Eurovision 2026: Meet Moldova’s Satoshi and his song Viva, Moldova!
- Rebecca Green
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
We profile the 2026 entry from Moldova including details on the artist, song, how it was chosen, odds, fan reaction and how the nation has fared at Eurovision.
One of several countries that made their debut at the contest in the 2000’s, Moldova has always been known by fans for their proclivity to send fun and wacky entries that get the crowd excited.
Despite having yet to win the contest Moldova have placed in the top 10 a handful of times over the years with Zdob și Zdub’s Boonika bate doba (2005, 6th place), SunStroke Project’s Hey Mamma (2017, 3rd place), DoReDoS’s My Lucky Day (2018, 10th place), and Zdob și Zdub and the Advahov Brothers’ Trenulețul (2022, 7th place).
SunStroke Project are also responsible for one of the most well-known memes on the internet, Epic Sax Guy: the saxophone solo during SunStroke Project and Olia Tira’s Run Away (2010, 22nd place) has been heard by countless internet users across the world that aren’t even aware of its origins at Eurovision.
After taking a break in 2025, Moldova has revamped their national final and waded back into the Eurovision waters. Marking their 20th appearance at the contest, Satoshi will sing Viva, Moldova! at Eurovision 2026 in Vienna.
You can find out more about Satoshi and his song below!
2026 entry: Satoshi - Viva, Moldova!
Satoshi will perform 1st in Semi Final 1
My Eurovision Scoreboard ranking: 13th
Odds to win ranking: 17th
(Rankings as of 05 April 2026)
About the Artist
Satoshi is the pseudonym of 27-year-old rapper and singer-songwriter Vlad Sabajuc. He was born and raised in Cahul, a city in southwest Moldova that sits close to the border with Romania. He has been passionate about music from an early age; in 7th grade he started composing his own music and even taught himself to play the drums.
He was a member of two rock bands in his younger years, one as a teenager in Cahul and the other in Chișinău when he was a student at the Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts.
Sabajuc has named several musical influences and role models, including Linkin Park, Metallica, J. Cole, Tupac, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar as well as Belarusian artist Max Korzh and Kazakh artist Scriptonite.
Sabajuc began using the name Satoshi for his solo work in 2019, and has since released three albums and a myriad of singles. His 2023 song Noaptea pe la 3, a collaboration with Carla’s Dreams, peaked at 16 on the Moldovan charts. In 2024 he performed his first concert in London.
About the song
Viva, Moldova! follows in the footsteps of countless previous Moldovan entries that expresses a love of fun music and national pride.
The song has lyrics in Romanian, Italian, Latin, English, Spanish and French in order to showcase Moldova’s heritage alongside its modern multiculturalism.
The song’s music and lyrics are all produced completely by Sabujac himself. On stage, Sabujac performs the vocals with backing done by Aliona Moon.
Aliona Moon has been involved with Eurovision a handful of times in the past: she represented Moldova with the song O mie (2013, 11th place) and was an on-stage backing singer for Pasha Parfeny’s Lăutar (2012, 11th place). Most recently she was a member of Moldova’s jury in 2023.
How was Satoshi chosen for Eurovision?
Satoshi participated in and was the winner of Selecția națională 2026, Moldova’s national final, which aired on January 17. Sixteen songs competed for the right to represent Moldova at Eurovision; Satoshi was the winner of both Moldovan and international jury votes, as well as the landslide victor of the televote.
Speaking on-air before his winner’s reprise, Satoshi had the following to say:
“This is the first time I've participated in a music competition. I'm self-taught, but I love music madly and, more than that, I love the place I come from, the culture, the people and I really think that we have something to offer the world, Europe. I think we have some gorgeous people, full of heart, talent, and unimaginable inner wealth. I want to thank everyone for their support and trust - both those on the jury and those in the audience who voted for us.”
Moldova will compete in the First Semi Final of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest on 12 May in Vienna. Will they earn a spot in the Grand Final?
For continued updates on all Eurovision Song Contest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram. All the links can be found at: https://linktr.ee/aussievisionnet
Comments