There are 10 songs in the running for the final of Etapa Națională - Moldova's national selection for 2023. The audition performances can be found here on the official broadcaster Teleradio Moldova YouTube account. Initially 30 songs were in the running for the final with just a third selected during the audition process to proceed to the final on 4 March 2023 at 6pm CET.
A team of 9 Aussievision contributors have ranked the Moldovan songs from first to tenth place with points awarded in 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.
10. Nördika - 'Damn and Down' (15 points)
Highs: 4 points Liv. 3 points John.
Lows: 1 point Kyriakos, Zhi, Steven, Colleen, Hugo & Fleur
9. OL - 'Why You Play It Cool' (26 points)
Highs: 6 points Steven. 4 points Kyriakos.
Lows: 1 point John. 2 points Hugo, Fleur & Liv.
8. Corina Ivanov - 'When Love's Real' (33 points)
Highs: 7 points John. 6 points Kyriakos.
Lows: 1 point Liv. 2 points Zhi & Colleen.
7. Victor Gulick - 'Let's Dance' (40 points)
Highs: 12 points Colleen. 6 points Hayley.
Lows: 2 points Kyriakos & Steven. 3 points Fleur & Liv.
"I wouldn't say 'Let's Dance' is anything competitive, but this is the type of song I watch the Moldovan national final for. It's fun, it's lighthearted and Victor Gulick puts his all into it. I hope Victor gets a good result from the Moldovan juries and televote." ~Colleen
6. Donia - 'Red Zone' (42 points)
Highs: 8 points Liv. 7 points Fleur.
Lows: 1 point Hayley. 2 points John.
"I'll be the first to admit that the live performance has A LOT to work on - but the studio is absolute quality. Pure Romanian-language, classic Eastern pop with *the* best sax solo of the season (eat your heart out Sunstroke Project). I've played sax for like 15 years so I feel mildly qualified to make that call. The studio is an absolute pop off moment." ~Liv
5. Cosmina - 'Indestructible' (49 points)
Highs: 7 points Hayley. 6 points John, Zhi & Fleur.
Lows: 4 points Colleen. 5 points Kyriakos, Steven, Hugo & Liv.
"Cosmina has a pretty decent voice, the song just needs a bit of polishing. The song sounds like it could have competed in the Maltese national final, but its a nice little ballad with a positive message. Bravo girl!" ~Hayley
4. Surorile Osoianu - 'Bade, bădişor, bădiţă' (60 points)
Highs: 10 points Colleen. 8 points Zhi.
Lows: 4 points Fleur. 5 points John & Hayley.
"Yass Grannies!!! I am familiar with Surorile Osianu's work since their early 2000s collaborations with regular Moldovan ESC act Zdob și Zdub. I didn't think I'd ever see them try out for Eurovision, but I'm ecstatic that they did. The song is folky, sounds joyful and is a vibe from start to finish." ~Colleen
"Moldova’s answer to Buranovskiye Babushki? Like the Russian grannies this could pull a big shocker over well-established, former Eurovision performers in the national final." ~Zhi
3. Aliona Moon - 'Du-mă' (72 points)
Highs: 10 points John, Steven & Fleur. 8 points Kyriakos, Hayley & Hugo.
Lows: 5 points Colleen. 6 points Liv.
"I think it is obvious that we need another Eurovision 2013 act to Liverpool, just like Marco Mengoni did for Italy. Who knows? Maybe she can improve her standing with this song." ~John
"Aliona brings a good vocal, a reasonably catchy entry and clear stage presence. The song also has moments that, if well staged, could make for a great audio-visual performance. It’s not bad." ~Steven
"Nice change of pace from previous years. This is a lovely, well constructed song and it suits Aliona so well. The production is great. The ambiance of the song fits the lyrics perfectly. Not hard to see why it's one of the favourites. Her voice gives it that extra something. I really love the instrumentation of this as well." ~Fleur
2. Pasha Parfeny - 'Soarele şi luna' (90 points)
Highs: 12 points Hugo, Fleur & Liv. 10 points Kyriakos, Zhi & Hayley.
Lows: 8 points John, Steven & Colleen.
"This is something very compelling with Pasha's performance. I love the traditional instrumentation in the song and Pasha's energy! This is so ready for Eurovision!!" ~Kyriakos
"Pasha channels the folk Moldovan elements of his first Eurovision entry into this well-produced contemporary, dance track. It is a formula that produced some of the best Eurovision songs of the early 2000s and could do so again. Love the fact the entire song is in Romanian. Finally, next time I go to a festival in cold weather I want to borrow that sensational robe Pasha has on in the pre-show clip." ~Zhi
"Love the dance beat and the ethnic instrumentation! The verses move along nicely with great drums. I love the music video also, I’m hoping they can bring some of this to the stage. Best overall package for me and a really interesting song!" ~Hugo
"I wasn't expecting this from Pasha, but this is fantastic. It's a contemporary ethno banger that is done so well. It has a great hook, the subject matter is what only Moldova can get away with. But it's done in such a earnest yet light hearted way, the song sounds deep- but it's not. We know that the staging will be on point. Pasha is charismatic as we have seen previously and no doubt this will do well if it is chosen." ~Fleur
1. SunStroke Project - 'Yummy Mommy' (95 pojnts)
Highs: 12 points John, Kyriakos, Zhi, Steven & Hayley. 10 points Hugo & Liv.
Lows: 8 points Fleur. 7 points Colleen.
"LOVE THIS! For me this is the most polished and catchiest entry out of the lot. The now SunStroke Project duo are professionals and just know how to own the stage. It is the only song I remember after listening to all the entries." ~Kyriakos
"Sunstroke Project does leave an impact on the Eurovision stage because it gave Moldova their best performance since its debut. If they want to bring back the "Epic Sax Guy", why not? I mean, 'Yummy Mommy' is as catchy as 'Hey Mamma!' and I think it would challenge Romania's 'D.G.T. (On and Off)' for the left-hand side of the scoreboard." ~John
"Sunstroke Project back at what they do best: transforming what on face value is a cheesy, dated track into an absolutely charismatic, fantastic, energetic performance. Like fine Moldovan wine these boys seem to get (and look) better with age. I am totally obsessed with dance routine they have got going with this tune, and feel like it could go viral on TikTok if it makes it to the Liverpool stage. If the Moldovans are strategic, another reason to choose this is the sheer star power of Epic Sax Guy, which is sure to guarantee lots of tele-votes." ~Zhi
"To coin a famous UK advertising slogan, this song “does exactly what it says on the tin”. Dance moves? Check. Catchy lyrics? Check. Sax solo? Check (although perhaps not an epic one). Combined with a good live vocal - a relative rarity in Etapa Națională 2023 - Sunstroke Project deserve, in my view, a third appearance on a Eurovision stage." ~Steven
"I instantly loved this song on first listen. It is fun, raunchy and has a certain "fullness" to the production I really enjoy. And yes, has the expected but catchy sax riff which is what made this group so famous in the first place. Now while the term 'Yummy Mummy' really grates on me generally, I like what the song is about (if that makes sense). I think if Moldova are smart enough to send this, it is a definite qualifier! There is alot of love out there for Moldova in the fandom and general fans, and Sunstroke Project are icons!" ~Hayley
The final takes place on Saturday 4 March at 6pm CET (5 March at 4am AEDT). The results will be decided by combination of public televote and expert jury.
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