Romania: Luminita Anghel, Paula Seling and Ovi join Selectia Nationala jury

Despite attracting only 84 acts this year, Romania‘s broadcaster TVR has high ambitions for Selectia Nationala. The live auditions, which will be recorded this weekend, will be aired over an entire week (5-11 February) under the title Euroshow. Moreover, the Selectia Nationala jury will include some very familiar names: Luminita Anghel, Paula Seling and Ovi Jacobsen.

The promo for Euroshow sees Paula Seling and Ovi, TVR’s biggest names at Eurovision during the last decade, promising a “dream month”for Eurovision fans starting 5 February. That is because the National Final is scheduled for 5 March and the shows will kick off on 5 February.

In a press release, TVR announced that the live auditions, which will be recorded this weekend, between 27-29 January, will be aired under the title Euroshow each day between 5-11 February. On 12 February, the expert jury will announce, in a live show, the 15 semi-finalists that will face off for a spot in the National Final.

Who is on the Romanian jury?

This year, the Selectia Nationala jury is made up of Eurovision stars Luminita Anghel, Paula Seling and Ovi Jacobsen, as well as songwriters Andrei Tudor and Adrian Romcescu. All in all, a very knowledgeable and Eurovision-friendly jury.

Luminita Anghel, who represented Romania at Eurovision in 2005, bringing the country’s first third place with “Let Me Try” together with Sistem, has staged several more attempts to return to the Eurovision stage, but never succeeded. Paula Seling and Ovi, who represented the Eastern European country at Eurovision in 2010 with “Playing With Fire”, won third place and came back for more in 2014 with “Miracle”, but only managed to grab 12th place.

Andrei Tudor, a respected songwriter, penned the Selectia Nationala winner “Pe-o margine de lume” in 2008, while Adrian Romcescu took first place ten years earlier. In 1998, his song “Eu cred” represented Romania in Birmingham. What is interesting about the latter is that Mr Romcescu has been vocal against foreign songwriters at Selectia Nationala — although that is just one voice among the five.

The jury will judge the live performances of M I H A I, Lora, Cristina Vasiu, Sergiu Bolota, Ramona Nerra, Florin Chilian, Maxim, Teodora Dinu and more over the weekend. On Sunday, 12 February, we will know which 15 of the 84 acts will advance to the semi-final on 26 February. The semi-final will take place in Bucharest. The jury will select the finalists, while the public will decide who gets the ticket to Kyiv on the 5th of March.

Until then, what do you think about the national jury? And will you be watching Euroshow, to see who makes the cut? Who are your favourites so far? Sound off below!

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