Bulletproof”  (Melodifestivalen - Sweden)

Moniqué - “Make Me Human”  (Pabandom iš naujo! - Lithuania)

Jaagup Tuisk - “Beautiful Lie“  (Eesti Laul - Estonia)

Barbora Mochowa - “White & Black Holes” (ESCz - Czech Republic)

Astrid in Avantgarden - “Sing to Me” (EMA Freš - Slovenia)

Markus Riva - "Impossible"  (Supernova - Latvia)

TOKIONINE - “Save Me” (Depi Evratesil - Armenia)

Imset - “Femme Fatale”  (EMA - Slovenia)

Andrija Jo - “Oči Meduze” (Beovizija - Serbia)

Valeria Pasa - “It’s Time”  (O melodie pentru Europa - Moldova)

Elettra Lamborghini - “Musica (E Il Resto Scompare)” (Festival di Sanremo - Italy)

Eden Alene - “Rakata”  (HaShir HaBa - Israel)

Oda Loves You - “Love Who We Love”  (Melodi Grand Prix - Norway)

Angelika Pushnova - “True Love” (Natsionalniy Otbor - Belarus)

Catarina Sandu - ‘Die For You”  (O melodie pentru Europa - Moldova)

Mia Negovetić - “When It Comes to You” (Dora - Croatia)

Elizabete Gaile - "For You" (Supernova - Latvia) 

Lina Kuduzovič - “Man Like U” (EMA - Slovenia)

Roxen - “Colors” (Finala Eurovision România)

Lake Malawi - “Lucy” (Szansa na Sukces - Poland)

-

Bonus: Twosome - “Playa” (Pabandom iš naujo! - Lithuania)

Bonus Bonus:  Bugo abbandona il palco dell'Ariston  (Festival di Sanremo - Italy)

[escape-news]

Moldova: Eurovision 2020 Temsilcisi ve Şarkısı Belli Oldu

Moldova: Eurovision 2020 Temsilcisi ve Şarkısı Belli Oldu

Moldova’nın Eurovision 2020 temsilcisini ve şarkısını belirlemek için düzenlediği O melodie pentru Europa 2020 sonucunda ülkeyi Rotterdam‘da temsil edecek olan isim ve şarkı belli oldu… (more…)

[eurovision-revisited]

Eurovision 2005 - Number 17 - Zdob și Zdub - "Boonika Bate Doba"

In 2005, Zdob și Zdub are already kings of the Moldovan music scene. They've supported both The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine in eastern Europe. They've performed all over the world including big MTV performances. They've played in festivals in Moscow, Groningen, Sopot, Budapest, Minsk and Kyiv. They've had number one albums across eastern Europe. Not bad for a group of friends from a suburb of Chișinău. There must have been something in the water in the mid 1990s that resulted in a few bands being formed.

Their musical genre is somewhere between punk, hip-hop, and Roma folk music and their name is an onomatopoeic rendition of the sound of a drum being struck, with no further meaning than that. With Moldova's entry into Eurovision, who else were they going to call on?

The song they wrote for the occasion was Boonika Bate Doba (Grandma Beats the Drum). Right from the off Zdob și Zdub demonstrating clearly that not only are they fun performers with a sense of humour running throughout their music, but they also get Eurovision. The mix of folk and proper punk rock is modern Eurovision catnip, and although in 2005 it was in a sense swimming against a tide, that tide was turning.

It's an irresistible blast of punk fun telling us that you can forget the Beatles and Hendrix, grannies drumming skills are where it's at. Hear that Ringo? That's Grandma. They put their extensive stage experience and showmanship to play charming us with a highly accessible song.

There was the small matter of winning the first Moldovan national final, which they managed with little fuss. Then it was straight into the Eurovision semi-final. Despite an early running order, going on fourth of the twenty-five songs, they were so popular and memorable they finished second in the semi. That popularity carried forward into the grand final where on the occasion of Moldova's first ever Eurovision appearance, they finished sixth. Moldova were going to be a country to contend with at Eurovision despite their meagre resources.

Zdob și Zdub, of course, go on to represent Moldova twice more at Eurovision (to date!), and hold the record of being the only act to have qualified from a Eurovision semi-final three times. They've never not qualified. In fact, I'm pretty sure they've never not won the Moldovan national final when they've entered either. Possibly one of the most enviable Eurovision success records there is. I'm confident we'll be seeing them again.

[thefandommess]

Tonight’s update:

Trying to watch all these national finals tonight like

[escbuzz]

So that’s 38 plus Sashs (see earlier), but no Donita Gherman - Mr Roy reliably informs us she’s taking a year out to do theatre. She will be missed.

[mjeurovision]

Moldova: Stay may sashay away

What do you think of the Moldovan entry? Do you give it a toot or a boot? Check out my blog and let me know your thoughts!

Fresh from their second consecutive Top 10 finish and keen to keep the momentum going, we were treated to another instalment of O melodie pentru Europa on 3 March. Jury favourite and televote not favourite, Anna Odobescu, was crowned the winner and will perform the song Stay in Tel Aviv.

(more…)

[escunited]

Moldova: Anna Odobescu has won O Melodie Pentru Europa