Romania selects representative for 2019 Eurovision contest

Ester Peony will represent Romania at the 2019 Eurovision contest, set to take place in May, in Tel Aviv, Israel. She will perform the song On a Sunday.

The winning song received 65 points from the jury, in a tight competition with Bella Santiago’s Army of Love, which received 50 points, and Laura Bretan’s Dear Father, which got 48 points.

Ester Peony, the stage name of Ester Alexandra Creţu, has Romanian origins. She discovered her passion for music while living in Montreal, Canada, with her family. She closed her first contract with a recording label in Romania after becoming known online for the recordings she self-published. She made her debut with the song Sub aripa ta (Under your wing), performed together with Romanian hip-hop artist Vescan. She launched her first EP, named Dig It, in 2018.

Ester Peony wrote On a Sunday together with Alexandru Şerbu. The lyrics belong to Ioana Victoria Badea.

Romania’s representative at the 2019 Eurovision contest was selected by a jury made up of Tali Eshkoli, head of event & content Eurovision Song Contest 2019, Emmelie de Forest, a winner of the 2013 edition, journalists Deban Aderemi and William Lee Adams, Şerban Cazan, head of production HaHaHa Production, and Moldovan artist Alex Calancea. At the last stage of the national selection, the points cast by the public through televoting weighed as much as the points granted by a jury member.

This year’s edition of Eurovision takes place under the slogan Dare to Dream. The semifinals are scheduled for May 14 and May 16, and the final for May 18. Israel’s representative, Netta, won the 2018 edition of the contest, with the song Toy.

Romania’s best performances at the contest include the third spot on two occasions (Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem in Kiev, 2005; Paula Seling and Ovi in Oslo, 2010) and the fourth spot once (Mihai Trăistariu in Athens, 2006).

(Photo: Eurovision Romania Facebook Page)