It’s on from Romania: Messing around with Theodor Andrei

Theodor knows all about competitions, having won the hearts of the public in Vocea României Junior (The Voice Kids Romania), and X Factor Romania. But now he’s destined for the greatest music competition in the world. The singer won Romania’s national selection Selecția Națională, with the public crowning him as their king. (What’s a king without a queen?)

The young star brought all his charisma to his first Eurovision rehearsal on Monday 1 May, and previewed quite the performance. He was dressed in a suit jacket and shorts, armed with an acoustic guitar for the first part of the performance, before abandoning it - along with all inhibitions on the stage! The part-Romanian and part-English song made its impact on Liverpool Arena, complete with bright lights and rock vocals.

Right on hand at the first rehearsal, was the official Eurovision Live Blog. There was a lot to enjoy in Theodor’s performance, but they highlighted that: "This is completely different D.G.T. (Off and On) from the recorded version - the first half is stripped-back acoustic, with just Theodor and his guitar and powerful voice. The second half picks up the rock tempo to a performance that feels much more familiar, with Theodor bringing ALL the sass and energy, as well as a bonus dancer for a dramatic finish."

As well as being a rockstar in the making, Theodor is also an actor. He’s won awards for his stage performances across Romania, and also lent his voice to children’s TV show Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood when it was dubbed into Romanian. With all that interest in acting, he might be watching the new Barbie movie. Particularly as he's told us he’d love the film’s lead actor Margot Robbie to buy his latest album, FRAGIL.

Theodor’s music is full of rock and pop influences, which are easy to spot in his playlist of favourite tunes. He loves classics from Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and KISS, as well as modern tunes like Hate Me by Miley Cyrus and Lost On You by Lewis Capaldi. And one classic guaranteed to get him dancing, is Good Golly Miss Molly by Little Richard. Good golly Mr Andrei!

“My point is to win. I think that’s everybody’s point,” Theodor told the Official Eurovision Song Contest Podcast. “I used to watch Eurovision when I was 7 or 8 years old with my parents and I’ve watched it every year since, and I remember telling my mum that my biggest dream was to win Eurovision, to be the first Romanian to win Eurovision. And so I’m here, doing my best not to miss this shot!”

There’s more from Theodor on Episode 13 of the Official Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

You can learn more about Theodor Andrei from Romania right here.