Satoshi to represent Moldova at Eurovision Song Contest

Satoshi, one of the most popular artists of the country, will represent Moldova at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. He clearly won the national final, which was organized for the first time at Chisinau Arena.

The show started at 19:00 with a musical recital, after which the general director of the company “Teleradio-Moldova” (TRM), Vlad Turcanu, took the stage with a speech in support of the contestants.

“Eurovision has come back in force. It is one of those vibrant events that bring us together. This time, at the national final, we prepared a show of greater complexity and artistry than in previous editions. It could not have been otherwise, since it has been 20 years since Moldova, through TRM, joined this European celebration, starting even with a true Hora (Round Dance) from Moldova in 2005. Eurovision is one of those rare occasions when you are given a European stage and only three minutes to make your mark. And perhaps it is also thanks to this music competition that the image Moldova has become more and more well-defined, turning over time into an unmistakable presence in Europe,” said Vlad Turcanu.

Satoshi, with the song Viva Moldova, was the favorite of both the jury and the televote. Most of the 20 jury members awarded him 12 points. Pavel Orlov finished in second place with the song, Can’t Say Goodbye, and the top three was completed by Cătălina Solomac with the song Pink Margarita.

On January 17 evening, 16 contestants performed on the Chisinau Arena stage, along with artists who have marked the history of Moldova’s participation in Eurovision: Zdob și Zdub, SunStroke Project, Nelly Ciobanu, Natalia Barbu, Cristina Scarlat, DoReDos, Aliona Moon, Paula Seling and Jamala.

According to the draw held on Vienna on January 13, Moldova will perform in the first semi-final of the Eurovision 2026 contest, which will take place in next May. The country’s representative will compete for a place in the grand final alongside Finland, Georgia, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Belgium, Estonia, Israel, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, San Marino and Serbia.

The year 2026 marks 70 years since the launch of Eurovision and 20 participations by Moldova. The country’s best result at this contest was recorded in 2017, when SunStroke Project took third place with the song, Hey Mamma.