The Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — is reviewing and rating the 37 competing songs in Eurovision 2023. Next we review Romania, who have chosen Theodor Andrei with “D.G.T. (Off and On)”.
Were we turned on or turned off? Read on to find out!
Theodor Andrei – “D.G.T. (Off and On)” (Romania Eurovision 2023)
Review: Theodor Andrei – “D.G.T. (Off and On)”
Ruxandra: Theodor has a very good voice, stage presence and attitude. Unfortunately, these aspects might go unnoticed in an avalanche of other staging details that take all your attention from the singer. What I want to say is that, sometimes, less is more. Romania needs staging that will allow the audience to focus on the good aspects, not a performance that will leave the audience confused. The song is quite different in terms of genre compared with the other songs in the contest, which again could be an advantage. I believe that Romania has a song that might be interesting, but it needs vision and professionalism to be packaged into a show.
Score: 6.5
Simon: A couple of times when I’ve been watching the performance from the Romanian national, my attention has wandered more towards the dancers than to the song itself. The theme of freeing yourself from a toxic lover is being used in several of this year’s entries, and musically this is really not for me. Theodor Andrei has a good voice and I’m a fan of his intensity on stage, but it doesn’t save the overall impression of the song for me, which unfortunately makes it my least favourite entry of the year.
Score: 3
Kristín: Not everybody will get “D.G.T.” and I’m still in that category, but not quite, because sometimes I totally get it and sometimes I’m just thinking: “What the hell are they smoking there in Bucharest?” But could that maybe be part of the charm? I have no idea where to place the lovely Theodor and his jazzy burlesque number. This could be a sure qualifier or it could completely tank in the semis. There is no in between really. I’m confused. Why is this? What is this? Why do I sort of like it but at the same time feel like I shouldn’t? Until I figure it out, I’m going to be in awe over Theodor’s trousers and flowing hair and put it somewhere in the middle.
Score: 5
Oliver: Theodor Andrei is a remarkable talent. A competent performer and impressive vocalist, the young punk-rocker has the potential to zoom into stardom. Unfortunately, “D.G.T. (Off and On)” is a poorly timed faux pas. With sounds pulled straight out of 2006, this confusingly-named number feels like the scraps of an old Fall Out Boy album track left on the cutting room floor. Fresher production could salvage it, but the sleaze-tinged stage show too is entirely lacking in sophistication. As it stands, Team Romania has a monumental task on its hands to make this presentable for the Liverpool stage.
Score: 1
Luis: Sometimes trying to find the positives is hard. And sadly, it is the case here. There’s almost nothing I like about the “D.G.T.” national final performance. The only asset is Theodor’s strong vocal performance. It’s trying to be sexy, but it comes across as pretty vulgar. The closest resemblance I can find at Eurovision is Andorra’s entry in 2006, which also went for this kind of cheap cabaret aesthetic, and ended up last in the semi-final. I sincerely hope Romania has created a whole new performance for Eurovision, where Theodor’s intentions are clearer and where he can shine properly, because he has the vocals to do so.
Score: 3
Romania Eurovision 2023 ranking
In the Eurovision 2023 Wiwi Jury, we have 20 jurors but only have room for five reviews. The remaining scores are below:
|
Antranig: 4.5 Cinan: 4 Dayana: 3.5 Deban: 3 Diego: 3 Forrest: 3 Jonathan: 4.5 Lucy: 3.5 |
Pablo: 5 Renske: 4 Rick: 4.5 Ron: 2 Samuel: 1 Tom: 6 William: 3 |
We have removed the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. This is to remove outliers and potential bias. We have removed a low of 1 and a high of 6.5.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 3.64/10
What do you think of Romania’s Eurovision 2023 entry? Share your own score and review for Theodor Andrei’s “D.G.T. (Off and On)” below!
Seriously this must be a joke, this is not the worst song and he can really sing unlike some singers that got higher points! He will ?on stage! How can you give 1 point, if he didn’t sing well maybe yes but seriously it’s so mean even if you don’t like the song.
I hope he will surprise everyone on stage and qualify.
