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Romania has been represented at the
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
23 times since its debut in , and has placed in the top ten six times. Its best results were achieved with " Let Me Try" by
Luminița Anghel Luminița Anghel (; born 7 October 1968) is a Romanians, Romanian singer, TV personality and politician. She is internationally known for representing Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, Romania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 alon ...
and Sistem in , and " Playing with Fire" by
Paula Seling Paula Seling (; born 25 December 1978) is a Romanian singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. She has released more than thirteen albums (including three Christmas albums) and over twenty singles, which include two top-te ...
and Ovi in , who both finished in third place. The Romanian participating broadcaster in the contest is (TVR), which select its entrant with , a song contest organised every year since 1993, except for . In , the year before its first appearance, Romania attempted to debut in the contest, but came last in the
qualifying round Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...
. After successfully joining the following year, poor placements followed until 2002, resulting in several relegations. This changed with the introduction of semi-finals to the contest in 2004, after which Romania reached the final 14 times, failing to qualify from the semi-finals in , , , and , the latter finishing with no points.


Contest history

(TVR) is a full member of the
European Broadcasting Union The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are member states of the Council of Europe, members of the ...
(EBU) since 1 January 1993, thus eligible to participate in the
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
since then. It has participated in the contest representing Romania since its in 1994. Before becoming a member of the EBU, TVR had broadcast the contest several times during the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s. TVR unsuccessfully attempted to debut in the , selecting "Nu pleca" by Dida Drăgan for the qualifying round (); Drăgan came in last place. A non-qualification was also achieved in when there was a
qualifying round Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...
for all countries excluding hosts Norway. The Eurovision site does not count either year in Romania's list of appearances. The country's first official participation occurred in with " Dincolo de nori" by
Dan Bittman Dan Bittman (; born 29 March 1962, Bucharest) is a Romanian singer who represented the country at the Eurovision Song Contest 1994 and came 21st with 14 points. Dan Bittman has been the lead singer of the music group, Holograf, since 1985. From ...
placing 21st in the contest's final. The following years saw similar low placements and non-participations in , , , and . Romania's first top ten result was achieved in , when " Tell Me Why" by
Monica Anghel Monica Anghel (; born 1 June 1971 in Bucharest, Socialist Republic of Romania, Romania) is a Romanians, Romanian singer and television personality. In 1996, she took part in the international preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest. The Roman ...
and
Marcel Pavel Marcel Pavel (; born 4 December 1959 in Galați County) is a folk music singer in Romania. His singing talents brought him to the top of the Romanian charts more than once. In 2002, Marcel was elected as ''The best male voice''. His first hit was ...
finished ninth. The country placed within the top 20 every year from to , claiming third place in with " Let Me Try" by
Luminița Anghel Luminița Anghel (; born 7 October 1968) is a Romanians, Romanian singer, TV personality and politician. She is internationally known for representing Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, Romania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 alon ...
and Sistem. this remains Romania's best result in the contest, alongside " Playing with Fire" by
Paula Seling Paula Seling (; born 25 December 1978) is a Romanian singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. She has released more than thirteen albums (including three Christmas albums) and over twenty singles, which include two top-te ...
and Ovi in , which also finished third. Since 2010, the country's only other top ten placement was in , when "
Yodel It! "Yodel It!" is a song recorded by Romanian singers Ilinca Băcilă, Ilinca and Alex Florea, released on 30 January 2017 by Cat Music. The track was written by Alexandra Niculae and produced by Mihai Alexandru for the Swiss band Timebelle who r ...
" by Ilinca and
Alex Florea Alexandru Ionuț "Alex" Florea (; born 15 September 1991) is a Romanian singer. Along with Ilinca Băcilă, he represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song " Yodel It!", finishing in 7th place in the grand final. Flore ...
reached seventh place. was TVR's first year to significantly invest in a performance; the costs for the use of graphics and special effects during the show for "
On a Sunday "On a Sunday" is a song recorded by Romanian singer Ester Peony. It was independently released for digital download and streaming as a single on 17 January 2019. Ioana Victoria Badea wrote the lyrics, while Peony composed the music alongside ...
" by
Ester Peony Ester Alexandra Crețu (; born 21 July 1993), known professionally as Ester Peony (formerly only Ester), is a Romanian singer and songwriter. She represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song " On a Sunday" after winnin ...
amounted to 100,000 euros. Romania had previously introduced the first-ever use of overlays at Eurovision in . Romania has participated in the contest 23 times, having qualified for the final 14 times since the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004, failing to qualify in , , , and . In 2016, the EBU suspended TVR from all its member services due to the repeated non-payment of debts and the threat of insolvency. This in turn disqualified their 2016 entry, "
Moment of Silence A moment of silence (also referred to as a minute's silence or a one-minute silence) is a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture o ...
" by
Ovidiu Anton Ovidiu Anton (; born 24 February 1983 in Bucharest) is a Romanian singer-songwriter. He was to represent Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Moment of Silence", but Romania was forced to withdraw from the contest on 22 Apr ...
, from participating in the contest. Although TVR had selected " Alcohol You" by Roxen to be performed in , the contest was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Roxen was internally selected for 2021 nonetheless, performing "
Amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or brain diseases,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be temporarily caused by t ...
". After failing to qualify for the final in four out of its latest five participations, Romania opted not to take part in the . The country did not return to the contest either.


