The former grand final regular Romania has struggled in recent years with two consecutive non-qualifications. To get the Eastern European country back on track, TVR last year internally selected young star Roxen. Her song “Alcohol You” was selected through a national selection, and predicted to land Romania comfortably back in the final. Sadly, the contest was not to be, but Roxen is back again with a new song and fresh determination. Enter “Amnesia”.
Scroll down for the “Amnesia” lyrics
Romania in Eurovision 2021: Roxen “Amnesia”
Roxen — real name Larisa Roxana Giurgiu — has had a passion for music since childhood. She took singing and piano lessons from the age of seven and went on to win several music competitions. In 2019 she rose to fame when she featured on Stickoboy’s song “You Don’t Love Me”. It hit number three on the Romanian airplay chart and was picked up by radio stations worldwide. Later that year, she released her debut solo single “Ce-ți cântă dragostea”, which reached number one and has over 33 million views on YouTube.
She was internally selected to sing for Romania through a songwriting camp between the broadcaster TVR and her label Global Records. She sang five songs at Selecția Națională 2020, and of those, “Alcohol You” was chosen. The song was a hit, becoming Roxen’s second number one and creating a positive reception with the bookies. Romania was amongst the favourites to win before the contest was cancelled.
Roxen was reconfirmed as Romania’s entrant for Eurovision soon after the cancellation last year. She released new music in the meantime, including a collaboration with Alexander Rybak. Her Eurovision song was released on 4 March and has the same modern, dark tones we love from her. Due to the pandemic and related budgetary constraints, there was no national final to choose Roxen’s song this year. Instead, her song was chosen by an internal panel of experts including former Eurovision star Luminiţa Anghel.
What do the “Amnesia” lyrics mean?
“Amnesia” was written by Romanian songwriters Adelina Stîngă and Victor Bouroșu. Adelina Stîngă was one of the co-writers on Alexandra Stan’s 2019 hit “I Think I Love It”, while Victor Bouroșu, also known as Viky Red, is a singer-songwriter who handled her songs “Alcohol You”, “Storm” and “Ce-ți cântă dragostea”.
The song is thematically about self-neglect and portrays someone caught up in society who forgets to take care of themselves. Roxen starts the song by describing an ideal girl “like a summer day she could push the night so far away”. But, as goes on, she reveals that there is much more than the eye can see. She continues describing her own negative experiences. “If you feel what I feel, see what I see, don’t bring yourself down”.
She goes on, blaming the complications of the modern world for her poor state. “Oh, I lost myself tryna have it all, the world feels in a rush and they say they know it all”. She describes the experience as “self-love amnesia”, forgetting to meet her own personal needs. And then she speaks to the audience saying “don’t worry if it got you”. She reminds us it’s okay to fall into a bad state “cause you’re not alone, not alone”.
She continues blaming modern life for the troubled condition we find ourselves in and warns us not to become attached to it. “Giving all they want might make you lose control, people always say ‘be careful watch you wish for’”. But says, no matter how much we neglect ourselves, we can always take time to ourselves. “Self love, it’s never gone, self love, put it back on”. It’s a lot more positive than “Alcohol You”, actually telling us the possibility and importance of looking after ourselves. It’s a very effective message from the young singer, and will definitely be appreciated by her fans and the Eurovision audience. Don’t feel bad for looking after yourself, y’all!
“Amnesia” lyrics – Roxen (Romania ESC 2021)
Written and composed by: Adelina Stîngă and Victor Bouroșu
Once upon a time I used to know a girl
Ripped jeans, messy hair, shinin’ like a pearl
Like a summer day she could push the night so far away
If you feel what I feel, see what I see
Don’t bring yourself down
You are not alone, not alone now
Oh, I lost myself tryna have it all
This world feels in a rush and they say they know it all
Oh, I lost myself tryna have it all
Self love amnesia, don’t worry if it got you
‘Cause you’re not alone, not alone
I tried to fight but it’s getting strong, getting strong, getting strong
Oh, I lost myself tryna have it all
Self love amnesia, don’t worry if it got you
‘Cause you’re not alone
Giving all they want might make you lose control
They keep preaching words like I should know
People always say, “Be careful what you wishin’ for”
If you feel what I feel, see what I see
Don’t bring yourself down
You are not alone, not alone now
Oh, I lost myself tryna have it all
This world feels in a rush and they say they know it all
Oh, I lost myself tryna have it all
Self love amnesia, don’t worry if it got you
‘Cause you’re not alone, not alone
I tried to fight but it’s getting strong, getting strong, getting strong
Oh, I lost myself tryna have it all
Self love amnesia, don’t worry if it got you
Self love, it’s never gone
Self love, put it back on
Oh, self love, self love, you’re not alone
Not alone, not alone, self love amnesia
I lost myself tryna have it all
This world feels in a rush and they say they know it all
Oh, I lost myself tryna have it all
Self love amnesia, don’t worry if it got you
‘Cause you’re not alone, not alone
I tried to fight but it’s getting strong, getting strong, getting strong
Oh, I lost myself tryna have it all
Self love amnesia, don’t worry if it got you
‘Cause you’re not alone
What do you think of Roxen’s song? Do you prefer her positive tone? Are you excited to see her song on stage? Let us know.
