Credits
News
© TVR
Part three
Introducing the 2009 entries: Romania
Basic information
| Performer: | Elena Gheorghe |
| Song: | The Balkan girls |
| Lanugage: | English |
| Music: | Laurenţiu Duţă, Ovidiu Bistriceanu, Daris Mangal |
| Lyrics: | Laurenţiu Duţă, Alexandru Pelin |
| Draw: | 14th in the first semi final |
The song
The Balkan girls is an up-tempo disco/dance song in a style that became popular in the 1990s. The lyrics tell the story of a night out partying. It is all about having a good time, losing oneself in the delight and the fact that anything can possibly happen:
The Balkan girls they like to party like nobody, like nobody
For crowd delight, we'll shine all night
My hips are ready to glow
This record is so hot and I have so much to show
I'll find a boy for a kiss
Who knows, maybe he'll be my prince?
The singer
Elena Gheorghe is the daughter of traditional singer Marioara Man Gheorghe, with whom she had her first public performance at the age of only three. When she was five, she started taking singing lessons and would become the soloist of the Armonia Circle choir. For her performance of the Whitney Houston classic One moment in time, she won a Golden Teddy Bear in 2000. With Adela Popescu, whom she had met at another music festival, she formed the band Viva in 2001.
In 2003, she became the lead singer of the band Mandinga, which would release the album De corazon. Two years later, they took part in the Romanian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest and finished 4th with Soarele meu. Elena Gheorghe started her solo career in 2006 with the release of the single Vocea te and the eponymous album.
A major hit song came in 2007, when Ochii tai caprui won the Best song award at the Top Hits Music Awards 2007. Two albums were launched in 2008 and in 2009, the singer decided to enter the Romanian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest once again.
National selection
Romania followed the same pattern as in recent years holding a televised national selection with two semi finals and a grand final. A total of 24 songs competed in the two heats and twelve of them made it to the national final, where the winner was chosen by a jury and televoting. The Blaxy Girls were the winners of the televoting but only seen fifth by the jury so that Elena Gheorghe could win the ticket to Moscow being the winner of the jury voting and the runner-up in the televoting.
Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest
Romania had a very rough start in the contest. The country did not only finish not higher than 17th in its first three participations, it also finished last in the Eastern semi final in 1993 and in the internal semi final in 1996. However, in 2002 it turned: Romania would finish in the top ten four times over the following five years and win the semi final of the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest. The last two particpations were a bit less successful resulting in a 13th and a 20th place.
Îi dorim României și Elenăi Gheorghe mult noroc şi un rezultat bun in Moscova!
Videos
Live performance in the national final:
Preview video for the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest:
Mandinga in the 2005 Romanian final:
The hit song Ochii tai caprui:
Special thanks to DG for his contribution to the article.
Other parts of this series
Tomorrow, we will take a look at the Danish entry.
Related polls
- Norway: Vote for your favourite song in the final of Melodi Grand Prix
- Azerbaijan: Vote for your favourite act in the final of Milli Seçim Turu
- Hungary: Vote for your favourite act in the final of A Dal
- Iceland: Vote for your favourite song in the final of Songvakeppni Sjonvarpsins
- Malta: Vote for your favourite act in the final of Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2012
- Hungary: Vote for your favourite act in the second semifinal of A Dal
- Norway: Vote for your favourite song in the third semifinal of Melodi Grand Prix
- Sweden: Vote for your favourite act in the first semifinal of Melodifestivalen
- Malta: Vote for your favourite act in the semifinal of Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2012
- Bulgaria: Vote for your favourite act in the Bulgarian national final 2012
- Latvia: Vote for your favourite act in the final of Eirodziesma 2012
- Belarus: Vote for your favourite act in the final of EuroFest 2012
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Reactions
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looool since when is bad to have an attitude of a winne???