Selection process and accolades

Since 1993, TVR organises , a song contest which has been taking place every year except for 2021, to select its entry for Eurovision. The winner of the first edition was chosen by 1100 households in the country. Since then, several voting procedures have been used, often combining
televoting Televoting (also telephone voting, phone voting, and call-in voting) is a method of decision making and opinion polling conducted by telephone. Televoting can also extend to voting by SMS text message via a mobile cell phone. Broadcast contest ...
with the votes of a jury panel. The selection of the winner either occurred during one show, or through a varying amount of semi-finals. For the first time, a part of Romania's entry was determined internally in 2020. Roxen was selected by TVR out of exclusive partner
Global Records Global Records is a Romanian independent record label founded in 2008 by Ștefan Lucian. History Global Records's first signed artist was Inna in 2008, whose career has been spanning over 10 years. She has released a series of international ...
's roster, and was appointed five songs for a jury and the public to choose from. The broadcaster and the label also collaborated the following year for the internal selection of Roxen and her entry. In , " Pe-o margine de lume" by
Nico Christa Päffgen (; 16 October 1938 – 18 July 1988), known by her stage name Nico, was a German singer, songwriter, actress, and model. Nico had roles in several films, including Federico Fellini's '' La Dolce Vita'' (1960) and Andy Warhol's ...
and Vlad won Romania's first and only
Marcel Bezençon Award Marcel may refer to: People * Marcel (given name), people with the given name Marcel * Marcel (footballer, born August 1981), Marcel Silva Andrade, Brazilian midfielder * Marcel (footballer, born November 1981), Marcel Augusto Ortolan, Brazilian ...
, in the Composer Award category, and Sanda received the infamous
Barbara Dex Award The Barbara Dex Award was a fan-voted accolade awarded annually to the worst-dressed contestant in the Eurovision Song Contest. The award was created by the fansite The House of Eurovision in 1997, which hosted it until the site's closure in 20 ...
in . A number of Romania's Eurovision entries have experienced commercial success over the years. While "Let Me Try" reached number nine on the
Romanian Top 100 Multiple record charts have been inaugurated in Romania since the 1990s. The Romanian Top 100 was the country's national chart until 2012. Founded in 1995, it was a ranking based on the compilation of charts submitted by local Romanian radio stat ...
, 's " Tornerò" by Mihai Trăistariu peaked within the top ten in Finland and Greece. "
The Balkan Girls "The Balkan Girls" is a song by Romanian singer Elena Gheorghe for a special 2009 edition of her second studio album, '' Te Ador'' (2008), and third record, ''Disco Romancing'' (2012). It was written by and Alexandru Pelin, while production was ...
" by Elena topped the Romanian chart in , and similar success was attained by " Zaleilah" by Mandinga in , obtaining number two in the country's Airplay 100 ranking and a Gold certification for digital downloads exceeding 10,000 copies in Romania. " Llámame" by Wrs also peaked atop the charts in Romania in 2022.


Participation overview


Related involvement


Heads of delegation

Each participating broadcaster in the Eurovision Song Contest assigns a head of delegation as the EBU's contact person and the leader of their delegation at the event. The delegation, whose size can greatly vary, includes a head of press, the performers, songwriters, composers, and backing vocalists, among others.


Stage directors

The participating broadcaster usually appoints a stage director responsible for directing the live performance of the song at the contest, its camerawork for the television broadcast, and the visuals and props used on stage.


Jury members

Each participating broadcaster assembles a five-member jury panel consisting of music industry professionals for the semi-finals and final of the Eurovision Song Contest, ranking all entries except their own. The juries' votes constitute 50% of the overall result alongside televoting.


