There’s a sandstorm brewing in Tel Aviv, and it’s got nothing to do with Finland’s Darude. On Monday, Moldova’s Anna Odobescu took to the stage for the first run through of her Eurovision 2019 entry “Stay”.
While the song has long been considered a throwback, the stage show left fans screaming deja vu. It centred around some impressive sand art created by America’s Got Talent: The Champions bronze medalist Kseniya Simonova.
The performance bore a striking resemblance to Ukraine’s staging for Mika Newton in 2011. And it wasn’t long before the “Angel” songstress caught wind of it all.
“Good morning everyone”, chimed Newton to her legion of Instagram followers. Along with one or two shrugs and some bemused facial expressions, the singer turned influencer explained her surprise at Moldova’s creative direction.
“Oh my gosh! I woke up to so many messages about Eurovision and Moldova. I mean, what can I say guys? She’s used almost the same idea that I did in 2011. And honestly, if I inspired her and she decided to go with almost the same performance as I did, then good luck!
What can I say? It’s funny ’cause it does look almost identical and she even brought Kseniya there. It’s fun, fun guys. I’m totally… I mean I’ve journalists already asking me about them, to give comment about it.
I’m totally fine with this. What can I do? I wish they would come up with something different but I’m glad they’re using this story again.
Mika Newton about the performance of Moldova ? pic.twitter.com/2l5BKb56OF
— eric ?????? (@ericlewan) May 6, 2019
Who knew it was possible to deliver shade so sweetly?
Of course, Mika didn’t invent sand art. Kseniya has been plying her trade internationally since winning Ukraine’s Got Talent in 2009. Also, arguably it was because of Kseniya that Mika finished fourth in Düsseldorf.
Speaking to our William for a 2013 piece in The Financial Times, Ukraine’s then head of PR Dariia Partas said “It took attention off the bad song”.
But what do you think? You can compare Anna’s rehearsal clip with Mika’s grand final performance below.
Anna Odobescu (Moldova) first rehearsal at Eurovision 2019
Mika Newton (Ukraine) at Eurovision 2011
Update: Mika clarifies her view on Moldova
Just before 0:00 CET or 15:00 in Los Angeles, Mika came back online to clarify her earlier comments.
She first spoke after being bombarded with fan and journalist messages first thing in the morning. But after noticing articles, like this one, she decided to clear up any misunderstandings.
“First of all, I haven’t heard her song. I haven’t heard her voice… I just looked at the little 30-second video of her rehearsing and performing this song at the rehearsal, right? It did remind me of my performance! What can I do?”
And the “Don’t Dumb Me Down” and “Come Out And Play” hitmaker is well aware that she didn’t invent sand art. However, she was the first one to come up with the concept at Eurovision.
I have nothing against though. I’m actually happy that the idea of mine for Eurovision… you know how many hours I was thinking how to represent my country and what to do different. I watched the previous performances and that’s why I wanted to bring something unique. And I thought, when I saw Kseniya, who is beyond talented, I was like ‘dang, that’s a great combo that Kseniya could tell my story about my song through the sand.
Of course, I didn’t invent Kseniya and sand!
But that was something different at Eurovision. Don’t you agree guys? And now, when, eight years later, someone’s performing with the same person, what would you guys say? What would you think?
For those at the back, Mika concludes by saying:
“I have nothing against her. I didn’t invent sand. But it is a very similar story to mine. I’m sorry but it’s true! And so many people think that way!”
Mika keeps on spilling the ?? pic.twitter.com/5T7tzjEb18
— eric ?????? (@ericlewan) May 6, 2019
What do you think? Is Mika entitled to be peeved? Or is sand artistry open to everyone? Let us know in the comments.
Follow all of our Moldova Eurovision 2019 news.
Photo:Andres Putting (EBU) / Mika Newton
“Shady lady, I’m gonna strike like thunder
Are you ready?”
Mika is right. But…..
She must have more important statements to do other than put some shade on the Moldovan NQ performance.
…and Mika’s haircut… doesn’t it remind someone? 🙂
Yeah. Mika. Unique is the key.
An unoriginal staging for the uninspired bland and cheesy Moldovian song. I mean, we all know is an utter copycat of Ukraine 2011 but the casual viewers will swallow down the performance and vote for it cause they won’t remember it was done 8 years ago. Unfair? Yes, but that’s what you do when you have a c*appy song. Moldova is still a non-qualifier. We have a similar case with Russia right now: average song wrapped with an impressive staging. The casual viewers will swallow it too.
Who the h.. Mika think she is? She is just a singer of a bad song. Kseniya is the artist.
This is probably the most unoriginal song this year, so they got an unoriginal staging to match. Using sand art is one thing, nothing wrong with that. But this performance just seems to look very similar to Mika’s. Even the dress is quite similar.
To be honest, Sand art pushed Mika to fourth place, without it, it would‘ve been placed in lower top ten or else.
Same would go for Anna but in a lower level. Might be pushing her few places up but I still predict a NQ because Stay is too weak.
!!! angel was as bland as it gets and without that staging i doubt it would’ve qualified, let alone done that well. let miss ANNA ODOBESCU work her tricks.
Nothing wrong with sand art, it deserves to be shown again.
2021, Georgian TV : guys, we are using the sand this year! Anyone else!
Rest of TVs: Not this year, but we think Belarus wants to try next year.
