Earlier this month, the Romanian government announced that it would eventually bail out the impoverished TVR, effectively paving the way for Romania’s return to Eurovision next year after the broadcaster was expelled from the EBU this spring. Asked about a possible return, Ovidiu Anton said that he doesn’t want to hear about Eurovision ever again and that the guilty party will have to pay for the way he was treated.
Despite many Eurofans’ early calls for TVR to internally select Ovidiu Anton if Romania returns in 2017, the singer dashed everyone’s hopes in an interview for ring magazine.
I am not interested to associate my name with the EBU or Eurovision. The injustice that they did to me makes it impossible to associate my name with the Eurovision brand ever again. They proved that they do not treasure music, but only money. […] My Eurovision adventure ended with that ugly gesture. […] Someone has to pay, but not by selling my presence there. I earned my place [in the competition] this year and the damage that they did to me cannot be repaired with selling my participation.
Ovidiu acknowledged however that he is yet to sue anyone, as he has been busy working. The rock singer also announced that his team is about to start shooting the video for his Selectia Nationala 2016 winning song “Moment Of Silence” and that he is also working on a follow-up single, to be released in the autumn.
The Government is yet to pay off its debt of 17-million Swiss francs to the EBU, but it has vowed to do so before the Rio Olympics in August, so that TVR can broadcast the event.
What do you think about Ovidiu’s decision to give Eurovision the cold shoulder? Is it a mistake or simply the right thing to do, after all that he’s been put through? And who should pay for the fact that he was denied the right to perform in Stockholm? Sound off below!
The people who are saying that his song si terrible or he wouldn’t have reached the final are absolutely embarrasing. How does it matter? It was his right to participate there, he earned it, the fact that you personally didn’t like the song or that he wouldn’t have reached the final doesn’t matter. Maybe he wasn’t going there for a big result and anyway how can you be so sure, I mean a lot pf people didn’t like Jamala. Or Georgia, nobody predicted Georgia to be in the final, they were a lot more underestimated than Anton, so even that… Read more »
I’m sorry I’m not being mean but he says all this now give it a few years and he will be in Romania’s NF like he was like almost every year before moment of silence
This sour graping, obese, no musical taste creature should just disappear from the face of the planet. PERIOD
Very understandable
I can understand him being upset, even now. The powers-that-be in Romania should compensate him. He should be offered the chance to compete next year and if he does, the back story will win him quite a few votes
His song was a campy ‘Game of Thrones’ that would have never made it to the final. A big man should really look in the mirror ( a WNTW 360 degrees) very closely to pull off that outfit in public. His anger is justified BUT at the wrong target. The Romanian government and TVR betrayed him and Romania not the EBU. The EBU waited 9 years for Romania to repay its debts and failed to do so. Some sour grapes, yes but I think there will be no lawsuit. Complaining is just PR, that’s all.
Sorry – I guess my comment was a bit too … American. I was intending to be snarky, not disrespectful to Anton. (We don’t take the term “schmuck” seriously here. I should have considered that it might be different elsewhere.) But I still disagree with most of you. If you think an obscure Romanian rocker “doesn’t need Eurovision” and can become a big star without it, then you don’t understand how the global music industry works. He’s not even a medium-sized star in Romania. That being said, I’m told that music isn’t his day job anyway. He breeds dogs for… Read more »
Why is he mad at EBU and Eurovision? It’s TVR’s fault darling, be mad at them. Anyway, his song was pretty terrible, so who cares?
He would not have done well.
However, he is right in being angry. The EBU intentionally acted to humiliate the Romanian broadcaster, and I hope someone does file a lawsuit.
If they can “bend” the rules a bit so as NOT to disqualify the Ukrainian entry, they should have “bent” the rules for Romania too.
I honestly still don’t understand the hate he has received for his song, since it was in the top 5 in my list. I absolutely love that song and was extremely disappointed that I never got to see the live performance at Eurovision.
That being said though while I do appreciate the fact he has put the time and effort into his song, I really hope his outrage is one time only. Hopefully when it all settles down he can represent Romania again with another awesome song.
I`ll give it a year or two before his career stalls and then he`ll be trying everything he can to get back to Eurovision. I understand his anger but there`s so much opportunity and promotion he could get if he tried again as the once denied singer and he will realise that in the future without a doubt. That being said Im glad Romania was disqualified as no doubt they would have qualified with that horrible (Although stand out) song which meant Serbia wouldn`t have made it with a much more worthy song for the final.
Ovidiu is not returning to Eurovison.
And how is this supposed to be bad for Eurovision?
Finally a piece of information I was looking forward to.
#OviDonT
If i’d be Ovidiu, i would try again next year and show all what i’m made of. I would not surrender so easily.
A career-limiting move? Saying no to Eurovision doesn’t mean he loses his chances of becoming a big star… sure it doesn’t help but there are many other ways to build a career in the music industry… like you know, working hard and making good music. So ultimately is his decision and should be respected.
At some point people are gonna stop feeling sorry for him and he’s gonna realize that his decision to not ever participate is probably a terrible one. He and his genre wouldve been an interesting addition, but I guess now we’ll never know.
His entry was a sad parody on music. I don’t know how he was chosen to represent Romania, but they are lucky that this sad joke didn’t actually perform.
advise*
@Andri
I would advice you to stop characterizing people that you don’t even know. It would do you good, mr. know it all 😉
TVR needs to pay their debt. The way they made such bad deals with EBU and other Romanian entities in relation to those deals should be investigated by anticorruption unit. TVR is not reformed to purchase any sport broadcasting rights further (Olympics will only bring more future debts for TVR as it is). Eurovision participation this year and national selection was mostly payed by the jailed mayor of Baia Mare. They are not ready to take part in Eurovision contest either. Should take a few years pause until they fix their problems. Maybe let other stronger and better organized televisions… Read more »
@ESC Greece
If there really was perfect power to the people, Romania wouldn’t have been disqualified. And bigots like you wouldn’t still be hating on Ovidiu despite this.
Anyways, Ovidiu is perfectly reasonable when he says he doesn’t want to hear about Eurovision. He has invested so much time into the national selection to be harshly disqualified…No matter whether it is TVR or EBU’s fault, Ovidiu didn’t do any wrong and just got caught in the crossfire…
@HendrikT
I thought we had democracy and I just decided to post a comment. Problem, mr genius?
The comments here are appalling and disrepectful. Irrespective of how you feel about Ovidiu’s songs, this sudden disqualification of Romania is one that has deep implications on him that don’t matter less just because his song was ‘bad’ and you ‘hated it’. While the upper echeleons of EBU are unlikely to react or show any feeling, Ovidiu is still a person LIKE THE REST OF US. If he devoted so much time towards Selectia Nationala over the years only to be given the cold shoulder, it’s perfectally reasonable that this so-called ‘schmuck’ may feel sensitive about Eurovision, which doesn’t automatically… Read more »
We don’t want to hear about you either, darling 😀
He should be mad at TVR for knowing they couldn’t pay the debt but trying to enter another year anyway.
They knew the terms and if they didn’t relay those to Ovidiu then they are at fault, not EBU.
he should gladly accept the invitation, shall he get one the following year. Oh, and you know what? Choose a better song. Bye.
Luckily he won’t come back, I hated his song this year, I hated his song in last years selection. I hate Ovidiu feeling that way but I don’t like his songs, so for me it ain’t that bad.
A career-limiting move. He’s turning down priceless international exposure because his fee-fees are hurt. Somebody get this schmuck into a corner and explain that THIS WASN’T ABOUT HIM.