Eurovision Fan of the Week - Andrei from Romania

I am pleased to present our first Romanian fan of the week - Andrei! We chat to him about how he got into the Contest and his thoughts on the Eurovision Song Contest and National Finals.

Thank you for being our Aussievision fan of the week! Tell us a little about yourself – name, hometown/current location and any interesting information about yourself:

Hi everyone! You all probably know me as Koala (@justonekoala on twitter). I’m 21, I’m from Romania, and no, besides the name, I don’t really have any connections to Australia haha. Besides Eurovision, my other hobbies include politics, history and geography.

How did you get into Eurovision? What was the first year you watched?

I was introduced to Eurovision by my mother, who has been a fan of the contest for as long as I can remember. The first memory I have of Eurovision must be from 2003. I still remember Nicola and her huge blue, yellow and red discs.

~ Always love to hear a family story about Eurovision, it really is intergenerational glue! (Liv)

Whom is your favourite Eurovision performance and why?

Well, with all due risk of sounding like a local, I still think 'Euphoria' is my favourite Eurovision performance. Other names that pop in my head right now would be 'Calm After The Storm', '1944', as well as 'Goodbye to Yesterday' or 'Arcade'.

Which Romanian artist/s would you love to see on the Eurovision stage? Which song/s best showcases that artist?

I would love for Irina Rimes to give it a shot. Well, technically, she’s from Moldova, but you guys know how close our countries are, and on top of that, she now spends most of her time in Romania, since she’s made a name for herself here. I think her most defining song would either be ‘Nu Ştii Tu Să Fii Barbat’ or ‘Cosmos’. If we’re not to count Irina Rimes, my other pick would be Delia. She’s a huge name in the industry and her most iconic song must definitely be ‘Da, Mamă’.

~ Two FANTASTIC choices for artists - both Irina and Delia have so much experience, presence and the sound to do well at Eurovision, we can just hope that they'll consider it one day (Liv)

Which national final do you look forward to the most? What makes it special?

My 2 favourite national finals must be Melfest and Sanremo, for various different reasons. Melfest, because it’s so well produced, it almost feels like a preview of Eurovision, given how excited Swedes and everyone in the fandom is about it. As for Sanremo, it has that Italian je-ne-sais-quoi. Of course, Sanremo is much more than just a national final, it’s a whole festival on its own.

~ Twinning - EXACTLY what I would have said! (Liv)

If you could change one thing about the Romanian Nation Final Selecţia Naţională what would it be?

If I could change one thing and one thing only, I guess that would be taking it away from TVR’s hands. I don’t think the format needs very much change, but the way Romanians view TVR definitely discourages artists from submitting songs to Selecţia Naţională. Furthermore, I wouldn’t be too sad if they scrapped the show and went entirely internal. I hope that in the future, TVR will dare try going internal once, to see the results. Oh, and I definitely wouldn’t do it the 2020 way ever again because with this format where the internally selected artist perfoms a few songs, from which the public chooses one, definitely has the artist favouring one song more than the others.

What is your opinion on returning artists? Is there one you would like to see again?

I’m generally not very enthusiastic about returning artists. Of course, I’m excited if we’re talking about an artist I like, but I think it’s more fair to give new people the chance of representing their country.

If you could pick only three performances to encourage new people to watch Eurovision what would they be:

In order to have a bit of everything for everyone, I think my 3 choices would be 'Arcade', 'Origo' and 'Fuego'.

~ Solid choices - one of each radio friendly, culturally rich and a visual spectacle! A good combo to try and snag a new fan (Liv)

Which Eurovision song:

Is the best winner?

Loreen – 'Euphoria'. I think it’s timeless.

Has the best live vocal?

Rona Nishliu or, without being biased, Paula Seling. I can’t even hold my breath that long, let alone hold a note.

Was the best Romanian entry?

Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem – 'Let Me Try' (2005) has a special place in my heart.

Was robbed?

'O Jardim' (Portugal 2018). I definitely think it deserves much more than just last place.

Is your guilty pleasure?

‘Golden Boy’ from Israel (2015). It even became a party anthem among my friend group haha.

Is your favourite National Final song (that didn't make it to Eurovision)?

I think ‘Bulletproof’ acquired that title after 2020.

And finally which Australian entry is your favourite…

I still really enjoy Guy Sebastian’s ‘Tonight Again’. I sometimes even hear it on the radio in supermarkets here haha.

~ Perucă!! (Liv)

I would like to thank you guys for giving me the honour of being your fan of the week. I would also like to thank your colleague, Liv, for being such a wonderful person. I really hope one day I will get the chance to come visit you all down there. Until then, much love from Romania to Australia ♥

You're very welcome Andrei! Thank you for your time and I hope to come to your wonderful nation some time in the near future.