Introduction

• Participant(s): ROXEN
• Song: Alcohol You
  
• Writer(s): Ionuţ Armaş & Breyan Isaac
  
• Composer(s): Ionuţ Armaş & Viky Red
• Broadcaster: TVR
  
• Social media:       
  
• Team review: 

Due to last year’s bad performance, the Romanian broadcaster TVR has decided to send the pop star Roxen to Eurovision. Three songs have been presented to the public and “Alcohol You” was the most sophisticated song with the best chances. Unfortunately, Roxen’s dream to go to Eurovision have to be postponed due to the Corona crises. The broadcaster has confirmed that Roxen will go next year with a new song.

In a way this it’s a pity as the song “Alcohol You” was a strong contender and would have done very well in Rotterdam. The song is about a lost love which can only be endured with alcohol, a theme a lot of people may find parallels. The style of music can be described as deep house like all her previous released songs.

Larisa Roxana Giurgiu was born in Cluj Napoca (Transylvania) in 2000. She discovered her passion for music at the age of seven. Soon she started to play the piano and took singing lessons. Her main inspiration was Beyoncé.

By now Roxen is a top star in Romania and had several hits in the charts like “You Don’t Love Me”  and "Ce-ți cântă dragostea" . “You Don’t Love Me” is also being played in radio station in France, Spain, USA and Mexico. Roxen’s latest single “Escape” has just been released in April.

So it will be very exciting what we can expect in 2021 from Roxen.

History

• Debut: 1994
• Participations: 21
• Victories: 0
• Finals: 18 (13 since 2004)
• Top 10: 6
• Chances for Top 10: 29%
• Chances for Final: 81%

This year it would be the 21st time for Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest if the Corona crisis had not caused a cancellation of the entire ESC 2020. The debut entry “Dincolo di Nori” by Dan Bittman in 1994 only made the 21st place. One year before there has been an international pre selection held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where Romania could not qualify to the 1993 ESC in Millstreet, Ireland with the entry “Nu pleca” by Dida Drăgan .

Romania’s entries distinguished modern and up to date songs, less folkloristic elements like the neighbour country Moldova or Bulgaria. With a little help from the neighbour countries in particular Moldova, it was mostly possible for Romanian entries to qualify for the Grand Finals – the chances are unbelievably high at 81%. But Romania only made it six times into the Top10. So there is a statistical chance of 29% to achieve a Top10 place. In the year 2016 the Romanian entry has been disqualified due to financial issues of the Romanian broadcaster TVR at the very last minute. The Romanian candidate Ovidiu Anton could not sing his entry “Moment Of Silence” in Stockholm. Last year Ester Peony could neither reach the Grand Final with “On A Sunday”.

Biggest successes

• 2x 3rd place
  “Let Me Try” |Luminita Anghel & Sistem (Kiev 2005)
  “Playing With Fire” |Paula Seling & Ovi (Oslo 2010)
• 1x 4th place
  “Tornero” |Mihai Traistariu (Athens 2006)

Video Nostalgia

• “Dincolo De Nori” | Dan Bittman
  Rank 21, Dublin 1994
  
  
• “Tornero” | Mihai Traistariu
  Rank 4, Athens 2006
  
  
• “Zaleilah” | Mandinga
  Rank 12, Baku 2012