Moldova: Aussievision's Etapa Națională 2024 rankings

Eleven songs are in the running for the final of Etapa Națională - Moldova's national selection for 2024. The audition performances can be found here on the official broadcaster Teleradio Moldova YouTube account.

The final takes place on 17 February 2024.

Ten of the Aussievision contributors have ranked the Moldovan songs from first to tenth place with points awarded according to the usual Eurovision system (ie. 1st = 12 points, 2nd = 8 points, etc.). Rankings are made on personal taste, not a prediction on how the songs will place on the night.

Let's take a look at the results:

Equal 10. Victor Gulick - 'Fever' (26 points)

Highs: 6 points Emma. 4 points Liv & Sam.

Lows: 0 points Fleur. 1 point Kyriakos, Dale & Craig.

Equal 10. Viola Julea - 'Light Up!' (26 points)

Highs: 12 points Craig. 4 points Sam.

Lows: 0 points Sam, Emma, Hugo & Liv. 1 point Steven.

"Marrying the seductiveness of Serhat's "I didn't know" with a really intellectual set of lyrics and the vocal acrobatics that one expects from Moldovan luminaries such as Natalia Gordienko, Viola has absolutely outdone herself with this epic number. I got chills when I heard this in a way I also got when I first heard Eurovision classics such as 'Arcade' and 'Tattoo'. I don't want to get too confident too soon, but dare I say... Chisinau 2025??" ~Craig

9. Y-Limit - 'Revolution' (27 points)

Highs: 10 points Craig. 5 points Liv.

Lows: 0 points Kyriakos & Steven. 1 point Sam & Fleur.

"Giving this 10 points entirely because watching a very normal-looking man in a beanie rap the line "half of me is cyber, half of me is human" made me simultaneously laugh out loud and question all my life choices that led me to that point. Bless you Moldova - never change." ~Craig

8. OL - 'No Time No Space' (30 points)

Highs: 6 points Steven & Fleur. 4 points Kyriakos.

Lows: 0 points Dale & Craig. 1 point Emma & Liv.

7. Nicoleta Sava - 'Bravo' (41 points)

Highs: 10 points Mark. 5 points Dale.

Lows: 1 point Hugo. 3 points Kyriakos, Craig, Emma, Fleur & Liv.

"I really liked the backing track (5 points) her hairpiece (3 points) and the way she rolled her R’s (2 points)." ~Mark

6. Reghina Alexandrina - 'Contrasens' (53 points)

Highs: 10 points Dale. 7 points Emma & Fleur.

Lows: 2 points Liv & Steven. 3 points Sam.

"This is super cute! At first I was won over by the accordion but then beneath than visual treat is a really catchy little pop song. If this had some decent money and production behind it, it could be really really good!" ~Dale

5. Sasha Letty - 'DNA' (58 points)

Highs: 12 points Mark. 10 points Fleur.

Lows: 2 points Craig. 3 points Dale.

"DNA - The lyrics! The Lyrics!! THE LYRICS!!! 🤯😹" ~Steve

"The insemination anthem we didn’t know we needed. Some will say vulgar. I say, subtlety be gone. Let 2024 be the year of the grotesque and explicit! I’m already looking forward to the follow-up single, STI." ~Mark

"If we are choosing the most Moldovan song for Eurovision fans, then this is it. If we are choosing the next Eurovision winner- then no. But there is something about this that needs to be seen on the Eurovision stage." ~Fleur

4. Iulia Teleucă - 'Runaway' (77 points)

Highs: 10 points Steven, Sam & Hugo. 8 points Steven, Dale, Sam, Craig.

Lows: 4 points Craig & Fleur.

"Starting with the title and its frequent repetition provide something of a hook. The vocal is decent and the song feels reasonably contemporary. It could be polished." ~Steve

"A solid, listenable track in an otherwise dire line-up. The chorus is pretty catchy. Live vocals need some work but still much better than most of the other finalists. One stand-out though is her fashion – I love the funky hat and hot pink pantsuit in her audition!" ~Sam

"The live audition lacked a lot of energy, but the bones of a catchy tune are here. Give it some actually staging and some backing vocals and let’s see what they can do!" ~Hugo

3. Cătălina Solomac - 'Fever' (78 points)

Highs: 12 points Kyriakos & Hugo. 10 points Emma.

Lows: 5 points Fleur. 7 points Liv.

"For me 'Fever' by Cătălina Solomac has the most potential out of lot. When she hits those hit notes!! It's the highlight of her performance!! With some great staging this might just work at Eurovision." ~ Kyriakos

'Fever' is such a bop but there is a marked difference between the vocals in the studio version and the ones we saw in the live auditions. There's a great song here with a real throwback to the synonymous synth sound of the 80's which I love. This could be amazing but there's a lot of work to be done to get this performance up to scratch to be Eurovision ready." ~Emma

"I think this is the best overall package out of this selection. The song doesn’t set me on fire, but I like the 80s inspired synth and it’s catchy enough! I like Catalina’s raspy vocals, there’s enough to work with there." ~Hugo

2. Valeria Pasha - 'Anti-Princess' (85 points)

Highs: 12 points Sam, Dale & Liv. 8 points Mark.

Lows: 5 points Emma. 7 points Kyriakos, Steven, Craig & Hugo.

"A sassy, stand-out track that is head and shoulders above the rest of Moldovan field. The song has a Billie Eilish feel to it. For some reason I can see this doing rather well with the tele-vote if it gets to Eurovision, it has a viral feel about it (ironic given two of the other songs in this national final are called ‘Fever’). Valeria is the only hope for Moldova to avoid embarrassment in Malmo." ~Sam

"This is well produced, has a great catchy Eastern club pop feel and despite some repetitive moments it has potential to be staged well." ~Dale

"This stuck with me the most after one listen. Feeling 'Bad Guy' Billie Eilish vibes and I'm here for it. She seems cool, gave the most in her audition performance. Chuck some backing dancers out there and a light show and she's set for Sweden." ~Liv

WINNER: Natalia Barbu - 'In the Middle' (85 points)

As the points were equal between first and second, a tie-break using the next highest score was used. Natalia Barbu and Valeria Pasha had the same amount of 12-points, however, Natalia had more 10-points. Therefore 'In The Middle' won the tie-break.

Highs: 12 points Steven, Emma & Fleur. 10 points Kyriakos & Liv.

Lows: 3 points Mark. 6 points Dale & Craig.

"Natalia no doubt has the best vocals out of all the entries. The song has some catchy hooks." ~Kyriakos

"'In The Middle' is Moldova's safest bet in this lineup. Natalia can sing live, she's been to Eurovision before and there's the bare bones of a good song here. It definitely needs a revamp, particularly in the pre-chorus and chorus but there's a lot to work with here and it would have a good chance of reaching the final if it wins the ticket to Malmö." ~Emma

"If Natalia's vocals were a bit stronger I would have said this is the pick for Eurovision but it needs a little extra something. The studio slaps. Lots of potential here and would bring that unique Eastern European sound to Eurovision in a year where we are devoid of many classic Eastern nations." ~Liv

"A decent vocal, a musically interesting entry and a reasonably catchy “da-da-da” section. This has something to work with." ~Steve

"This is the best entry by far. Natalia may have the experience but she also has the best chance of qualifying amongst the other artists. 'In the middle' is the most polished song overall. The obvious choice." ~Fleur

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