This song really helps me 🙁
One thing probably most of the audience doesn’t know: why Roxen wanted to partecipate with this song is her personal experience. Unfortunately, last year after the huge success she gathered with the song Alcohol You, she was replying on her phone to some fans, her boyfriend thought she was cheating on him and beat her with the handle of a broom. That was a terrible life experience to go through at such a young age. She wants to remind everyone through this song to not let yourself down if you experience life set-backs and remember to love yourself more, put… Read more »
Oh gosh that’s terrible. That’s the reason why Russia, Latvia and Malta have the woman enpowerment as their own motto, even though some people think that there is no reason for the feminism movement to exist anymore smh…
This and Iceland’s entry are my picks for winning the contest. 2 extremely positive songs with good vibes. Love Roxen’s entry just a tiny bit more, I wish she could win the whole thing.
Some of returning artist stayed the same (like Dadi and Efendi). Some od them completely changed their style (like Destiny or Vincent). And now there’s Roxen (and Senhit) who returned with something similar, just much, much better. Last year they was ok and now it’s on my playlist. Message is great. Song itself is great. And its not “Billie Eilish clone”. I wouldn’t be mad if Romania won this year, seriously
Oh my god, do you seriously think Billie Eilish invented dark pop? Because I’ve got some news for you honey, many artists did it WAY before her, although Lana del Rey’S álbum “born to die” clearly made it mainstream along with Lorde’s “Pure heroine”
I guess he meant both musically and physically
This is one of the reasons why I’m glad most of the 2020 alumni were able to come back, because we have seen their growth as artists, and that has been a beautiful journey. I personally loved alcohol you but this one is the evolution of her former entry, is much more polished, the lyrics are way better (no more fake news) and way meow impactful and she is not wasting her time making her song more eurovision ready, she justs wants to create art with a deep meaning. I Think (hope) Romania will be this years dark horse and… Read more »
it’s not instant as a song compared to her 2020 entry but it has a deep meaning and needs a strong staging to convey the message.
Based on the clip, i think she’s gonna get some dancers and it’s going to be dark.
Romania could be the dark horse.
Personally, i prefer the 2020 entry because it’s dreamy but i also like Amnesia for its message. Roxen is a versatile queen!
These are some of the most effective lyrics of this year’s contest, and they fit with the song very well. Bravo.
What the masterpiece this year!The best song and beautiful lady Roxen sent Romania from Eurovision!Good luck!12 points from Greece!
I believe “Amnesia” is a better constructed song than “Alcohol You”, but has been dismissed by part of the fandom for not being as immediate. There’s no attention-grabbing pun in the title or attempt of giving it an Eurovision climax like last year’s revamp. So, maybe Romania won’t finish as high as it should, but it’s a song that will probably still work 5, 10, 15 years from now. I hope they stage it with the same finesse they did in the video, so more people could pay attention on it.
Yeah, this style of songwriting is really interesting. It feels as though it has a long future ahead of it, indeed. I can’t wait to talk about the music in this song; I’m a big fan of it. 🙂
I’m curious to read what you have to say about it, because maybe you’ll help me putting into words some things that I like in the song. For example, I feel like the words are almost having a dance with the melody, it’s very delicate. And I love the growing beat that comes and goes during it.
The lyrics are beautiful, the melody is delicate, the staging in the video is well-depicted. Once again, bravo, Romania! 🙂
I believe that it’s a slow burner, but it’s a great song nonetheless. Since I am voting in semi-final 1, I likely might give Roxen a call. My big favorite there is Ukraine, but Romania is among my three close runner-ups. It definitely deserves to go to the finals and have a good score once it’s there.
I hope you vote for Romania and Ukraine then, because those would be my votes if I could. Lithuania is also one of my priorities in the 1st semi, but I assume their qualification is a lock.
Thank god we have an explanation for the lyrics here, her pronunciation is so bad I couldn’t understand half of the lyrics.
I guess if your English is not as strong you may have a trouble.
I couldn’t agree more. I also struggled with her pronunciation. It’s not as bad as Efendi’s for example, but it’s difficult to understand what she’s singing about in some parts
Mental health is such an important topic nowadays. Go Roxen!
LOL at the buzzfeed comparison haha
Much better this year. I’m glad Roxen has found herself, this is much better than trying to be someone that you’re not.
Kudos to Roxen for doing that.
Romania will do well this year, I think that’s obvious,
Welcome back to the final Romania.
Welcome back to the top ten Romania
or even higher !
This is my winner this year, it has a dark undertone but bounces back into a beat and keeps your attention, and the vocals are just incredible, especially at the part where the bridge goes into the final chorus, its like YES WE’RE DOING THIS, I just love this so much! Also, the video is absolutely stunning, her in the dress as she marches across the stage to the beat is such a strong image, and I just cannot express how much I love everything about this. last year, we got a Roxen who had a cliché song, a beautiful… Read more »
Well… I really like this song!
I didn’t like it at the beggining, but it has growned up a lot in me… Good luck
I’m in love with this song!
Contemporary, emotional, relatable, beautiful voice and amazing production and official video.
Goosebumps………
Just put your headphones, close your eyes and listen……. ART!
When Billie Eilish meets Loreen 2012…
Yes, she gives me Loreen – Euphoria vibes too, and it’s great.
Hmm, I don’t know what I think about this song. I did not like her last year’s entry, even though most people seemed to love it. I like this one more. It’s definitely good song but somehow it does not really speak to me and I don’t really feel like coming back to it and listening to it more. Both feminism and mental health seem to be very popular topics today and sometimes the songs about them just do not feel really genuine. And it’s hard for me to decide whether this song is honest or not.
For the last 5000 years love and relationship problems seem to be a really popular topic in music and art. They don’t feel genuine enough and I can’t decide whether it’s honest or not.