Previously in October, Teleradio-Moldova (TRM) the national broadcaster of Moldova, confirmed their intention to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, taking place in Turin, Italy. This week more details of the selection format have been annnounced, which includes a return of the national final to be held March 5.
Moldova national final returns for 2022
After a one-year pause due to the re-selection of Natalia Gordienko, Moldova’s national final, O Melodie Pentru Europa returns for Eurovision 2022. This week TRM have opened submissions and confirmed more details of the selection process. Until January 24, performers can submit their songs and their presentation ideas to the online portal here. As well as sending entries in person to the Eurovision 2022 Collection Centre at the TRM studios. Also the acts must fund the participation themselves.
As usual the standard rules apply. Only entrants over the age of the 16 may apply. No more than 3 minutes in song length and any song found to be commercially released or publicly performed before September 1 will be disqualified. Meanwhile soloists must hold Moldovan citizenship or at least 50% citizenship for a collaborative act.
Between January 25-28 a panel of Moldovan and international industry experts will assess the submissions. They will shortlist acts for the audition phase. Of course the jury cannot be known to the performers. Also the composition of the jury will be subject to change. Following this, everyone’s favourite part of the Moldovan selection returns! The live auditions will air on Moldova 2 on January 29.
Although TRM have proposed a national final for March 5, the broadcaster reserves the right to announce the Eurovision 2022 representative at any phase in the process. As well as being able to invite acts, producers and composers of their own choosing.
Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest
Moldova made their Eurovision debut in 2005 with Zdob și Zdub’s ‘Boonika bate doba‘. With a successful sixth place, this was the start of things to come. Overall Moldova has participated in the contest 16 times. Of this they have reached the final on 11 occasions. As well as reaching the top 10 with three more attempts. Their best ever result came in 2017 with SunStroke Project’s energetic, ‘Hey Mamma‘ achieving third place.
Earlier this year, TRM confirmed Natalia Gordienko would return for Moldova, after the cancellation of the 2020 contest due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. With the support of the famous Eurovision hit-makers the ‘Dream Team’, Natalia secured a top 15 result for the plucky nation, with ‘Sugar’ earning 115 points in 13th place.
Are you looking forward to Moldova’s 2022 selection? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify and YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to the 2022 national final season!