Narrowly missing our lowest ranking (see yesterday’s post), we have Moldova. Through their national final, Etapa Națională 2024, Moldova chose returning Eurovision competitor, Natalia Barbu, with her song “In the Middle.” She will be performing 11th in the first semi-final.

This performance stands out with its static staging, and the song is distinct from other countries. It has a catchy chorus bit with lots of “doo doo doos” (which apparently are actually “ta-ra-ra-doos”), and tiny claps… And, in classic Eurovision fashion, it has some excellently crafted English lyrics including:

I feel your love inside my heart
Right in the middle
Open your eyes, it’s like a door
Right in the middle

Also, this is another case of the clones with many Natalia lookalikes all standing, singing and briefly playing violin. Strange how performers with body doubles are just not floating our boat this year. 

Natalia Barbu previously represented Moldova in the 2007 Eurovision contest, again with her violin. However, her 2007 performance brought the drama with flag twirling, driving orchestration, and energetic back-up dancers. Seventeen years later, she’s returned with the same weird hip cutouts in her outfit and the violin. But those just aren’t enough to elevate the somewhat lackluster song.

Given their recent entries, we expected more from Moldova. Natalia Barbu will likely end up somewhere “In the Middle” of the pack – which is fine with us.