Sweet as “Sugar”! Moldova’s Natalia Gordienko shares Eurovision 2021 song title and racy cover art

Happy Valentine’s Day! As people variously embrace (or avoid) the pinch of Cupid’s arrow, we in the House of Wiwi are indulging in some sweet “Sugar”. And by that we mean the news that Moldova’s Natalia Gordienko will sing “Sugar” at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. This is not just an upcoming single. We can confirm that it is indeed the song title for ESC.

The Moldovan beauty shared the provocative cover art for her Eurovision 2021 song on her Instagram account. We see a pair of pink lips — presumably hers — covered in the sweet stuff. The position of the lips is reminiscent of what the MailOnline calls the “fish gape” pose — “a sensual expression in which the mouth is partly opened and totally serene.”

If you turn the photo sideways, it may invoke something else, but we couldn’t possibly comment on that.

Wishing you all a happy February 14, Natalia wrote: “Life is short — break the rules, say goodbye quickly, laugh uncontrollably, kiss slowly and love sincerely. Happy Valentine’s Day! And get ready to welcome spring with a lot of SUGAR in your life!”

As with any sugar rush, Natalia’s will make you bounce. Our girl is leaving the dramatic sounds of “Prison” in the parole office and will take us to the dance floor with her new-found freedom. This has been clear since last September, when she and her Dream Team shared snaps from the studio.

As you can see in the clip below, originally uploaded by creative director and collaborator Ilias Kokotos, composer Dimitris Kontopoulos is bobbing and bouncing — this ain’t no ballad! We’re taking this as a very good sign. Moldova does well when it leans upbeat and quirky, as seen through its best finishes on the scoreboard: SunStroke Project’s “Hey, Mamma!” (third place, 2017) and Zdob si Zdub’s “Boonika bate doba” (sixth place, 2005). Natalia’s devoted fans will remember she’s great with wild and outré, as seen in the sensual number “Loca” from Eurovision 2006.

 

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Natalia Gordienko will deliver dance song at Eurovision 2021

Fans who were introduced to Natalia through “Prison” may think of her as a ballad queen. It’s true that she can hit the big notes and slay emotion, as seen in her win at New Wave 2007 — the prestigious international contest for young performers. New Wave winners have also included future Eurovision stars like Sergey Lazarev (as part of Smash), Jamala, DoReDos and Croatia’s Damir Kedžo.

But beyond vocal gymnastics, she’s very much an established pop performer. In 2016, she collaborated with the Swedish R&B star and Melodifestivalen regular Mohombi. Their song “Habibi” combined Middle Eastern and Latin vibes, creating a breezy, summer feel. To date, the video has clocked up over one million views on YouTube. If she melds Moldovan sounds, a fierce beat and that voice we are already sold.

Natalia is a Eurovision performer doing things on her own terms. In July, she went ahead and announced she’d be returning to Eurovision in 2021 by updating her verified Instagram account. As well as noting that she’s a “singer, TV host, model and mum of a beautiful boy”, her bio also said she was the “Representative of Moldova on Eurovision 2021 in Rotterdam”. Why wait for a press release, when you can be your own publicity machine? TRM confirmed the news several months later.

Are you excited for the sweet song that’s in the pipeline? What do you think of the cover art? Let us know down below!