Introduction

• Participant(s): ROXEN
• Song: Amnesia
  
• Writer(s): Adelina Stîngă, Viky Red
  
• Composer(s): Adelina Stîngă, Viky Red
• Broadcaster: TVR
  
• Social media:       
  
• Team review: 

The Romanian singer Roxen has been selected internally last year. The Romanian broadcaster TVR wanted to make sure to send a top artist to achieve a top position. Unfortunately, the whole ESC has been cancelled, but Roxen has the right to perform this year as well.

For all participants from last year, who can go this year again the task is to have a better song, but this cannot be said for all the songs. Last year’s song “Alcohol You” would have been a strong contender, but “Amnesia” is totally different and not that catchy. Roxen’s music can be described as deep house in general, but she is also good in ballads.

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 is 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 and has been the third most artist in Romanian radios. Roxen’s latest single “Escape” has been released in April 2020. Her new songs are “Spune-me”  and “Wonderland” https://youtu.be/tOuXVtfMOaE a cooperation with the ESC winner Alexander Rybak from Norway.

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 style of music can be described as deep house like all her previous released songs. The expectations of “Amnesia” were very high, but the song does not come close to “Alcohol You”. The song is about a young girl suffering from amnesia, another serious subject:

Oh I lost myself
tryna have it all
Self love amnesia, don't worry if it got ya
Cuz you're not alone, not alone

So it will be quite tough for Roxen with the qualification, as she is starts in the very strong first semi-final.

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 will be the 21st time for Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest. Due to the Corona crisis the 2020 ESC has been cancelled and that year will not be taken into consideration as there hasn’t been a contest.


In 1993 there has been an international pre-decision for the ESC held in in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Unfortunately, Romania could not qualify with “Nu pleca” by Dida Drăgan . So the debut entry on year later “Dincolo di Nori” by Dan Bittman was the first official Romanian entry. The great song only made a 21st place in a strong year.

Romania’s entries distinguish modern and up to date songs, less folkloristic elements like the neighbour countries Moldova, Hungary 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 with 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 time in 2019 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

• “Eu Cred” | Malina Olinescu
  Rank 22, Birmingham 1998
• “Tell Me Why” | Monica Anghel & Marcel Pavel
  Rank 9, Tallinn 2002
• “Playing With Fire” | Paula Seling & Ovi
  Rank 3, Oslo 2010