Harsh scores here, and to be honest I rather enjoyed the staging, very entertaining. Not sure about the version on the album but overall I like the song and the performance.
I’m shocked tbh… Like, you’re judging mostly on the staging of the NF, while it’s been repeated MANY TIMES that they would change it! And also time to get professional and do interviews of everyone, even contestants whose song you don’t like maybe? And if you consider the song in itself I find it really cool, like it seriously grew on me, especially given the fact that he is a better performer than many people this year, despite being YOUNG!
Wow…judging by your notes, he should not go to Liverpool anymore. Now I understand why you didn’t take him any interview in prepartys. I am so dissapointed.
ROMANIA – I’m going out on a limb here saying that Romania picked an interesting entry. It combines several different ideas in two languages, mixing them in unexpected ways. The question is whether this is messy. Well, yes, but it has its charms. Theodor is an enthusiastic performer with a great voice and stage presence. The melodic shifts are sometimes abrupt, but they are creative. They also flow well with the lyrics about a turbulent relationship. However, the staging from their NF felt like an overload. I can even understand the burlesque vibe and nudity, given the topic of the… Read more »
This song is not to my taste. Have a good time at the contest.
This is one time I’d actually really be interested in more details from a musician’s perspective. The staging is indeed a mess, and it’s often being cited as the reason why this is scored so very low to most reviewers. Still, I’d be more than interested to see what musical aspects also don’t work to a that degree.
If the events of Wiwi Jury 2018 had not happened, I would be able to elaborate more on the musical perspective where it is not to my taste. But 2018 did happen, so here we are. I do genuinely wish everyone well at the contest.
Too low. There is definitely a certain musical quality to it, I don’t know if it’s enough though.
Well, the Romanian national final happened. It was pretty much an unprofessional mess. There were a couple of solid, if not spectacular, songs that had a level of professionalism to their production and songwriting that wasn’t offensively bad. Unfortunately, neither of these songs were performed particularly strongly live during the national final itself. Theodor Andrei, on the other hand, performed his divisive song exceptionally well and sounded great. Romania overlooked whatever deficiencies were in the song and went with the best performer. It’s an interesting tactic and one I would not normally applaud, except for the fact that, D.G.T. prevented… Read more »
Yes maybe the song is messy, and the nf staging was messy, but the song isn’t as bad as people think. I’m happy that it’s in Romanian. I think if they keep the staging simple and crisp, they might at least qualify. (But tbh I’m not a fan of the revamp)
He’s good, talented, and his voice is BEAUTIFUL, but even if the song is also in Romanian (which is a plus), it’s weak. It’s not up to Theodor’s potential.
I agree—IT IS the worst effort of the year. Talented artist, bad song.
This song was rated too low. How is Solo better than this? This is no masterpiece, but still. 5.5/10
I think this is the first year of eurovision where both Moldova and Romania are sending songs inRomanian. I don’t think that has happened before, and That’s one positive I can get out of this. Funny enough, this was actually was my number one favorite from the Romanian selection, but that doesn’t really say much. I still cringe at those first videos that were so poorly done.
how do u go from llamame to this 🙁
There weren’t a lot of good options in Romania’s selection, let’s be honest.
not y’all acting like Llamame was a masterpiece. WRS’ charisma elevated it A LOT
God bless Theodor, but I think he should have waited a couple years before trying his hand at Eurovision. After hearing him talk about “D.G.T.”, I get the impression that he tried to stuff too many ideas into one song. “D.G.T.” contains wordplay, seductiveness, theatricality, blues rock, R&B, hip-hop, a message of free love, unity, liberty, inclusiveness, “broken hearted yet sexy atmosphere”, “passion, tears, smiles, childhood, maturity, trust, risks, truths and lies”, to quote Theodor. I wouldn’t have picked up on half of that if he hadn’t written “make love, not war” on his chest. I fail to understand the… Read more »
Tbh? He has a nice voice and the song is punchy enough to be noticed. I don’t think this is certainly out, but hoping they present it in an impactful way
It’s unfortunate how the horrendous staging in the national final keep me stopping from liking more this entry. And it isn’t like there aren’t positives about it. Theodor is a charismatic and accomplished vocalist that brought something unique to the table with abluesy rock song about feeling trapped under someone’s fingers. This could be cool with the right presentation! But they opted for something that just makes him look the weird kid in arts school. Sure (and hopefully), the staging may be completely different in Liverpool, but I’m afraid Romania doesn’t have a good recent record on this department. 5
I can understand this song is not to everyone’s taste, but such a low score is unfair. There are few acts where vocal abilities are far worse, he really does not deserve to be last!
