Eurovision 2021 Reviews – Romania

Romania have been a strong competitor since their official debut back in 1994, and while they haven’t yet secured the trophy, the nation has reached the Top 10 on a number of occasions. The most recent two participations are the only non-qualifying entries for Romania, but hoping to get the nation back into the final is Roxen with her song, Amnesia. How will she fare at this year’s contest? 

Anita (Eurovision Union) 

Song and Vocals

Roxen is returning this year to represent Romania, and like many of the returning participants this year, surely felt the pressure of returning with a song better, or at minimum, just as good as their 2020 entry. Alcohol You was a qualifying ballad, but for me lacked something special. This year Roxen returns with what I truly believe is one of the best entries this year. 

There is little to dislike about this song, and what I was craving from Alcohol You can be found in Amnesia. The song has elements of a ballad, but doesn’t quite fit into that category. This song could be described better as melancholy pop, especially considering the lyrical content. The song is about finding the time to love yourself, and how easy it is to lose yourself in this fast paced world. While melancholic, it still has that uplifting element, and that moment is particularly clear in the bridge of the song, especially while watching the music video. 

The piano intro sets the tone for the song, and opens to a beautiful melody. There’s a good contrast with the raw piano elements and the lightly autotuned vocals, and the production of the music is really slick. The choruses feature a memorable melody, which is probably the key element that keeps me coming back to this song in comparison to her entry from last year. 

Performance and Act 

We haven’t yet seen this performed live, or at least not in a televised performance. I can’t predict what we will hear vocally during the performance, but what I do know is that the visual performance is just as important as the song for this entry. The music video was incredibly powerful, and easily one of the best of the competing entries this year. We won’t be seeing as many dancers on the Eurovision stage, which could mean the performance loses some of the impact it had during the music video, but hopefully they manage to create the same atmosphere with fewer dancers. Contemporary dance works so well with this song, and I can’t see why they would change that up too much. I can’t wait to see how this looks on stage. 

Conclusions

I really love this song, and it’s rare for me to say that about a Romanian Eurovision entry. I’ve never had this same type of feeling about any of their previous Eurovision entries, as it’s a song that I could listen to on constant repeat. Romania is serving up a definite qualifier in my eyes, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see this reach the left side of the table in the final. 

Rating 

10/10

Dennis (ESCDaily)

Song and Vocals

Roxen sings a song that fits within the current music being played on the radio, kinda in the style of Billie Eilish. The song deals with the theme of being able to love and respect yourself, even when you don’t feel like it. Sadly, we know it is a theme that a lot of young people, including Roxen, have to deal with. We haven’t heard Roxen perform this song live yet, and in her 2020 entry she wasn’t flawless. 

Performance and Act

In the video clip we see Roxen being joined by several dancers during the song, but it is also possible she will carry this song all alone on a big stage. It can even strengthen the story that you have to battle your inner demons all alone, but that in the end you are strong enough to do so. It’s a small, dark song, which generally isn’t as hard to stage as a colorful, upbeat song.

Conclusions

Romania sends a high quality entry this year. If the young singer Roxen is ready for the biggest music stage in the world is something I am questioning. To be fair, this is based on what I saw from her in 2020 and of course she has received plenty of time to develop herself even further and be ready in May 2021.

Rating

7.5/10

Additional Scores from Eurovision Union and ESCDaily editors: 

Steef:: 6.5/10

Joshua: 6/10

Selim: 10/10

Heath: 6.5/10

Kaitlin: 7/10

Average Score:  7.6/10

What do you think of Amnesia? Follow our Eurovision 2021 reviews here.. You can support your favourite acts in our Eurovision 2021 poll, which you can find here.