Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest
Moldova first participated in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005 and has been a mainstay in the Contest every year since. The country has achieved five top 10 finishes in their 19 participations, including a third-place finish in 2017 with Sunstroke Project's 'Hey Mamma', featuring the viral internet sensation "Epic Sax Guy".
Last year, Zdob și Zdub and the Advahov Brothers placed 7th with the delightful entry 'Trenulețul' - romping the televote, second only to eventual winners Ukraine.
Moldova always punches above their weight at Eurovision, being one of the most successful smaller nations at Eurovision. Their 70% qualification record is not to be sniffed at!
2023 Entry: Pasha Parfeni - 'Soarele și luna'
Pasha Parfeni is 10th in the running order for semi-final 1
My Eurovision Scoreboard ranking: 14th
Odds to win ranking: 19th
(Rankings as of 20 April 2023)
About the artist
Pasha Parfeni (also known as Pasha Parfeny and Parvel Parfeni) grew up in a musical household, surrounded by performers and musical inspiration. From an early age he competed in many vocal competitions across Europe with great success. His career gained momentum when he became a vocalist for Sunstroke Project, and participated in the Moldovan national final in 2009 with 'No Crime' where they placed 3rd.
After parting ways with Sunstroke Project in 2010, Pasha pursued a solo career and continued with his aim of participating at Eurovision. In 2010, he entered the Moldovan national final with the entry 'You Should Like', placing 3rd.
His third attempt at representing Moldova proved successful with Pasha winning the 'O melodie pentru Europa 2012' - earning his ticket to represent Moldova at Eurovision 2012 with the song 'Lăutar'. At Eurovision 2012 he qualified for the Grand Final and placed 11th overall.
Pasha's career is closely intertwined with Eurovision. He co-wrote 'O mie' which represented Moldova at Eurovision 2013, sung by the talented Aliona Moon. She placed 11th in the Grand Final and Pasha appears on stage playing the piano during the performance.
In 2020 he returned to the Moldovan national selection with 'My Wine' - pacing second to eventual winner Natalia Gordienko.
About the song
'Soarele și luna' is sung entirely in Romanian - the first fully Romanian entry sent by Moldova since 2013. The song is the classic "man meets woman, falls in love etc." with lots of reference to folk and mystical elements. For such an upbeat song - the lyrics are very poetic and sweet!
At the Moldovan national final performance, Pasha had prominent female vocalists that really elevated the performance and leaned into folk and camp. Dance and movement was used to propel the banging bassline and hook. The song walks a fun line between an upbeat pop song and traditional tune.
'Soarele și luna' was penned by Pasha Parfeni, Andrei Vulpe and Luliana Parfeni.
How Pasha Parfeni was selected for Eurovision
Much to the delight of fans, over a decade after his last victory, Pasha returned to the Moldovan national final with the entry 'Soarele și luna' where he won both the televote and jury to win Etapa națională 2023, securing his ticket to represent Moldova again, at Eurovision 2023.
Other notable participants in the Moldovan national final this year where former duel Eurovision representatives Sunstroke Project who were runners up with 'Yummy Mommy' and Eurovision 2013 representative Aliona Moon with 'Du-mă' placing 3rd.
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Moldova will compete in semi-final 1 on 9 May (European time) in Liverpool.
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