Agree, nearly all wiwi jurors praised his vocal skills, yet giving him a 3? Something ain’t right.
I think in this case the staging of the performance really ruined everyone’s first impressions of this song. It definitely did for me until I managed to just listen to it later on. It waws a huge misstep and everyone was so focused on how bad the staging was that they didn’t focus on the song itself, which is fine. They shot themselves in the foot with this one.
I disagree, I really don’t think the song is good at all
It’s definitely nowhere close to one of my favorites, but I don’t think it deserves to be in last place either. I just think the staging really sabotaged it, and because it isn’t the best song it needs all the help it can get in that department, you know?
The last review I haven’t written yet. The main reason is that the song has been quite noticeably revamped and I have no idea which version will be performed in Liverpool. The rating will depend on that.
But spoiler talk: I don’t think that this is as bad as reviews make it sound like. It’s messy, but has its charms. Romania dodged a bullet with Perinica not winning, if you ask me. Now that song would have gotten a really poor review by me.
I remembered that this is a song to which you will be more generous than most of the fandom 🙂 . I don’t know what I think of the new version. But since I wasn’t particularly intrigued by the first one, I don’t think the new one will grow on me. The most crucial part for them to have some chances of qualification is a more sophisticated staging.
My country’s entry. Honestly, can’t offer this anything more than a 0.5 out of 5 rating, rating it higher that would simply feel too generous. I don’t mean this in an insulting way at all, but he’s only an amateur, he just doesn’t know what he’s doing at all, it’s so painfully obvious to everyone that he just doesn’t have a clue. The lyrics are just meme fuel, the stage show is hilariously over-the-top even by TVR standards, the revamp sounds like the parody to a parody, parody inception is basically its genre at this point. To top it all… Read more »
It is well and truly the high school project of an overexcited, horny student, that’s perfectly okay, but when you send it to represent a country in front of millions, don’t act surprised when you see the reception, how else are people supposed to react to something like this?
Are u really Romanian?? Shame on you.
Nothing personal against Theodor, but the broadcaster is hopelessly corrupt, the entire fandom found that out for themselves last season so it would only be shameful if I actually ignored it, not the other way around.
Soooooo many of them are like that and I’d be embarrassed if I were in their shoes. Imagine being an “adult” and relentlessly hating on an 18-yo doing his best – this is exactly what a large chunk of the Romanian fandom does every time Theodor is mentioned around them. He’s a theatre kid and acted in a play a few days ago, you know, living his life and going about his business outside of the Eurovision bubble, and they even made fun of that. He made an official MV for the song using his own money and people are… Read more »
Soooooo many of them are like that and I’d be embarrassed if I were in their shoes. Imagine being an “adult” and relentlessly hating on an 18-yo doing his best – this is exactly what a large chunk of the Romanian fandom does every time Theodor is mentioned around them. He’s a theatre kid and acted in a play a few days ago, you know, living his life and going about his business outside of the Eurovision bubble, and they even made fun of that. He made an official MV for the song using his own money and people are… Read more »
I’m really fed up with Romania being represented by the most random people every year. This year their selection had just a bunch of no names which indirectly translates to bad results. Next year Romania should consider picking among these: INNA – probably the most famous Romanian singer of them all Alexandra Stan – pretty much INNA’s counterpart and may be easier to convince for Eurovision Alina Eremia – one of the most famous Romanian singers who has already been in Junior Eurovision in 2005 Andrew Tate – if he gets proven innocent and released from prison, it would be… Read more »
Go play in traffic for trolling us by mentioning the disgusting sc*mbag that is Andrew Tate, no sane person here would ever wish to be associated with that creature.
