Those of you who follow us regularly will know that we, at Eurovision Ireland, have been looking at the highs and lows of each country in the years they have taken part in the Eurovision Song Contest. Today, we are focusing on a country that has given us plenty of entertainment over the years, Moldova.

Moldova at Eurovision

Moldova joined the Eurovision family in 2005 , when the contest was held in Kyiv , Ukraine. It’s fair to say that since they joined , they have provided some unforgettable entries over the years. Their debut in 2005 was no exception when Zdob si Zdub brought us the first of their three Eurovision entries . Who could forget the group that brought Grandma along to beat the drum ? Moldova qualified for the Grand Final and finished a very respectable 6th place with the song “Boonika bate Toba”.

Moldova’s Highs at Eurovision

Although they have never won the contest , Moldova have brought us some interesting , entertaining and unforgettable entries over the years . Out of 17 appearances, they have only failed to qualify for the final five times and they have manged to get into the top 5 once and the Top 10, five times .

2017 Sunstroke Project “Hey Mama”

In 2017 Sunstroke Project came to Kyiv with their song “Hey Mama “. With a catchy beat, jazz influences and women changing from casual wear into bridal outfits, they won over the televoting public and came in at third place, the first time and only time to date that Moldova have entered the Top 5.

2022-Zdob si Zdub “Trenuletul”

Zdob si Zdub returned for the third time to Eurovision, this time with the Adahov brothers with Trenuletul. Sung in Romanian and English, their lively and upbeat performance was very well received around Europe and afar and they not only qualified for the Grand Final but finished a very credible 7th place .

2007 -Natalia Barbu “Fight”

Although perhaps not quite as entertaining as other Moldovan entries , Natalia Barbu managed to achieve a respectable 10th placing in Helsinki in 2007 with “Fight ” .

2018 DoReDos “My Lucky Day”

With clever, innovative and comical choreography , the DoReDos reached 10th place in Lisbon .

2012 Pasha Parfeny “Lautar”

Pasha qualified for the Grand Final in Baku , 2012 ,however , he just failed to make it into the top 10, finishing 11th .He returned for another go in Liverpool this year, but we’ll get to that later on.

2013 Aliona Moon “O mie”

With a long dress with patterns and images projecting onto it ,Aliona made it to the Grand Final in Malmø in 2013 and like Pasha in 2012 just failed to make the top 10 , finishing in 11th place.

2011-Zdob Si Zdub “So lucky”

We really couldn’t leave Zdob si Zdub’s second go at Eurovision out of the Highs as this really should have reached the Top 10 for entertainment alone . They brought performers in pointy hats and one dressed as a fairy riding a unicycle on stage . They qualified for the Grand Final and then missed out on the Top 10 , finishing in 12th place.

Moldova’s lows at Eurovision

2014 Cristina Scarlat “Wild Soul”

Sadly, Cristina failed to make it out of Semi Final 1 in Copenhagen , finishing in 16th and last place with just 13 points.

2016 Lidia Isac “Falling Stars”

Sadly Lidia also failed to make it out of Semi Final 1 in 2016 with “Falling Stars”. She came 17th in the semi final with 33 points.

2010 Sunstroke Project and Olia Tira “Run away “

Before their success in the 2017 contest, Sunstroke Project had already competed in the 2010 contest in Oslo, Norway .Although they got to the Grand Final, they only managed 22nd place and just 27 points with their song “Runaway”.Although their Saxophone player was a big hit after the contest .

2006-Arsenium Featuring Natalia Gordienko & Connect R “Loca”

Moldova qualified for the final due to their top 10 placing the previous year. They sent Arsenium with Natalia Gordienko and Connect R to Athens. Unfortunately a chaotic stage performance with more being focused on Gordienko and her clothing changes during the performance condemned Moldova to 20th place, with 22 points.

2021 Natalia Gordienko “Sugar”

We felt that we really couldn’t go without mentioning Natalia Gordienko’s 2021 entry, “Sugar”. Having missed out on an appearance in 2020 due to the contest being cancelled due to Covid -19 , Moldova decided to give Natalia the opportunity to enter the 2021 contest in Rotterdam. Although Natalia qualified for the Grand Final, she finished in 14th place. There were many who felt that the staging lacked the fun of the promotional video to stand out amongst some strong acts that year, and had this been replicated , Natalia may have achieved a better placing . She did however finish higher than her 2006 placing in Athens when she appeared with Arsenium and Connect R, so all was not lost for her.

How did Moldova do at Eurovision 2023?

This year, in Liverpool,UK, Pasha Parfeni returned to the stage with “Soarele si Luna”.He was able to qualify for the Grand Final but only finished 18th overall.

So, that completes our review of the highs and lows of Moldova at Eurovision to date.What do you think? Are there any past Moldovan entries that we haven’t included that you feel we should have ?

Let us know what you think by dropping us a line in our comments box and you can also find us on our FACEBOOK and X feeds.

Author:Sarah Rudman

Source: TRM , Eurovision Ireland , Fandom,Eurovision.tv ,You Tube.