12 POINTS......very good song!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@ cooler
i don't know why u say it's a kitch cuz if we had, and u know well since u are a balkan too, a good publicity, the balkans, all the countries from here with their musical culture would rock europe...don't deny it.
i like it. don't care about other say, cuz no one can covince me that this is a bad song. it isn't. and the english is far better than others.
I'm not a fan of the Balkan folk, sung by kitchy singress with lot of trumpets and we're-the-best-in-the-world attitude and dont-care-of-anything-just-have-fun lyrics (though I come from the Balkan region lol), so naturally I don't like the Balkan style wannabe's either.
Maybe Romania (as well as Serbia) are light year away from sending something like Zero to ESC, but thisyear they should'nt send thsi turbo either.
I know this will be hit here in Serbia during the summer, it has some catch, it has something to be notable in these sothern parts of Europe, but still not in my top.
Interestingly, both Romania and Moldova send ethno songs.
I don't like localizing ESC, but to spread it and promote one country to another some different genres, to spread the influences, not just to stick on one's own culture and music.
We've had great Romanian pan-European hits (2005, 2006) so I expect them to go for that course again next year 
Their english is really really bad instead of "party" they say body
My god it's so bad
elena gheorghe singing in aromanian
Elena Gheorghe- Ma ti s-adar
http://www.youtube.c(...)/watch?v=2XfJDIVkBUs
When I fist heard this song I thought she was dissing Balkan girls ("Balkan girls like to party like nobody" gives some pretty unflattering associations), but then I realised she was fawing upon the Ex-Yu states and everyone else who considers themselves Balkan. I'm not so sure this will work. It didn't work for Russia in 2002, and Romania's numerous attempts at appealing to specific countries in the past (Todomondo anyone?) also didn't work. We'll see if the FYRs fall for this.
As far as the song goes, I didn't like Kalomoira last year and I don't like Elena now. It's an okay song, but so forgettable and disposable. I'll take Monica & Marcel any day over this.
romania is winner for me on esc 2009...greetings from croatia
http://www.youtube.c(...)/watch?v=77kAO1WjHWM
on that link you can find my top 5 songs on esc 2009...romania takes a 1st place
I cant' vote for my own country, but i'll ask the others: Listen the song a couple of times and u will realize that it's the deserving one. So, vote for it, both in semi-final (1), and grand final!
the best song!!! it has something so... makes you dance. Bravo ELENA!
It's true that it's very cliché but on the other hand it's catchy and she sings very well. I think she will qualify easily. It reminds me a bit of "Boys" by Sabrina.
@ Richard mole: U forget the amount of pride associated with being from the balkans! If u originate from there then u r balkan first, then european 
not bad song. Good luck Romania
great song!! great girl!!! and i don't know why you are complaining about the lyrics....since you all do what they say...party, be the best, want more, find whats best for you and f*** the rest!!! i think you all will have a surprise in may when she starts singing....
this song rubbish.i dont like it any.sorry!!!
I don't like Romania this year !!
The Romanian song's chances of winning = George Bush winning in the "Most popular world leaders of the 21st century" poll, think my opinion was clear enough?!...
watch a recap of all the 42 songs:
semi1: http://www.youtube.c(...)&feature=related
semi2: http://www.youtube.c(...)&feature=related
you can also vote for your favourites
I nearly peed my pants laughing when I heard the lyrics to this song. it's cheap, she looks like a tart ( her skirts are so short that I felt like a Gynecologist when watching her performance), the English accent is awful and this song is probably going to be popular because it contains the word "Balkan" in the title.
thanks for those who are supporting elena !!!!!! good luck to all
elena is my winner
greetinngs from croatia :-)
12 pts from Greece this year brothers...i love the singer the song and the country.....kisses from Greece!!!!!
GO ELENA....ROMANIA IS THE BEST
Azerbaijan official video is OUUUT
http://www.dailymoti(...)azerbaijan-ays_music
worst Romanian entry. Romania is the fav country for me, but this year I won't cheer for you :-(
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