Stop with the hate.
You’d think Andrew Tate would just go to Eurovision.
An objectively enjoyable, jazzy entry by Theodor that it just needed time to fully click on me… used to be until he added that acoustic part in the first minute of the song, whyyy?!? It had slowly started to climb a bit higher in my ranking but the acoustic part has shattered my hopes that it could enter my qualifiers of SF2. I do really like how he expresses his emotions about his problems of controlling his emotions (if I’m translating the message right) as a grown teenager for the woman he’s in love with but still doesn’t get any… Read more »
3,64 is too high for this 3 minute disaster
I am in favour of young artists and their music. This song, though, does not resonate with me. Nor the staging and performance. I am sorry to say that to Romania, that I dearly love. Good luck, Romania!
Deserved
Song contest and i think despite the fact this artist can sing the song is truly awful
Sorry Wiwi but this IS a Big NO. If you are reviewing SONGS It makes no sense that the 1st review i read says: “Theodor has a very good voice, stage presence and attitude. Unfortunately, these aspects might go unnoticed in an avalanche of other staging details that take all your attention from the singer”…
But then you review other songs based on a Music Video. Really unfair.
If when reviewing an Esc song you rate It below 5, this only means you are a bad person… And I am neither Romanian nor a fan of this song.
I like Solo as a song then i might be a simple and no substances whatever crap u wrote there.
They have to justify their dislike of the song so they’ll latch onto ANYTHING to do that, acting as if the NF performance is some set in stone live-on-tape that won’t be changed at all since Eurovision. It’s an echochamber, anyway, and god forbid Wiwi puts forward an opinion that is different from the mainstream reception (which is an echochamber as well, since many people will listen to the songs for the first time on each contest night). Safe pop songs with horrible live performances? Doesn’t matter, iT’s a SonG cOnTesT, nOt a VoiCe coNteSt. More niche/experimental songs with good… Read more »
22. Theodor Andrei – D.G.T. (Off and on) – 6/10 (Romania) – quirky and groovy, this is decidedly offbeat. In places it is engaging, in other parts it is quite forgettable and the chorus is not as strong as I would have liked.
Tornike’s song was a bit boring but his voice I’m going to miss! The part when he starts roaring was so good!
After yesterday’s wiwi jury on «I wrote a song» I’m not going to take this one any serious. It’s only a joke…
I’m one of a few here who likes D. G. T ( Off and On) and I know it.
Not my top 10, but still very far from the bottom .
His way of singing it very professional and sleek . As well as his performance , unlike Mae Muller and Blanka’s , makes it intresting to watch what’s happening on stage.
And yes , the song is definately not bad .
Good luck Theodor!
Let’s be honest, it’s utter cr*p
The fact that the Wiwi Jury gives it the last place is a big relief, it means it has all the chances to qualify in the end. Don’t take it personally, but you’re not a proffesional jury. It’s true that Eurovision isn’t either, but still they judge it differently. Remember when you sent Esther Peony in Eurovision instead of Laura Bretan? I’ve like Esther, but you just ruined Romania’s chances in the contest and this is a reason to think this time you’re judging Theodor completely wrong. In my opinion he will stand out too much to not go into… Read more »
That particular decision to choose Esther over Laura genuinely shocked me at the time. It seemed pretty clear from the reaction I saw online that Laura was the favourite to win that selection and could’ve done very well.
Ester Peony was great. My winner that year. In my top 3 Eurovision songs of all and i had On a Sunday as my ringtone 3 years in a row.
Cezar ONE LOVE!
Don’t take it as a criticism for the Wiwi Jury, in the end it was Romania’s broadcaster’s choice to form that kind of jury, I just wanted to say that their style of analising songs is not exactly the same it happens in Eurovision. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to think Romania is such an outsider this year. Exactly like Latvia. They are put under San Marino, Albania or Poland, it’s hardly to imagine they will finish under these entries.
