One of the 24 competing entries in Moldova’s national final, Flying by Boris Covali has been withdrawn from the competition. It will be replaced by Boris’ other entry, Perfect Day.
There was no eligibility issue with the song, but it seems Boris Covali’s management decided that Perfect Day, written by Brandon Stone, was the better entry for him, despite the fact that that entry did not make the cut of 24 songs in TRM’s casting. Flying, written by the well known composers Michael James Down, Jonas Gladnikoff, Primož Poglajen and Dimitri Stassos, did make the cut. A commercial release and remake of the song were already planned.
The songwriters of Flying have released a statement about their view on the matter, stating they were rather surprised by the withdrawal of Flying. They also say:
Unfortunately there has been nothing we can do about this. We had hoped “Flying” would compete in what we wished would be a fair contest, and possibly even go as far as Eurovision. But as things are now, we don’t have the power to do anything about this and are therefore forced to face reality and face the disappointment.
The songwriters added that they were looking into legal action, but for now, TRM has included Perfect Day in the list of competing entries for their national final. The full statement by Down, Gladnikoff, Poglajen and Stassos can be found here.
Nor TRM, nor Boris Covali’s management have commented on the situation, so for now we have only heard one side of the story. Their national final, O Melodie pentru Europa 2014, will take place next month, on 11, 13 and 15 March. There is a lot of time before that, so this story will without a doubt be continued.
