THIS YEAR'S ENTRY

Moldova's Eurovision debut in 2005 is best remembered for a drumming granny, but the country has managed to finish in the Top 10 with two of the three entries it has sent to the contest.   

This year Moldovan television decided to have a national final and the selection was held on February 9th in Chisinau and the result was the closest in any country. The winner was chosen by televoting, a jury of musical experts and a second jury chosen by TRM. In the end, there was a two way tie and there was an additional round of voting by the jury which split 7/5, meaning that one jury was responsible for choosing the entry for Belgrade. The song that was chosen to go to Eurovision was "The Century Of Love" sung by Geta Burlacu. 

Geta Burlacu (born Georgeta Povorozniuc on July 22nd 1974) is a famous Moldovan jazz singer known throughout Moldova and Romania.  

Geta studied violin at music college in  Bălţi and found success in 1993 taking first Place at the Competition of Young Interpreters of light music “Steaua de Dimineaţă”. In the same year she also started a career in television, presenting the show "TV Jazz-Club" on TVM. Over the next decade Geta took part in many musi festivals in Moldova, Romania, France and Germany, becoming a well known performed on the jazz scene in those countries. Geta picked up many prizes both as a musician and as a singer.

At home in Moldova, Geta continued her television career, presenting  the show “Clipa Siderala” on TVM between 1994 and 1998.

Over the past five years Geta's music career has blossomed , gaining a Masters Degree in Music from the Department of jazz and variety, Chisinau Conservatoire and in 2006 she gain a Soros Foundation scholarship. A year earlier Geta released her debut album. Meanwhile Geta continued her commercial music career with the 2005 release of the ethno-soft-jazz album "Ce n-as da... "(“What I wouldn’t give”). Gewta also worked as a session singer, collaborating with many bands, work that she still enjoys doing today.

Im 2007, Geta supported the internationally famous Cuban jazz band, The Buena Vista Social Clubs, as they visited Moldova and Romania. Geta received a warm response as she furtther developed her musical career into ethno-jazz. Despite all her academoic and performing duties, Geta continues her television career and since 2006, she has presented the karaoke-show “The voice of people””, NIT TV.

Over the past few years, Geta's profile was raising has been as she regularly performed solo and with the bands Univox Vocal Band, Acid Grape and Right Horns. In 2006 she was involved in one of the biggest ever shambles in Eurovision selections when she was one of the finalists in the Moldovan Eurovision preselection with the song "Zii Lauta" (Sing Guitar). Geta shared first place in the Moldovan final with Alexa and Sergiu Kuzenkoff. However as Moldovan television could not find a formula to break the tie, they decided to scrap the final and have another selection. While Geta was invited to take part in the second selection, she declined and "Loca" performed by Arsenium & Natalia Gordienco ended up represeenting Moldova in Athens.  

While Geta's style of music is very popular in the region, few thought that her jazz ballad entry "Century of Love" would win the Moldovan ticket to Eurovision in 2008. However a charmingly understated performance appealed to the judges and she took home the ticket to Belgrade. Like Geta, the two songwriters behind "Century Of Love" are bother Eurovision newcomers.

Moldova's song is one of the outsiders with the bookmakers and is also struggling in internet fan polls and many suggest that the country's 100% qualification record from the Eurovision semi-finals is unlikely to be maintained in May. 

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