The jury decided on the song that will represent us at Eurovision 2026: “Choke me”, sung by Alexandra Căpitănescu. An original and different choice compared to the songs sent by Romania so far in the music competition. I was in the hall during the final and we tell you how everything was seen from the audience. The rock and Latin moments were the audience's favorites.
Alexandra, together with presenters Daniel Nuță and Giulia Nahhmany PHOTO Adevărul
The audience, made up of Eurovision fans
I arrived in studio 3 of TVR, from where the final was broadcast, half an hour before the start of the competition. Eurovision fans, those who discussed the contest intensively in online groups, had the opportunity to sit in the audience, in the front rows. In the hall there were also representatives of the press, but also supporters of the competitors. The interest was high, so there were not enough seats and it was also standing.
A few minutes before the start of the show, the biggest emotions were the dancers who were going to open the show. While the fans, most of them young people under the age of 25, waited with excitement, curious to see the moments prepared by the 12 finalists.
The first to take the stage was Emy Alupei. The young woman improved a lot from the semi-final and put on a well-constructed show with props and dancers. Robert Lukian followed, with a sensitive melody and a voice to match, which eventually took him to 4th place.
Vanu, and then Edward Maya x LavBbe x Costi completed the table of the first competitors.
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Emy Alupei PHOTO The Truth Ana Maxim jpg
How the audience reacted to the contestants' moments
Yguana had a spectacular moment, well staged, with a sensitive story. With her real name Ioana Hriscă, the young woman debuted nine years ago at Vocea României, just like Alexandra Căpitănescu. And he also had Tudor Chirilă as a coach. On the Eurovision stage, with the song Happy BirthdayYguana featured the breakup of a relationship and the painful effects such a moment has on those involved.
The members of the jury watched the moments in the room. They sat right behind the audience, from where they could analyze what was happening on stage. The selection was based only on the jury's score. The audience at home was no longer involved in the election process, as was the case in other years, when they could send sms or vote on the website.
The room responded well to the first few songs, but the enthusiasm started during the… commercial break, when the stage was set for HVNDS and the band members made their appearance. Iustin, the soloist, greeted the audience and enjoyed the reaction. In fact, the song “Dor”, a combination of metal with folklore elements, was ranked among the favorites on social networks.
The fact that they competed right after the break also gave them a disadvantage. Andreea Bălan, member of the jury, was late and did not watch the first part of the show.
After HVNDS, there were two moments brought to the finals by YouTube views: Antonio Pican and WRS. The crowd cheered the latter and clapped during the Latin song.
WRS is also a well-known name in the Romanian music industry and represented us at Eurovision in 2022, where it made a good impression. Although it ranked 18th, the song “Llamame” became popular in Europe, especially in Spain.
After WRS, Olivia Adams took the stage with the song Croco and Monica Odagiu, who sang in Romanian and created a memorable moment: dressed in a red dress, at the piano, she was accompanied by a couple of acrobats suspended at a height. Monica was also among the favorites in the gym and was also appreciated on the Internet.
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Monica Odagiu PHOTO The truth Ana Maxim jpg
Alexandra Căpitănescu's moment, received with the greatest enthusiasm
Even though they enjoyed most of the moments on stage, the Eurovision fans in the audience clearly had a favorite: Alexandra Căpitănescu. The reaction they had when the 22-year-old took the stage proved it.
And the jury members were attentive to Alexandra's timing. Moreover, the final score, made public after the end of the final, showed that he received the maximum of 12 points from five members of the jury. The other two jurors scored the moment an 11.
After Alexandra finished singing, the audience rose to their feet for applause.
The competition was closed by Alejandro and Emil Rengle. With a Latin song that conveys a good mood, the couple had the most spectacular props and well-studied choreography. As expected from Emil and his dance band, one of the most famous in Romania.
The jury's preferences coincided with those of the public
The first three places were announced after a 20-minute recital by Andrea Bălan. And this time things were different from what the viewers were used to: the jurors no longer presented the scores given to all the contestants one by one. The names of the three finalists (Alexandra Căpitănescu, Alejandro & Emil Rengle, HVNDS.) were read by the presenters from the Green Room. The contestants were then invited to the big stage, where composer Andrei Tudor announced the grand winner: Alexandra Căpitănescu. Although the timing was rushed, Eurovision fans in the audience were happy with the result.
Alexandra was so overcome with emotion that it took several seconds before she could speak.
“My throat hurts from screaming”said a young woman in the audience. And her reaction reflected the moments experienced by the Eurovision fans in the hall: even if the sound system left something to be desired, and some things seemed improvised or done quickly beforehand, they thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Before the evening ended, I spoke for a few moments with Alexandra Căpitănescu. The young woman managed to conquer the hall and the jury with a song that we don't often hear on the radio in Romania: rock opera. And with a title and lyrics that provoke mixed reactions. We asked Alexandra what she wants from Vienna, but also what lies behind the lyrics choke me. “I tell the story of the inner struggle between our voices and our soul, which sometimes feels suffocated and needs a breath of air, which it receives from the heart”answered Alexandra.
All those in the band of the winning Eurovision Romania national selection are around 20 years old. And they succeeded, if we go by the reactions, which seemed hard to believe, after the experiences of the past years: to reconcile the preference of the jury and the audience.
The next step is in Vienna, where they will take the stage in the second semi-final, scheduled for May 14.
