Now it is January 2026 and that is long forgotten. Rather than shy back into the Song Contest, Moldova are back and producing the biggest show in Moldovan television history on their return to the Eurovision Song Contest.<\/p>\n
For the first time the Moldovan National Final is leaving the confines of a television studio and moving into the state-of-the-art Chi\u0219in\u0103u Arena, a venue less than three years old with a 5,000 capacity and perfect for this show. This isn\u2019t just a venue change, it\u2019s investing in lighting and enough LED screens that would satisfy all but the biggest National Finals in Europe.<\/p>\n
In 2015 I attended the selection show Moldova held to select a song the last time Eurovision came to Vienna. It was in a TV studio built in 1956, barely renovated since then, and the broadcaster had a grand total of five cameras to make a production from. This year that number is 19.<\/p>\n
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The bright colours of the Moldovan National Final stage (Photo: Gabe Milne, ESC Gabe)<\/p>\n
A New Professionalism<\/p>\n
The scale of the production is a source of immense pride and, for the artists, a significant step up in professionalism. Cristy Rouge, is one of the 16 finalists, captured the mood perfectly during rehearsals. Cristy is no stranger to the selection, with this being her seventh participation, but the last one was thirteen years ago. After managing restaurants, a beauty salon and starting a family, she is back on the stage because of the appeal of this show.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe production is huge. It\u2019s the first time Moldova has done something this big for the selection, and as an artist, you want to be part of that history. It feels more professional and more exciting than ever before\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This sentiment is echoed by\u00a0Satoshi, a fan favorite whose entry \u2018Viva, Moldova\u2018 feels like a modern anthem for the nation, and probably the act of the sixteen that would most fit into a playlist called Moldovan Eurovision. For him, the stakes go beyond the stage, speaking about how \u201cthis is a chance to show the positive side of our country, of our people.\u201d<\/p>\n
These are people that Satoshi talks passionately about from Europe\u2019s fringes. Describing himself as a \u201cbig supporter of EU integration of the Republic of Moldova\u201d, Satoshi understands that Eurovision can be a platform not for hard politics, but for positive cultural association.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think as a small country, we have to be at the table with, how to say it correctly, with the good guys. With the voices that are freedom loving, democracy loving, that want to progress and not engage in conflict, war and problems. To be a part of the free civilised world.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will be blessed if I represent Moldova at the international Eurovision. I\u2019ll do my best to be the greatest cultural ambassador of my country so that people can\u2026 so I can share our values, our kindness and energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Celebrating 20 Years of Moldovan Magic<\/p>\n
Throughout meeting the acts backstage many have spoken about how important it is to come back for this show not just for its scale, but also for its anniversary. I made the mistake at first in assuming this was speaking about Eurovision\u2019s 70th anniversary, but instead the milestone being celebrated is that this is Moldova\u2019s 20th participation in the Song Contest, and this show is a celebration of that.<\/p>\n
To celebrate, the show will be a \u201cwho\u2019s who\u201d of Moldovan Eurovision royalty. Expect performances from iconic acts like\u00a0Zdob \u0219i Zdub,\u00a0SunStroke Project, and\u00a0DoReDos\u00a0and many others, alongside international stars including\u00a0Paula Seling,\u00a0Efendi, and the legendary 2016 winner Jamala.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
There are a few headlines about this incredible effort worth sharing. Firstly the broadcaster has confirmed that the budget for producing this show has only risen a small percentage compared to previous years, with sponsorship and ticket sales helping to balance the economic burden of the increase in scale. Secondly TRM also changed their minds from their press release announcing their National Final in November. While the original decision was to have a National Final of five to ten acts, there are sixteen names competing for the ticket to Eurovision in the Chi\u0219in\u0103u Arena.<\/p>\n
Going to sixteen artists was a decision that the selection team for the show made \u2013 believing contrary to last year that the quality of the artists is high enough to produce a great show.<\/p>\n