Georgian TV: all right
I’m happy for Kseniya Simonova. She is the brain here, it’s not about Anna or Mika. I start to think the hate is from countries that are afraid Moldova might qualify in their place.
It would be awesome if Moldova qualified!!
im kinda pissed about it actually!! they literally copied and pasted her staging! like if the song was plagiarized yall would lose your heads
nothing against anna though i just wish they’d thought of something different.
Love love, peace peace!
?And some artwork made of sand!?
it just reminds me how i miss Ukraine in Eurovision… hope they will come back next year, we need an extra/crazy Eastern Europe flavor in the contest :))
and Mika is right lol
Forget about Vidbir next year, Maruv should represent Ukraine in 2020. Full stop.
Please, we don’t need a Julia Samoylova, especially that MARUV is so talented, and Ukraine chooses it’s act through Vidbir every year.
I wish Eleni Foureira did an exactly same video with Mika about Switzerland’s performance. I mean they copied everything! They even took her stage director and dancer. Switzerland is the one that is copying Fuego, not Cyprus.
Waiting for Luca to move his hair up and down and his hips in a sensual way. Come on, a million artists have performed with dancers and an energetic rhythm, Eleni and Luca aren’t neither the first, nor the last singers to get that same staging idea.
I know but sadly everyone thinks Eleni was the first to do it and anyone who remotely does anything similar is a copycat who plagiarised and should be shamed :(. I completely agree that they are neither the first or last to do this but sadly people won’t care. 100% agree with you though.
Eleni didn’t create her staging nor did Luca create his! Sasha Jean Baptiste is responsible for it! And she is allowed to take her ideas and recreate it for another person. You give to much credit to the artists that they have a say in things. So top blaming the artists if you don’t like it and address the team behind. Eleni also didn’t invent that music style. It existed before her ESC-entry and it will exist after!
Lol, I second that 😀 Come on, did you watch anything besides Eurovision? But, I guess it’s forbidden to say anything against St.Eleni 😛
I mean who cares, that stupid sand won’t save Moldova.
It’s just such a stupid idea.
I mean, this is Moldova! A country that has given us excellent and original staging on a consistent basis. Why go down this road?
LOL
There’s definitely been a plagiarism trend recently: Hovig (Cyprus 2017) totally copied Loic Nottet’s staging (going as far as lying on the floor just like him), Replay is Fuego’s replay (see what I did there?), now this, … I think the EBU should do something about it, this is not acceptable in an artistic competition.
I would agree, but your analysis isn’t based on solid points. Moldova hired Ksenya for the job and saying they plagiarised Ukraine’s performance in 2011 is like saying that Ksenya plagiarised herself, which doesn’t make sense. The Moldovan delegation just liked what Ukraine did, thought it would work with their song (even though it doesn’t *cough cough*) and called the same artist to do the trick. It can’t be described as plagiarism. Same goes for Cyprus. Fuego and Replay were made by the same team, using the same formula. A delegation plagiarising itself sounds odd to me. They just used… Read more »
The word “plagiarism” sounds very legal, I agree it might not be the best way to refer to that. Let’s just say that there have been several instances of “heavy copying”, and yet it’s an art competition so I would expect them to be original and come up with their own concepts.
EBU should first should disqualified song who break rules (performance before EBU rules UKR16,FRA17,BLR18,NET19)…
well i think “angel” was a good song, not amazing but good enough, and not as half boring as ‘stay’ …
Ukraine is an epic Eurovision country they have had so many crazy and creative staging ideas , so no wonders some want to copy them, though it will not save Moldova from NQ
sand art inventor queen!!! I didn’t get it…is she ok with this or not? cause she contradicts herself like 5 times
I think what she was trying to say is that she doesn’t really mind and even if she did, she couldn’t do anything about it and she’s more surprised than anything.
Well then the first singer who used the pyro effects for the very first time ever in the eurovision history should put on a video and throw shades to everybody who used it after her/his performance.(btw do we know who and when was the pyro used first?) The art and talent is Kseniya’s she can perform it any time any where she wants. Mika has nothing to do with it its none of her business. She or her team hasn’t invented that sand art. Plus, there isn’t such a rule that every year participants should come up with new ideas… Read more »
i agree, but it still looks like a copy of UA 2011, i think they could come up with more original idea even with the same sand artist
Like what? The sand artist maybe should do her art with her nose? Hahshsndkd
lol, i dont know, im not a staging manager, but it looks like a copy for me , even white dress is there, but hey i think they have nothing to lose with this song, so maybe its a smart move,i guess not many viewers will recall 2011 contest and Mika’s staging…
Pyro is completely different, so many countries use it. Sand, on the other hand, is completely obscure. Should she “use her nose”? No, she shouldn’t use a sand artist, Things like pyro, props, people performing barefoot, dancing, they are all common and therefore anyone can do it, but how f random is sand, its so blatantly obvious what they are doing, they are clearly thinking the song is weak and needs a staging that came 4th.
That made me laugh , Nose sand art
Or not. What I see is murderous terrorists targeting innocent civilians from 41 different countries. Enjoy the show!
This will give a second life to that beautiful song that was in 2011 who should have even finished higher.
But it’s the staging that is similar, not the song. In what way is it gonna give a second life to Mika’s “Angel”?
Those speculations will make people wonder and they will watch the 2011’s performance again and it will give the song second life it was clear indeed…
I am distracted by how different she looks, gurl enough with the face lifts
just drop it mate
This has to do with Mika Newton how?
It was her staging in 2011. 🙂