Theodor Andrei represented Romania at Eurovision 2023 with the song “D.G.T. (Off and On)”. As a huge fan of the competition, Theodor was excited to perform on the stage in Liverpool. Yet, Andrei has now spoken out about how his dream slowly but surely turned into a nightmare because of his collaboration with Romanian national broadcaster TVR.
Theodor made his claims during an interview with Romanian artist The Watcher, for the YouTube series Fără Perdea.
Theodor Andrei on working with TVR at Eurovision 2023
Theodor explained how he had been considering taking part in Eurovision for several years, trying to find a suitable song, as conquering Eurovision’s internationally recognised stage was always a childhood dream. The Romanian star confessed that hearing thousands of voices singing the Romanian lyrics of “D.G.T. (Off and On)” during the Eurovision pre-parties in Amsterdam and London remains one of the dearest achievements of his career so far.
But he then alleged that TVR, who is in charge of the Romanian delegation at Eurovision, turned his dream into a nightmare.
In Selecția Națională, Romania’s Eurovision selection show, Theodor participated with a stage show designed by himself. He was ready to modify and improve this for Eurovision, but TVR allegedly dismissed all of his ideas and suggestions. The staging viewers saw in Liverpool was designed exclusively by TVR’s team.
He also claims the broadcaster imposed a slower revamp of “D.G.T. (Off and On)” on Theodor, which didn’t resonate with his wishes and ideas.
Theodor had more to say about TVR. According to the Eurovision star, even if the budget that the broadcaster received for Eurovision was not properly allocated for the performance, the broadcaster also refused to provide funds for a music video for his Eurovision entry.
The “D.G.T. (Off and On)” singer wanted to keep the promise he made to fans about releasing a music video for the song. Therefore, he created a self-financed video. However, this resulted in further tensions between him and the national broadcaster. He claims that TVR forbade him from publishing it, even threatening Theodor and his family.
The music video was a success among Eurovision fans, and the fact that Theodor had to finance the production of the video himself has brought criticism to TVR.
Romania’s broadcaster has not yet responded to Theodor’s claims.
Theodor to perform in London this July
Despite the trials and tribulations with TVR, Theodor remains undeterred as he sets out to spread the message of love through rock’n’roll music. He is set to return to the UK for a concert organised by Platform ’96. Theodor will perform at Stage 002 on 28 July.
The event is taking place at The Water Rats, a renowned venue steeped in music history. Bob Dylan, The Pogues and Oasis all played their very first gigs at the venue.
Theodor will be joined on stage by British alternative rock band Glass Bridges and London-based rock band Minerva. Get ready for a night full of rock’n roll and the the perfect occasion to shake away the post-Eurovision blues.
You can get your tickets here: outsavvy.com/event/14722/stage002.
What are your thoughts on the situation between Theodor and TVR? Are you excited for his London concert? Let us know in the comments below.
Damn. and I thought Last year Romania’s broadcaster was shady but this?!? Unacceptable.
If that’s true, it makes it all worse. However, the song was bad to begin with. Theodor is a great artist, he is capable of much more.
And to think this was the same country that sent entries like “Tornero” or “Playing with fire”… TVR has to change its current approach to Eurovision. Romania has had poor viewing figures for many years now. Not only do they need to turn around their lacklustre national selection, but they should give more freedom to the artists and treat them with respect. The lack of criticism from their head of delegation about the result this year is not a good indicator. And the fact that they got 0 points in a semi-final with 100% televoting results, even in spite of… Read more »
If getting 0 points are Eurovision doesn’t motivate Romania to turn things around, then I don’t know what will.
I figured the staging was gonna be a disaster but this was absolutely dreadful. It is a shame to see a young guy with a dream be mistreated like this
Regardless of your personal feelings towards Theodor or the song, this is a horrible deal, especially for someone as young and evidently talented as he is. I was a huge fan of DGT when it was first announced, and the semi-final performance was a gut punch. Remember all that TVR pulled with Roxen in 2021? Track record of disrespecting artists.
Every Romanian entry since 2016 has been unbelievably cringeworthy. Some would argue that Roxen’s song wasn’t cringeworthy, but those lyrics and that live performance made it cringeworthy to me.
Romania has produced some of the world’s most famous summer bops, from INNA to Alexandra Stan. Just like Finland is known for rock, Romania is known for summer bops. Why aren’t they sticking to what they’re good at?
I personally enjoyed WRS entry last year. Not a masterpiece by any means but it was a fun bop and it got the crowd moving.