I have no idea why Romania seems to have become the fandom’s punching ball this season, and this Wiwi Jury result is honestly baffling. Most of the reviewers even struggle to make a solid critique against the song (other than pointing at the Selec?ia Na?ional? live, which I doubt is what we will be seeing in Liverpool and hasn’t been replicated anywhere else). The song is not a masterpiece, but he is a great singer and with the right staging I don’t see why it shouldn’t be fighting for a top 10 spot (especially since ~50 points will be needed… Read more »
Unfortunately it’s the “ick” factor that overshadowing his awesome vocals – someone elsewhere (sorry, not able to give credit) said that watching him on stage has the weird vibe of “seeing your underage nephew drunk at a strip show.” Andrei is young, fabulously talented, and I hope we see more of him…just, not with this song.
That is irrelevant though as it has already been said the staging will be completely different to the national final.
I hope so. I just watched the official video and it has more of the same vibe. It was produced by Theodor and his friends so I wonder how much actual support he’s receiving from Romania…? I think he’s incredibly talented and would like to see him do well, but he’d be better served by a more experienced team.
Exactly. But they are crazy about « I wrote a song».
Unfortunately, there aren’t any elements to this that I really like. The lyrics, the vocals, the wailing guitar work– it’s all very aggressively in-your-face without actually being good. The performance feels genuine and enthusiastic, I guess, but enthusiasm is a double-edged sword… 3/10
I must be one of the few that kind of like “D.G.T”. It was also my fav from the Romanian NF. I don’t think it is as bad as some people want us to believe (same with San Marino). Anyway, I do believe the revamp makes this song worse. I preferred the first raw and over-the-top version. He’s a good performer for his age so being able to participate in Eurovision will be a nice step in the right direction for his career. Just wish him luck. Romania is in my 20th place: 6. Germany (7.5) 8. San Marino (7.25)… Read more »
he is a nice guy but the song and the p[performance are both atrocious, easily the worst of this year.
I don’t get how it got voted in the national final. The quality was poor yes but there were 1 or 2 other performances by far more interesting
I dont particularly like this song but i dont particularly dislike It either but if the thing is about reviewing the song and just the song itself why the staging at their NF IS mentioned as an added reason for a poor score?
When reviewing the UK song no one said anything about Mae Muller’s poor Life performance at preparties…
As each years the songs were reviewed largely before the preparties.
How you know? But anyway, i find It a bit unfair to “downvote” a song for its LIFE performance on a NF and “upvote” another for a recorded/processed/autotuned Music Video
Because the other years they did a revaluation of the songs after the preparties, and changed some scores after, but they said this year they won’t do it.
But that IS the thing. If they focused only on the song itself they did not have to revaluate anything. Or is a crap song less crap because It is wrapped Up in glitter and fireworks?
Yes, this exactly! And on top of that, staging is something that can easily be totally changed for Eurovision proper, it should be far less of a factor than song quality, vocal quality, artist charisma, etc
Bad vocals are only mentioned if they already dislike song
They have to justify their dislike of the song so they’ll latch onto ANYTHING to do that, acting as if the NF performance is some set in stone live-on-tape that won’t be changed at all since Eurovision. It’s an echochamber, anyway, and god forbid Wiwi puts forward an opinion that is different from the mainstream reception (which is an echochamber as well, since many people will listen to the songs for the first time on each contest night). Safe pop songs with horrible live performances? Doesn’t matter, iT’s a SonG cOnTesT, nOt a VoiCe coNteSt. More niche/experimental songs with good… Read more »
28th place: ROMANIA: For me this song sometimes is just nice as background music and sometimes I can’t seem to be able to finish it. Something in the melody of the chorus makes it seem flat to me as each phrase is sung in the exact same way there, one after another. It could have even been just the exact same lyric repeated 6 times and the result would have been virtually the same as it is now for me. Nevertheless it is not terrible as a song. What really is bad, is that staging at the national final, which… Read more »
Honestly, Georgia 2021 is my lowest rated one out of these. I can understand the lack of dynamics and progression. I can even understand the basic lyrics. But there’s just an aura of unnecessary brooding there. It’s supposed to be an ode, but he looked bored of his own entry.
