🇲🇩 Moldova: Dana Marchitan Withdraws from Selecția Națională 2026

Dana Marchitan has withdrawn from Selecția Națională 2026, the Moldovan selection for Eurovision 2026.

Dana Marchitan announced today that she is withdrawing from Selecția Națională 2026. Marchitan explained that she was withdrawing because was competing in the selection with the same song as another artist, a fact that she was not aware of until the auditions. Dana Marchitan and Katy Rain both made it to the audition stage of the selection with the same song under different names. Marchitan was due to compete with “Cry”, while Katy Rain remains in the selection with “Dance & Cry”.

In a statement on social media, Dana Marchitan explained her decision to withdraw in full:

“Sometimes, the strongest gesture in a competition is to choose not to enter a forced competition.
In the context of the Moldovan Eurovision preselection, the same song was offered, from the outside, to two performers. I accepted this song without being informed that it was simultaneously proposed to another artist, based on the trust that things are done with honesty and respect for the artists.
Later, I was offered to enter a direct competition with the same artistic material, a situation that I do not consider fair to art, to the audience, or to myself.
I chose to take a step back, giving my colleague, Katy, the opportunity to move forward. I sincerely wish her success. The song ‘Cry’ is very dear to me. I invested my soul, work, training and trust in it. That is why I considered artistic dignity to be more important than any stage or competition.
I strongly believe that music should unite, not create duels of interpretation. Games with double standards do not represent me.
I also believe that in a delicate situation, unique and unprecedented for Moldova, direct communication between the organisers and the artists, before the songs were made public, could have led to a more elegant solution than the simple question: ‘Who will sing it better?’.
My path continues with other songs, other choices and the same sincerity.”

The live audition stage of Selecția Națională 2026 is currently taking place in studio 2 of TRM in Chișinău. The complete line-up of the auditions is now as follows:

• Adelisha – “Alegria” (Joy)
• Adelina – “Putere în durere” (Strength in pain)
• Adrian Sîrbu – “Ne-am stins” (We have passed away)
• Sasha Flowers – “Can do more”
• Sasha Flowers – “We fight till the end”
• Alexei Legasi – “Rebel”
• Annet Smirnova – “Sunt femeia” (I am the woman)
• Artiom Topal – “Money”
• Catalina Solomac – “Pink Margarita”
• Chris Cross ft Radco – “Taci” (Be quiet)
• Cristy Rouge – “Bliss”
• DAYANA – “Doina”
• Bacho – “Tata” (Father)
• Lisa Volk – “Dragostea Mea” (My love)
• Emforia – “Tipare” (Patterns)
• Evghenii Avramov & ALenin Ivan – “Foc la ghete” (Fire in the boots)
• Ilinca Siviroveanu – “Running through the rain”
• Curly – “Respir liber” (I breathe freely)
• Iulia Teleuca – “Luna Mea” (My moon)
• Katy Rain – “Dance & Cry”
• Moniq Monua – “Like I do”
• August Black – “You make me crazy”
• Maxim Zavidia – “Alo” (Hello)
• Nadejda Rotaru – “Winter story”
• Pavel Orlov – “Can’t say goodbye”
• Rodica Jabinschi – “Dependentă” (Dependence)
• Oliv Sky – “Bad dream”
• Sasha Bognibov – “On the right path”
• Satoshi – “Viva, Moldova”
• L-ERA – “Friends”
• Valleria – “Valerian Steel rai di ri di dam”
• Zeleno – “No pain no gain”
• Chris Cross – “Close my eyes”
• MOLDIE – “Moldova mea” (My Moldova)
• DAYANA – “Cry a river”

For the first time since 2015, the live auditions will not be broadcast. Between 5 to 10 acts will be selected for the final.

The final of Selecţia Naţională 2026 will take place on January 17 at the Chișinău Arena. The jury for the national selection will consist of 20 members; 5 international members and 15 Moldovan members. The winner will be decided by the international jury members (33%), the Moldovan jury members (33%) and public voting (33%).

TRM also intends to offer the winner of the selection a prize to support their preparations for Eurovision and the support of the producers through their journey to the competition.

Moldova withdrew from the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 “following a detailed analysis of the current situation, as well as the economic, administrative and artistic challenges”. Moldova had planned to compete in Basel, but withdrew following the live auditions stage of Etapa Națională. Moldova had competed annually in the Eurovision Song Contest since its debut in 2005.

Moldova was the third country to announce its return to Eurovision 2026, BNT of Bulgaria and TVR of Romania.

Natalia Barbu performed “In The Middle” in Semi-Final One of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Moldova placed 13th in the semi-final, scoring 20 points.

Image source: TRM | Source: Dana Marchitan

Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest

Moldova debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005 when the contest was held in Kyiv, Ukraine. Moldova’s best result in the contest is 3rd place in 2017 for Sunstroke Project with “Hey Mamma!”. This was the second time the group had represented their country in Eurovision. Moldova has been represented by several artists who have competed in the contest before, with five acts having represented Moldova a combined eleven times. After a one-year hiatus in 2025, Moldova will return to the contest in 2026.

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