Aye. They rolled the dice on that one and came up boxcars. Too bad he had to sing 2nd in the final. 🙁
If the virus had not thrown a monkey-wrench into 2020, Roxen’s “Alcohol You” would have been a contender; quite certainly top-half-of-the-board material.
Roxen was singing in semi-unintelligible cursive, neither of her song would’ve done well even if TVR didn’t ruin it further.
romania is rolling downhill in this contest, probably the next one to withdraw
I knew it was bad, but i didn’t know it’s THAT bad. Downvote me all you want but they should be suspended for this shet, Belarus style. Unless they apologize him and fire their “eurovision departament” within TVR.
It’s just unacceptable.
He is only 18. And threatening his family? Will EBU investigate these allegations?
Y’all have to stop with this “EBU, investigate” bullsh…t. EBU is not police… why some of you don’t understand this.
They decide which broadcaster they want to be asociated with
drama queen much?
Theodor is a sore loser, and no need now for him to bring the broadcaster down just because he is too butthurt
And this right here is why i don’t want to even try to go to eurovision . Might as well try for San Marino.
It was painful to watch and to listen. I don’t think the broadcaster is the one to blame.
So this is the reason why he got nil points in the semi-final. All of TVR’s fault. ?
I genuinely think TVR is just not the right broadcaster for Romania. They’ve got a stellar collection of artists and they aren’t willing to send one of them.
Romania shouldn’t go to the contest given how this is the treatment the musicians receive. Don’t wonder why Eurovision has had an awful reputation for a very long time.
he can’t sing, and no need to put the broadcaster in a negative light, no money in the world could save your performance if you can’t sing or perform lol the act in liverpool should’ve been someone else, Perinita Mea or even Statues would’ve for sure not gotten 0’d and would have more qualifying chances even it is the romanian public who chose Theodor though, while they also knew there was loads better and more televoting friendly, Perinita Mea would’ve given them a similar televote slayage on moldovan standards possibly Romania don’t withdraw, ur one of my personal fave countries… Read more »
On what planet can Theodor not sing? Dislike the song all you want but we literally had acts this year that struggled to sing their songs. Theodor was not one of them.
And, regardless of result, Perinita Mea would’ve been an awful step for Romania to take. Leave that kind of pandering to Moldova.
I was two back from the barrier for the live semi two, Anonymous91. That lad sang his heart out for his country.
Seems like these 2 kids got a raw deal this time out; Theodor and Victor (no props; they just sent them out there to fend for themselves).
As far as their performances are concerned, they’ll have plenty of time to sharpen up and improve.
Theodor had one of the strongest voices this year with a fantastic vocal range. He also got to the semi final of a show literally called ‘The Voice’. If he is what you consider a poor singer, I’d be astounded to see what your definition of a good one is.
The music video was NEVER a hit among Eurovision fans.. the song was also never a hit and he forgets to talk about his arrogance and the way he insisted on ignoring all suggestions from Romanian Eurovision fans. TVR decided to have him alone on stage because for months all Romanian Eurovision fans said was that he was way better in the semi final when he was alone on stage than the horrific mess that he came up with in the final ( I’m talking about selec?ia na?ionala )!! Everybody screamed for months “he’s better alone on stage than what… Read more »
The 2022 Romanian jury tried rigging the voting, they wanted to exchange points with jury panels from 5 other countries but the EBU caught their blatant and obvious cheating, so that’s why their “real” votes were rightfully not counted in the end, the proof was also posted on this site shortly after the contest last year.
I have voted for Theodor in our national final. I am not a fake account and I still listening his song. Why should you blame me? :)) You are funny. And btw, TVR sucks in Ro and you know better. Stop pretending they are victims. And regarding his family, do not forget that TVR made this guy to sing acoustic version. The worst decision ever. Loreen was alone on stage also, but depends how. It is not enough just to be alone. We wanted him alone, but with camera moves, while he is the rock star, doing his stuff. And… Read more »
Loreen had a prop—no; TWO props; the CGI platform she was laying on, and the overhead screen.
They sent the kid out there (no props) to fend for himself. Victor Vernicos (Greece), too. 🙁
Are you talking about his Selectia Nationala performance that was sent to the EBU as a video, or the actual music video that came EXTREMELY late for the YouTube viewers to soak up and evaluate?
Reminds me of Roxen being forced to perform in a way that didn’t allow her to shine by TVR in 2021
Indeed, they did the same. Young artist too, same pattern. Our broadcaster should not have the right to be part of EBU. Better without Eurovision…
It was an awful song. Nothing could have saved it. I wish him the best for the future.
Personal preference should not justify mistreatment of any artist. We hope to see you in London 28th of July!