And I would not disagree with that. Yes, expectations need to be adapted for the fact that in total Moldova had\u00a037 participants attend open auditions<\/a>, over 100 times less than my home nation of Sweden received, but the show produced here will not show that wide gulf between Moldova and some of Eurovision\u2019s most dominant big hitters.<\/p>\n Diversity of Songs and Stories<\/p>\n And in this mix you have acts like Satoshi with numerous international tours under their belt alongside songs like \u2018Pink Margarita\u2019 by C\u0103t\u0103lina Solomac that\u2019s hit viral success with 500,000 YouTube views and over a million combined views on TikTok from the 18-year-old\u2019s promotion in the past month. She succeeded in her aim of making it \u201cas viral as we could\u201d to promote the song for the Eurovision selection.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Of the competing acts only a handful have songs written from abroad. One of them is Dayana\u2019s song \u2018Doina\u2018, a collaboration of Dayana herself who travelled to Norway to participate in a songwriting camp there. \u2018Doina\u2018 was made their alongside Lasse Midtsian Nymann and Linda Dale of Eurovision winner \u2018The Code\u2019 fame as well as the Eurovision community\u2019s beloved Elsie Bay.<\/p>\n You would not know this is a songwriting camp song at all. With Dayana describing herself as an \u201cold soul\u201d, \u2018Doina\u2019 is the entry in the 16 that sounds by far the most traditional of all of them, one that blends Moldovan mythology and instrumentalisation with a traditional ritual on stage.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n And if you are reading ESC Insight and are looking for a different angle, let\u2019s look to compare two wildly different tracks with different messages pulling Moldova in different directions. Song four is by artist Evghenii Avramov, one that local press has critiqued for being a voice of the separatist Transnistrian regime<\/a>, the man behind the anthem for football club Sheriff Tiraspol and a performer on television shows on Russia\u2019s main channel. His entry \u2018Foc la ghete\u2018, with over one million views on YouTube, is one about the graft of hard work and being proud for the village by earning your keep rather than being lazy. Musically our best description in the press bubble was this was the most Soviet sounding Eurovision entry we\u2019ve heard since \u2018Born in Belorussia<\/a>\u2019 was submitted from Belarus in 2011.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Contrast that to the band Emforia\u2019s \u2018Tipare\u2019, a rebellious manifesto that names explicitly how both Moldova and Romania feel like home, ending with a defiant repeating phrase \u201cNu suntem a nim\u0103nui\u201d \u2013 a phrase best translated as \u201cwe are not anyone\u2019s\u201d \u2013 and one interpreted definitely that the will of the Moldovan people can not be influenced by other external forces.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n And middled in all this are those which much like the broadcaster are here doing by far the biggest thing in their career. If they have a career in music at all. I spoke to 33-year-old Valleria, an architect living in Paris, who promised herself that \u201cwhen I\u2019m going to grow up, I\u2019m going to make money so I can make music. While Valleria\u2019s previous history of public performances ever are in the single figures, you shouldn\u2019t tell on Saturday night. Her entry \u2018Valerian Steel\u00a0(Rai di ri di dam)\u2019is a fully independent, amateur endeavour with staging, graphics, songwriting and costumes all being led by Valleria herself.<\/p>\n And the best praise I can give this alternative pop song and three minute performance is that it looks and feels professional.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Investing in the Dream<\/p>\n Perhaps the most staggering detail of this \u201cnew era\u201d is the commitment from the broadcaster that we\u2019ll see after tonight. In a move that signals Moldova\u2019s absolute intent to perform in Vienna with the best, the champion will receive a \u20ac50,000 prize dedicated solely to their promotion and staging in Vienna. This represents roughly 0.5% of TRM\u2019s annual budget, a massive financial commitment that underscores how vital Eurovision is to Moldova\u2019s national identity.<\/p>\n Adelisha, performing with her song \u2018Alegria\u2019 that brings in the Portuguese language from her upbringing in Set\u00fabal,\u00a0noted this extra commitment during the lead-up to the final:<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t just about a winner\u2019s trophy anymore. The support TRM is giving us is unprecedented. It means we can go to Vienna as equals, ready to compete with the biggest delegations in Europe\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n And Moldova is desperate to make the right choice. The voting system has been overhauled so that it is more robust and more artists believe in it. For the first time there is an five person international jury, and the Moldovan jury has been increased to fifteen people, their names a secret to the public until the show starts. The juries combined have two-thirds of the total number of points, and televoting is being limited to Moldovan phone numbers only to avoid the scandal in 2024 with suspicions of fake numbers being used.<\/a> The voting needs to be more robust to get more artists to believe in it, and for Moldova to believe the selection process can find the right song to reach the Eurovision Grand Final, if not more.<\/p>\n The nation of Moldova considers Eurovision qualification as central to its outward identity, much like a FIFA World Cup run is for us with Scottish heritage, and that means this Saturday is more than just a TV show. It is a celebration of resilience, creativity, and a country that is finally giving its artists the stage they deserve. And they have to do it right.<\/p>\n And the one thing I\u2019ve heard the broadcaster say repeatedly while here in Chi\u0219in\u0103u \u2013 \u201cwe want to win\u201d.<\/p>\n This National Final gives Moldova the best possible springboard to reach that lofty goal. It\u2019s well worth watching to see the passion, belief and production quality that TRM and Moldovan artists can now deliver.<\/p>\n