It’s a go in Romania as broadcaster TVR is busy recording the Selectia Nationala 2017 live auditions as we write. Starting today and going until Sunday, 72 of the 84 acts who entered the national selection will be judged by the expert panel. The other 12 acts either withdrew or were disqualified.

In what constitutes a first, TVR is broadcasting some of the acts who are performing in front of the jury, via the Eurovision Romania Facebook page. Also as a premiere, TVR has published the list of the competing acts. Many of them have released their songs on YouTube and we’ve had a listen so that you don’t have to. Let’s break it down!

The good

M I H A I with “I Won’t Surrender”, Lora with “I Know”, Sergiu Bolota with “We Were Young”, Teodora Dinu with “Tear Up The Dark” and Ramona Nerra with “Save Me” are very decent tracks that could bring Romania an honourable position in Kyiv.

We could add Cristina Vasiu to this list.

Her ballad “Set the Skies on Fire” was also submitted to Selectia Nationala 2016, but it didn’t make the cut. We wonder why…

Ovidiu Anton, last year’s Selectia Nationala winner, returns as a songwriter with “Escape”, performed by Miryam.

Echoing “Moment of Silence”, “Escape” could be a contender thanks to Ovidiu’s popularity among Eurovision fans.

The bad

Tudor Turcu’s “Limitless” is not a bad song per se, but it’s a mere shadow of what “Save Me” from 2015 was. Despite the desperation in Tudor Turcu’s voice, the song manages to convey very little feeling, and the repetition of the word “limitless” on loop gets grating the 20th time around. The X Factor Romania winner has a second song in the selection, “Walking In Time”, that is even worse. But who knows? We might see him in the semi-final with one of them.

Nora Denes’s good voice and song are compromised by ridiculous lyrics. The chorus in particular is laughable: “Praying for forgiveness for all the pollution / I pray my conscience will be bothered / Cuz there’s no us if there’s no you.”

Why did she bother with English lyrics?

Banda Hoinarii’s “Balkanitza” is a hot mess that is trying to emulate Zdob si Zdub, but only manages to irritate with its awful singing and nonsensical lyrics.

Not to mention that Romania is not really part of the Balkan Peninsula.

The downright hilar

Romania manages to outdo Moldova when it comes to wacky numbers. We can hardly wait to watch the live performances of songs like the ones below. We’re picking just three, because we don’t want your ears to bleed. Attention: side-splitting realness guaranteed!

What happens next?

Head of Delegation Iuliana Marciuc (second from the left) sits among the jury, from left to right: songwriter Andrei Tudor, singers Paula Seling, Ovi Jacobsen, Luminita Anghel, and songwriter Adrian Romcescu.

TVR will air the recorded live auditions in episodes of Euroshow between 5-11 February. On 12 February the jury will announce, during a live broadcast, the 15 semi-finalists who  are going to face off in Bucharest on Sunday, 26 February.

The National Final is scheduled for 5 March. The host city is yet to be decided by TVR.

What do you make about the calendar of Selectia Nationala 2017? Is it a good idea to listen to the performers live before picking the semi-finalists? And who is your favourite so far? Sound off below!

READ MORE ROMANIA EUROVISION NEWS

Photos: TVR

 

Total
31
Shares
11 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
AurelianTamisan
AurelianTamisan
7 years ago

Bogdan, it’s ok, I just don’t find your reviews exactly accurate. It’s ok to present news with ‘attitude’, but what you’ve said it’s a personal opinion, another article made by another author could bring exactly the oppsite of what you said cause there is a lot of subjectivism in the theme you’ve talked about. As I gave it in my example, ‘My Fantasy Empire’ is not a hilarious song at all, it’s even a good song. Oh, if you want to talk about its chances in Eurovision, yeah, here we can talk with attitude, it would have absolutely no chance.… Read more »

Andra
Andra
7 years ago

What do you think about this ? I love it! Yodel it!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gU8GxDbhZ9U

AurelianTamisan
AurelianTamisan
7 years ago

I would also like to give Bogdan a little questions and if he wants to answer, I would really appreciate it: Bogdan, why did you write an article in such a subjective manner? I mean, your analysis about some songs are just a personal impression from your point of view. Cause a lot of the songs you are criticising are seeing differently from a lot of people. Yeah, I can agree that Nora Denes’ song has some, let’s say, simple and maybe childish lyrics, but the song is not that bad in my opinion. And let’s face it, Romania sent… Read more »

AurelianTamisan
AurelianTamisan
7 years ago

Turcu’s ‘Walking in Time’ is more than decent in my opinion. Yeah, ‘Limitless’ is a totally disaster in my opinion, but the other song is quite good. As about ‘Escape’, maybe not the best voice chosen to sing it, but the song is good. While Nera’s, Lora’s or Bolota’s acts, no, in my opinion they are not pretenders even for a final in Kiev. Personally I’ve also liked very much a sng about an artist I see nobody says anything: Mikhail’s ‘Sail back’. Impressive song entered by him.

Torreadore9
Torreadore9
7 years ago

Pitt leffer’s song(my life) is a little different to the other songs ,it could be a winner , but i don’t know how he sings live so it will be interesting to see. Imo , the favs are mihai , maxim , sergiu bolota and lora.

ninasublatti
ninasublatti
7 years ago

Yess i agree with an esc fan i miss something like mandinga too!!!!! please don’t send any of all these stupid boring ballads Romania, you should do what you do best and bring a party to eurovision!!

an esc fan
an esc fan
7 years ago

Sorry, Romania is not 6%, is 5% :

Entirely within the Balkans:

Albania: 27,390 km2 (>99% of total land)
Bulgaria : 108,400 km2 (>99%)
Bosnia and Herzegovina: 51,180 km2 (>99%)
Greece (mainland): 104,470 km2[27] (80%)
Kosovo[a]: 10,908 km2 (>99%)
Macedonia: 25,430 km2 (>99%)
Montenegro: 13,440 km2 (>99%)
Mostly or partially within the Balkans:

Croatia (south mainland): 30,000 km2 (54%)
Italy (Trieste and Monfalcone): 300 km2 (0.1%)
Romania (Dobruja ‘s mainland): 12,000 km2 (5%)
Serbia (south part excl. Vojvodina and North Belgrade): 55,000 km2 (69%)
Slovenia (southwest part): 10,000 km2 (50%)
Turkey (European part): 23,000 km2 (3%)

MarioMario
7 years ago

None of these…

an esc fan
an esc fan
7 years ago

I’ve heard that Balkan Peninsula has exact measures and that Romania is only 6% (is it enough, I do not know). What I want to say is that I miss the Romania that used to be fun, like Mandinga and Paula and Ovi, now Romania is too serious. Also I want to say that I do not like songs about WAR or NATURE, because these are so serious topics, that make me feel that 3 minutes are lost. We must act, not sing about war or nature in pain, it is simply not time to sing not even 3 minutes.… Read more »