Good morning and welcome back to ESCBubble’s coverage for Eurovision 2021! Over the weekend we brought you all the updates of the first semi finalists rehearsing. It seems to have flown by, but we’re already over to the second semi final! Today we will have the first nine competing in semi final two

As always, you can check out our ongoing coverage through both our Live Rehearsal Blog and also rolling  daily updates on our Twitter Account.

If you are avoiding potential rehearsal spoilers then don’t read any further! Semi Final Two will take place at 21.00 CET on Thursday 20th May 2021 with sixteen countries competing for ten qualifying spots for the final.

Just before we head to the short afternoon break, the next to rehearse is… Moldova!

First Rehearsal

Pink is a popular colour in this years backdrops and Moldova brings it back for another. A little surprised at the choice of backdrop, which was all pink lines and had squares which were moving – have they accidentally loaded up last years LED instead? She’s also got the lazy susan on stage and four undeniably hot backing dancers which are wearing blazers and nothing underneath.

Choreography is pretty similar to the music video, minus the cake, and whilst Natalia doesn’t come across as the most confident performer (it is still early days!) the choreography does carry the performance enough. There is a LOT of things spinning, all at different speeds and in different shapes – after the third run of this I felt pretty motion sick watching it which probably isn’t a great thing. Vocally, there’s a lot of backing support but it sounds fine. Natalia is saving her voice for the big note at the end, but there’s also backing on that so she should be all good for the semi final.

Before Eurovision

Natalia Gordienko was already well known by Eurovision superfans for her 2006 Eurovision performance with Arsenium of “Loca”. Only 19 at the time, Natalia appeared scantily clad but serving Fuego long before Eleni did for the Moldovan entry, with plenty of crazy dance moves. Forward 14 years, and Natalia Gordienko competed at the 2020 Moldovan national final, where her Kirkorov penned “Prison” was a much more sophisticated performance, being a mid-tempo electro-ballad. Whilst she won the national selection, sadly the contest was cancelled before she was able to perform in Rotterdam.

However, Moldovan broadcaster TRM confirmed that Natalia would be returning this year in January 2021. A short while later, it was confirmed that once again she had been working with the dream team and particularly Kirkorov ahead of releasing “Sugar”. Her entry this year is an Eastern European deep house inspired dance track, with a punchy drop throughout and a catchy hook. Check out the music video below, and make sure to keep an eye out for a shocking moment with a bit of cake: