Selecția Națională 2023 will soon find out who will represent Romania at Eurovision and we had the opportunity to talk with one of the contestants, Andrei Duţu. Andrei will compete with the song “Statues” and he told us what to expect from his performance for Selecția Națională, you can check the interview down below. The national final will take place is Saturday and the winner will be selected only by the public.

Hello Andrei Duţu and thank you for taking your time for ESCBubble! First of all, how was your reaction when you heard you will be at Selecţia Naţională 2023?
Thank you so much for having me in this interview! Oh, my reaction was intense. I found out that I’m going to have the chance of recording “Statutes” very close to Christmas. At first, I thought it was almost some sort of a joke, so I smiled whilst re-reading this new DM. But the person contacting me was dead serious, so very soon, after receiving an official email, I felt chills on my spine and my jaw dropped haha. I was buzzing that evening!

You were the last participant announced, what made you do join Selecţia Naţională, was it about the song or Eurovision was always on your mind?
Last year, 2022, was a very important year for my career and I am so thankful for this opportunity because it came at the perfect moment. I mean, truth be told, the song is the main one responsible for making me want to participate. The offer on paper looks great – become a finalist for the national selection – but it always comes down to the song. “Statues” really resonated with me in terms of style and message, so I was more than happy to accept this challenge – I am humbled.

Your song is called “Statues”, can you tell us what’s the song about and the message behind it?
In the words of Kjteil Morland himself: “the song is about living your life to the fullest despite the challenges you face on the way, leaving behind a legacy for people to remember” for me, the song also embodies a symbol of
peace.

How will the staging be at Selecţia Naţională 2023? What can we expect from your performance?
A joy of making art and hopefully my most compelling live performance yet. The rest of the show on the 11th. – make sure to watch it !

Which of the other contestants are you excited to see on Selecţia Naţională this year? And who do you consider to be your biggest competitor?
I’m excited to see all of the other contestants perform their songs live. It will be a show! I believe all of the peers are very unique and talented and I can honestly say that it’s not my place to predict who is the main competitor for my song. I think even for us as musicians it’s such a struggle to understand what the general public might want as their representative. It’s very exciting to see how the Romanian audience thinks.

This year the public will choose the winner of Selecţia Naţională, is this the right decision or should they bring the jury panel in the final back again?
I’m actually torn on this topic. On one hand, I believe this is a fantastic opportunity to see organic growth of popularity for the artists as we are spreading out our connections and influence. On the other hand, I believe art needs curators. But, then again – Eurovision must go on!

You participated in X Factor Romania and reached the final, do you think that TV experience helped you prepare for the National Selection?
100%. I can definitely say that going on the X Factor really gave me the confidence I needed to pursue the role of representing Romania at such a grand show such as the Eurovision.

Do you follow Eurovision and do you have a favorite song from the contest?
I do follow it and my favorite Eurovision song is one from last year: Hold me closer by Cornelia Jakobs

And any other plans for 2023? Can we expect new music from Andrei Duţu?
Oh 2023 presents itself in high spirits. I am preparing an EP release this summer and I’m in talks for my first US tour. I’m super excited !

In the end, I want to thank you for your time and please, if you have a message for your fans and our readers here on ESCBubble?

Thank you for the questions! I just want to say a big thank you to everyone for supporting this amazing show and for supporting platforms such as ESCBubble that give new artists like myself a voice. To my Romanian family, friends and fans I just want to say that I cherish you and that I am who I am because of you! I am forever grateful for you in my life! ”

You can listen to Andrei Duţu’s entry in Selecția Națională 2023 right here:

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