As a song (highlighting that with all my strength) I prefer Echo to both Georgia 2019 and Georgia 2021. But I agree that both of these are also solid songs. I particularly liked the calming feel of Tornike’s 2021 entry and is actually in my top 15 of the year believe it or not. As a sidenote, I also liked Circus Mircus last year a lot. But nothing can top Midnight Gold for me as far as Georgian ESC entries are concerned. My winner of the 2016 contest actually 🙂
Midnight Gold is in my top 5 in 2016. I was so happy when they qualified.
I rather enjoy listening to the studio version still, but Tornike’s complete apathy during the contest kinda ruined things for me.
Yikes, that was harsh!!! Theodor is actually in my top 10. He has a fantastic voice and such charisma, I can’t take my eyes off him. The song may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but at least it has some personality. How Blanka, who has none of the above, managed to score higher than this, is ridiculous.
Blanka’s song is better
Thanks for the info. Yeah, I think that San Marino and Romania are likely the bottom 2. With the remaining entries, I’d be very shocked if they have scored under a 5.00 on average. I could see Greece perhaps getting a middling score, but I expect the others to score over a 6.00.
My expectations for top 3 are:
1. Sweden (cca. 8.85)
2. Finland (cca. 8.75)
3. Spain (cca. 8.30)
4. Norway (already reviewed, 8.07)
I like his voice but I feel the song doesn’t suit him. The song itself has a decent chorus but the rest of it is very forgettable and they need to completely change the staging too. I am leaning towards NQ at this stage
1st Rehearsals:
OMG! I’m getting excited!!! 🙂 I’m glad that Sweden rehearsal is before Israel..
Australia’s already been done but yeah, the others are all that’s left.
Well this entry is a hot mess and a half. I seriously question why Romania keeps pushing such a low-quality national selection when the results are poor and the people’s response is not exactly positive. Theodor may be able to sing his song really well, but with the performance at Selectia Nationala as it stands, this has absolutely no shot at qualifying, even from the weaker semifinal. I’ll give credit where it’s due, and it’s purely Theodor’s vocal skill itself. Other than that, this entry may as well not exist.
It’s a 4/10 for me.
Well, I’m really curious what reaction would people have if he will go to the final. For real, the song is pretty genuine, not for everybody for sure, but it is kinda class. And in Eurovision it doesn’t have to be for everyone, a good example being Maneskin who was certainly not for everyone. Now, about Romania’s selections, in terms of hosting a show and technical elements, it certainly is one of the lowest, but in terms of entries, in my opinion it was never a bad one. And the country’s results in history of the contest kinda approves it.… Read more »
36) Romania – Oooooooft, that score. This song just really isn’t for me, but at least it’s quite interesting (compared to San Marino), hence why it’s not my last place. I personally can’t relate/connect to the song, but thinking about the Romanian NF there wasn’t really much that would do well at Eurovision anyway.
All I can say is Theodor seems incredibly talented at such a young age and I wish him the best of luck in the future. 3/10
As if this jury is relevant in some way, the staging and live performance is what it’s important. Go Theodor!!
Romania 3/12
Great voice …. but such a waste on a very uninspiring song. A really disappointing choice for Romania this year. A song that goes nowhere.
I think that’s nearly the lowest score Ive ever seen in wiwi’s jury rankings over the years. My opinions on this song have changed quite a bit since the initial studio cut. When I first heard this song and saw the music video for it, I thought, this was an interesting choice, not necessarily my favourite of the bunch but its quite distinctive, the visuals were striking and I felt it had an authentic feel to it (authentic to the performer). I then saw the live performance, before the official nf performance and again, there were things I liked. I… Read more »
I think folks have said that the acoustic part isn’t actually going to be in the actual shows. If so, thank god because that would’ve meant it would be my last place.
oh, well I hope thats the case because like your saying, that revamp really killed any chances of qualification for me.
Yeah, I said that it would’ve been like Denmark last year… First part running on for too long.