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What to look forward to at Moldova's 'Etapa Națională'

16 February 2024 at 16:55 CET
Pasha Parfeni from Moldova attending the Turquoise Carpet event at St. George’s Hall, Liverpool. Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU
Your guide on how to follow along with 'Etapa Națională', as Moldova selects its entry to the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö.

How To Watch: The 'Etapa Națională' final starts at 18:00 CET on Saturday 17 February. You'll be able to stream the whole show over on the official Eurovision Song Contest YouTube channel.

Moldova is all set to select its latest Eurovision entry via the second edition of Etapa Națională, which takes place on Saturday night.

The pre-selection sees 11 songs compete for that sought-after ticket to Malmö. And with song titles such as Light Up!, Revolution, Bravo, and two different entries called Fever - we reckon we're in for an uplifting evening of entertainment when we tune in to Chișinău on Saturday evening! 

The 11 songs earned their place in the final after an initial Etapa Națională semi-final was held in January. There, 30 entries competed for a slot in the final, with a professional jury and a public vote scoring the songs and eventually deciding on Saturday night's lineup. 

The Etapa Națională final will follow a similar format where voting is concerned. 50% of the points will come from the Moldovan viewers watching at home, while the remaining 50% will come from an expert jury scoring the songs. 

The winner of Etapa Națională will be Moldova's 20th entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, following its debut in 2005. 

On the night, we'll have the hosts Ion Jalbă and Doina Stimpovschii taking us through the performances and the voting. 

TRM has revealed that the guest performers on the show will be the immensely popular Romanian rock band Holograf, who have been around since 1978 and amassed a huge following throughout the decades since. 

Before we take a seat and watch Etapa Națională unfold, we can already get ourselves acquainted with the 11 songs taking part.

Here you can have a listen to each of them, and also get to know a little bit more about the artists behind them:

Nicoleta Sava – Bravo

Nicoleta is a graduate of the Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts of the Republic of Moldova. In 2018, Nicoleta captivated Eurovision pre-selection fans with her Spanish song La Esencia Del Sur, placing 7th in the Moldovan national final that year. Her song Bravo is about courage, confidence, optimism and motivation. 

Valeria Pasha – Anti-Princess

Valeria Pasha is a something of a household name in the Eurovision pre-selection world. This is the 5th time she has taken part in the Moldovan national final. And in 2023, she was one of Pasha Parfeni's backing vocalists on stage in Liverpool, contributing to filling the huge stage with great energy. This year she is participating with  Anti-Princess, a song that describes the personality of a woman who follows her goals and creates her own community with those who share the same values. 

Reghina Alexandrina – Contrasens

Reghina Alexandrina has been passionate about music since childhood and now plays two musical instruments, piano and accordion. She has participated in a lot of music competitions around the world and has managed to accumulate a following of over 70,000 people on social media. Apart from music, she also owns her own clothing brand, which she says helps her develop her creativity. She would love to represent Moldova in Malmö with the song Contrasens

Viola Julea – Light Up!

Viola Julea graduated from the Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts of the Republic of Moldova as a choir conductor.  Presently, she shares her passion for music both as a faculty member at her alma mater and as a dedicated teacher at the renowned music school, Alexei Starcea. With a wealth of experience as a backing vocalist for various bands over the years, Viola embarked on her solo journey nearly a decade ago. 

OL – No Time No Space

OL(Olga Lisicova) participates for the second consecutive year in the Moldovan pre-selection of the Eurovision Song Contest. Last year, she placed 6th in the national final. As well as writing her own songs as part of the OL project, Olga is also currently leading the rock project Cassini Tales. 

Sasha Letty – DNA

Sasha Letty is a pop singer from Moldova. She first gained recognition as part of the dynamic duo, GlamGirls. Notably, Sasha has also lent her talent to collaborations with a band who will be very familiar to Eurovision fans - SunStroke Project. Sasha hopes to perform on the Eurovision stage in Sweden in May, with her song for the 2024 national final is called, DNA

Natalia Barbu  – In the Middle

Natalia Barbu will participate in this year's Moldovan national final  with the song In The Middle. The rock and pop singer has previusly represented Moldova at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2007, with the song Fight. In Helsinki she placed an impressive 10th. As well as being a singer, Natalia Barbu is also a songwriter, composing the lyrics for most of her songs herself. One of her biggest musical successes to date is the release of her single My Angel, in Romania. The song was number 1 in the Romanian Top 100 for 11 weeks. 

Y-Limit – REVOLUTION

Y-Limit is the stage name of the singer, songwriter and music producer Roman Lupu. He developed his skill as an artist in New York, USA, where he is currently established. Although he has forged many different paths over the years, music remains at the forefront for him. On Saturday night he performs the song REVOLUTION

Cătălina Solomac – Fever

Catalina Solomac is a 16-year-old student at the Pedagogical College Alexei Mateevici. Music was her childhood choice of pursuit, as she took part in various competitions when she was younger. She dreams of becoming a famous performer and believes in working hard for it. The song with which she qualified for the final is called Fever

Victor Gulick – Fever

Victor Gulick managed to qualify for the Moldovan national final again this year, after his experience in 2023, when he placed 9th. The producer and performer has been making music since the age of 15. He also wrote his first songs, as well as performing them, and the artist has formed several indie-rock bands. 

Iulia Teleucă – Runaway

Iulia Teleuca has participated in a series of large-scale talent shows that have been televised in both Moldova and Romania. She is also the winner and laureate of several music festivals and dance competitions. In the national final for Moldova in 2024, Iulia participates with the song Runaway.  

The winner of the very first edition of Etapa Națională was the song Soarele și Luna by Pasha Parfeni, in 2023.

In Liverpool, the song qualified to the Grand Final of the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, where it finished in 18th place with 96 points.