Last week, Moldova officially confirmed their participation in the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest by being amongst the 42 broadcasters on the official 2018 participation list revealed by the EBU. TRM has now revealed to Eurovoix.com that preparations are underway to stage a national final in 2018. Therefore, it seems O melodie pentru Europa will be back for another year.
A consistent national selection
O melodie pentru Europa has been responsible for choosing all of Moldova’s Eurovision Song Contest entries with the exception of 2007. In 2007, several candidates performed in an untelevised final where a jury internally selected Natalia Barbu to sing Fight in Helsinki.
2017: A record-breaking year
Earlier this year, Sunstroke Project won the Moldovan national final for the second time. Thus, the band returned to the Eurovision Song Contest for a second time. O melodie pentru Europa incorporated both a semi-final and a grand final. In the national final, Sunstroke Project tied on points with Ethno Republic & Surorile Osoianu. However, with Hey Mamma receiving more televotes, it became the Moldovan entry in Kyiv! This was a wise choice indeed! The party anthem secured Moldova its highest ever Eurovision finish, placing third.
2017 was also notable in that it became Moldova’s first appearance in a grand final since Aliona Moon’s qualification in 2013 with O Mie. Furthermore, Hey Mamma became the third Moldovan entry to place inside the top ten. Such a feat had previously been achieved by Zdob şi Zdub on the country’s debut in 2005 and by Natalia Barbu two years later.
Are you pleased that TRM is planning to stick with its O melodie pentru Europa national selection format? Furthermore, who do you think can fill the shoes of Sunstroke Project in Lisbon? Let us know in the comments below!
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