Commentators and spokespersons

For the show's broadcast on TVR, various commentators and dual commentators have been hired throughout the years, with Leonard Miron notably having done the job on seven occasions. At the contest, after all points are calculated, the presenters of the show call upon each voting broadcaster to invite their respective spokesperson to announce the results of their vote.


Conductors

In contests where an orchestra was provided, a
conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...
was required to lead the musicians during each country's performance. Broadcasters were able to provide their own conductors, or could call upon the services of the conductor appointed by the host broadcaster. For 1993's pre-selection round, George Natsis conducted the Romanian entry. In 1994 and 1998, Irish host conductor
Noel Kelehan John William "Noel" Kelehan (26 December 1935 – 6 February 2012) was an Irish people, Irish musician, Conductor (music), conductor of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and musical director of RTÉ, Radio Telefís Éireann. He retired as conductor ...
and Romanian conductor Adrian Romcescualso the composer of "Eu cred"were hired, respectively.


Photo gallery

File:Todomondo Eurovision 2007.jpg, alt=Six men dressed in variously colored clothes performing on a stage., Todomondo in Helsinki () File:Flickr - proteusbcn - Semifinal 1 EUROVISION 2008 (129).jpg, alt=A man dressing a black suit and jeans and a woman sporting a black dress performing on a stage.,
Nico Christa Päffgen (; 16 October 1938 – 18 July 1988), known by her stage name Nico, was a German singer, songwriter, actress, and model. Nico had roles in several films, including Federico Fellini's '' La Dolce Vita'' (1960) and Andy Warhol's ...
and Vlad in Belgrade () File:Elena Gheorghe in Moscow (2009).jpg, alt=A blond-haired woman sitting at a table wrapped in an oversized Romanian flag., Elena in Moscow () File:Paula Seling 02.JPG, alt=A man and a woman dressed in black performing on a stage.,
Paula Seling Paula Seling (; born 25 December 1978) is a Romanian singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. She has released more than thirteen albums (including three Christmas albums) and over twenty singles, which include two top-te ...
and Ovi in Oslo () File:Mandinga First Rehearsal.jpg, alt=A woman performing on a stage in front of white hearts alongside five men., Mandinga in Baku () File:ESC2013 - Romania 07.jpg, alt=A man dressed in a black dressed performing on a stage in front of a red background and behind X-shaped pyrotechnics., Cezar in Malmö () File:ESC2014 - Romania 15.jpg, alt=A man and a woman performing on a stage in front of a blue background; a circular piano is seen on the man's left., Paula Seling and Ovi in Copenhagen () File:20150515 ESC 2015 Voltaj 8117.jpg, alt=Five men performing on a stage, with four of them playing instruments.,
Voltaj Voltaj (; ) is a Romanian pop rock group. They are widely regarded as one of the most successful bands in Romanian history, with songs such as "20", " De la capăt" and "De mâine" being household hits. History ''Voltaj'' was formed in 1982, in ...
in Vienna () File:Eurovision Song Contest 2017, Semi Final 2 Rehearsals. Photo 210.jpg, alt=A man dressed in black and a woman sporting a red dress performing on a stage in front of colorful cartoons., Ilinca and
Alex Florea Alexandru Ionuț "Alex" Florea (; born 15 September 1991) is a Romanian singer. Along with Ilinca Băcilă, he represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song " Yodel It!", finishing in 7th place in the grand final. Flore ...
in Kyiv () File:ESC2018 - Romania 01.jpg, alt=Two women—dressed in purple and white dresses, respectively—performing on a stage alongside a guitarist; black mannequins are seen in the background., The Humans in Lisbon () File:ESC 2021 Rotterdam 1st Semi Jury Show Romania3.jpg, Roxen in Rotterdam () File:Eurovision 2022 - Semi-final 2 - Romania - WRS (01).jpg, WRS in Turin () File:Eurovision 2023 - Jury Semi-final 2 - Romania - Theodor Andrei (02).jpg, Theodor Andrei in Liverpool ()


See also

* Romania in the Eurovision Young Dancers * Romania in the Eurovision Young Musicians *
Romania in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest Romania participated in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest from the first Contest in Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2003, 2003 until Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2009, 2009. Their best result came in their second participation, when Noni Răzvan ...
* List of music released by Romanian artists that has charted in major music markets


Notes


References

{{featured list Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest