Romania — the land of pop music starlets Inna, Alexandra Stan, and Antonia — celebrates its National Day today. In honor of Romanian unification, we’ve dreamed up a list of 10 acts we’d love to see represent the country at Eurovision 2016. Broadcaster TVR is yet to announce details for its Selectia Nationala and time is running out. Perhaps it can use our suggestions for an internal selection instead…

In previous years, we mentioned the fan favourites above, but this year we’re focusing on some new names. We’ve also dropped the comeback option, although we know that Paula Seling and Ovi, Luminita Anghel and Mihai Traistariu are always popular choices. It’s time to think outside of the box and come up with new artists that could bring Bucharest a good result.

NICOLETA NUCA

Yeah, yeah, we know. We have already recommended Nicoleta Nuca for Moldova, but the truth is that she has made a name for herself in Romania and she holds dual citizenship, which makes her eligible to represent her country’s neighbour. Apart from her monster hit “Nu sunt” (which to this day has amassed well over 13 million hits on YouTube), she recently dropped her follow-up single “Linistea”, which has the potential to repeat its predecessor’s success. We would love to see Nicoleta on the Eurovision stage with such a beautifully produced ballad.

SMILEY

You may remember Smiley (real name: Andrei Tiberiu Maria) as Aliona Moon’s mentor on “The Voice of Romania” last year. He is also a hugely popular entertainer in Romania, who would benefit from the international exposure brought by Eurovision. His charisma and experience make him an ideal choice. Eurovision fans may also remember Smiley as part of the Andra Feat. Simplu song “Dracula My Love”, which was disqualified for plagiarism. We hope he’s put this behind him!

ALINA EREMIA

Junion Eurovision 2005 contestant Alina Eremia has mentioned that she would do Eurovision, which gives us hope. The “Turai” singer has evolved beyond recognition, and each of her singles is devoured by her fans. Take, for instance, “Cand luminile se sting”, which has over 27 million hits on YouTube.

AMI

Of all the acts on this list, Ami is the only one who has already performed on the adult Eurovision stage, in 2010. If you squint, you can see her among Paulia Seling and Ovi’s backing vocalists for “Playing With Fire”. Since then Ami (real name: Andreea Ioana Moldovan) has built a successful career in Romania for herself, with hit after hit starting with her breakout single “Trumpet Lights”, which propelled her to national stardom. We bet that she woudn’t mind performing by herself in Stockholm…

NICOLE CHERRY

Ever since Nicole said that she was open to the idea of doing Eurovision one day, she’s been a Eurofan favourite. Currently topping the choices of the Romanian language Eurovision Fan Group on Facebook with “Vive La Vida”, Nicole Cherry (real name: Nicoleta Ghinea) remains a star to watch and root for.

FELI

Nicknamed Romania’s Adele because of her physical resemblance and raspy voice, Feli is yet another byproduct of The Voice of Romania. Although she was eliminated before the final back in 2012, she is one of the most successful singers to emerge from the talent show. Widely respected for her musical choices and collaborations, Feli would make a worthy representative.

EDWARD MAYA

We can’t speak about Romanian pop without mentioning dance music and Edward Maya. His song “Stereo Love” became a worldwide club sensation back in 2009, and he hasn’t stopped making hits since. Although Edward Maya (real name: Eduard Marian Ilie) has yet to repeat the tremendous success of “Stereo Love”, his music is still a staple on the radio and on dancefloors throughout the region.

ROBIN AND THE BACKSTABBERS

If your Eurovision tastes lean more toward “Kedvesem” than “Euphoria”, we’re glad to say that the Romanian alternative scene is as rich, although more underground than its dance counterpart. Robin and The Backstabbers is as popular as melodramatic pop bands go, and their unique sound and profound lyrics fill every venue they perform at with die-hard hipsters. Although Eurovision might be the last thing on their minds, we’d like to see them give it a go one day.

DELIA

It’s difficult to listen to a Romanian radio station without listening to Delia. The X Factor Romania judge manages to steal the spotlight in national charts with every single she releases, and Eurofans have taken notice. Last year’s monster hit “Pe aripi de vant” was a top choice for Selectia Nationala in many fan lists on YouTube. Due to her immense popularity and busy concert schedule, Delia is unlikely to have time to do Eurovision — but one can dream, right?

BRIGHI

Despite recording a song with Snoop Dogg (“Play Me Like a Violin”) and looking like Romania’s next top model, Brighitta Balogh has inexplicably failed to cash in on either. After a short stint on The Voice of Romania, she released a few songs but has remained largely invisible, which coincidentally is the title of her latest single. Maybe Eurovision is the next best step for her? Here’s hoping!

These are Team Wiwi’s choices for Romania this year. Given how incredibly rich and diverse the Romanian music scene is, surely we’ve missed some of your faves — who are they? And who from our list would you give your thumbs up to?

FOLLOW ALL OF OUR ROMANIA NEWS HERE.

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octavio
octavio
8 years ago

and where this carla’s dream, I think they’ve hit the verrano and are becoming very popular

adrianauk
adrianauk
8 years ago

At least Cheeky Girls admited they can`t sing live ,but they can shake their butts.Pretty girls.

Eric C
Eric C
8 years ago

Aliona Moon could probably do Romania or Moldova as well.

David
David
8 years ago

La Multi Ani România! At least our artists actually dare to compete, even if they are already big in the country, as for an example, Voltaj this year. It pretty much means, that anyone could represent us anytime. Smiley wouldn’t be bad, but his style has changed which I don’t like, and I’m sceptical about it. Alina could be a possibility, but then it might as well just be Inna or Alexandra Stan, which could end with a 2009 repeat, who knows? Marius Moga, Connect-R, Adrian Sina, Marius Nedelcu, Dalma Kovacs, Antonia & Andra are some of those artists I… Read more »

#Trippin
#Trippin
8 years ago

Andreea Balan?

#DreamAboutMyFace
#DreamAboutMyFace
8 years ago

Where is Queen of Romanian pop? Where is Antonia?

beccaboo1212
8 years ago

Why not Alexandra Stan?

beccaboo1212
8 years ago

There’s a store called Delia’s! 🙂

WTF
WTF
8 years ago

Robin and The Backstabbers are the only decent choice on this list…

khm
khm
8 years ago

Delia and Ami <3

Padraig Muldoon
Admin
8 years ago

Where are the Cheeky Girls? 😯