We are here to create his redemption arc and we want you to join us!
Personal preference should not justify mistreatment of any artist. We hope to see you in London 28th of July ??
We are here to create his redemption arc and we want you to join us!
So there’s this big interview with Theodor that reveals the truth: out of a large budget, less than 100 euro was given to him for Eurovision which is why we got such cheap staging. Maybe Romania would have qualified if it was better? Essentially TVR trashed half of Theodor’s ideas, most of which were much better than what they could come up with and then tried to make him wear a pink suit whilst singing an acoustic version of the song, something he adamantly protested against. From my understanding, the whole process abused Theodor yet he is still so grateful… Read more »
Personally, I think DGT was always gonna be a hard-to-sell product, no matter what.
Regardless, I feel a broadcaster should support their entries – regardless of the quality.
2023 certainly seems to be the year of delegations hanging their acts out to dry so it seems.
What a mess. Last year we had fake votes. This year we had threats to a singer and his family. Romania, if you can’t participate like a normal nation, withdraw ASAP.
This shows that just because there are more contestants in the festival, it doesn’t mean it’s going to get better for the countries and the musicians.
Please make the difference between a broadcaster and a nation. I am from Ro and I think we could be normal too.
But, yes, as far as TVR is our broadcaster in EBU, we should withdraw.
What a sad story! 🙁
romania was a clown show this year, but he didn’t deserve it. I would not be surprised if Romania pulls out next year. I don’t think any artist with self-respect would want to work with TVR after what they did with Theodor.
TVR has been a clown for years and is probably one of the worst broadcasters in EBU in their way of treating ESC. Romania deserves better.
Have they always been this bad even during Romania’s Eurovision golden age, or have they really been on the downhill the last several years? If they have always been a terrible broadcaster throughout Romanian entire Ron, it’s a miracle that they got as many good results as they did.
By the time of our golden age, we had the same HoD. A guy with more experience, I am not sure if he is in TVR anymore, probably he is old too. Also, by that time, we had in our selection big names. It was a big deal for Romanian singers to be part of it. Now it is not anymore. Only young singers or without so much experience are taking part of this. Only an internal selection could change the direction, but I am afraid this will not happening soon. Better we will withdraw next year. I am already… Read more »
Just have Moldova absorb Romania into their country and let Moldova take care of all things Eurovision.
I met him in the arena at the first semi final and he was such a lovely guy! Meanwhile his delegation, especially the lady I assume was the HOD looked sour as hell. All my sympathies go to him; it was clear from 30 seconds how soul crushing working with them must have been – can’t imagine doing it for 3 months
The lady was actually his mother
It’s a shame. Song was ok, not a winner but I could see it in the finals.
This is the second time I see a singer being treated like sh*t (since following national final season in 2020). Roxen was the first one with TVR’s forced national final in 2020. And when she got to Eurovision they made awful choices by letting her move while singing. She didn’t want it, got a mental breakdown during the jury final, didn’t do well (thanks to TVR) and didn’t qualify.
Roxen… It was my winner until i saw live performance. Sennek 2.0
In my ranking she went from 9th to 29th in one night…
He has a new single, a wonderful song called ARTIST. You should listen it !
Theodor is 18 and a talented creative. He should take away a valuable learning experience about how things work (esp. in Eastern Europe bureacracies) and how to manage your own career. It’s good that he learns it now, and can learn to overcome the obstacles later in life.
No amount of money could have fixed that cringefest
Yeah but the song was garbage, nothing could have saved it. Romania, get yourself together.
So that’s a reason for you to mistreat your participants? Damn…
Did I say anything about mistreating the artist? The song is garbage, so was the song from San Marino – the zero points for both was deserved. It is a competition after all – someone wins and someone loses. Romania does something terribly wrong with their selection. I would not be shocked if the next step is withdrawal from Eurovision.
A prime example of how a broadcaster can destroy a project. Ratings are extremely low, no budget, no support, even mafia tactics!!! Speechless
I just want to say that I don’t think he deserved zero points at all. I find myself listening to DGT every now and then, and it’s absolutely not that bad. I think Theodor is a creative guy who just love to make music in his own way. Plus he has a cool voice. I’m disgusted reading how TVR treated him, and reading all the negative comments he got.
Poor kid. Looks like an even worse (!) “revamp” of the song appeared in Liverpool, compared to Amsterdam, I barely recognised it. San Marino did not deserve zero points either.
I agree, such a great voice. I hope his career takes off from here, he deserves it?
Didn’t mean to put the question mark at the end……should be !