The artist Paula Seling, member of the international jury, had a message at the national final of Eurovision Moldova 2026 and congratulated the audience with the formula “Maladieţ, Moldova!”, the Russian equivalent of the expression “Bravo, Moldova”.
Paula Seling, who was a member of the international jury at the Eurovision Moldova 2026 national final, congratulated the audience with the formula “Maladieţ, Moldova!”, the Russian equivalent of the expression “Bravo, Moldova”. The moment was not overlooked by netizens, who criticized the choice of language, News writes.
“Paula Seling, good evening! I heard a “Молодец” coming out of your mouth live on public television. Some people from Moldova understood the message. It’s just that you took us by surprise with the language you used. Moldova does not need a translation to be congratulated. For clarity: the official language of the Republic of Moldova is Romanian”wrote Daniel Voda, former spokesperson of the Government of the Republic of Moldova.”
“In order to better understand what she is saying, the Romanian Paula Seling told us in Chisinau: «Молодец, Moldova!», Paula Seling’s “illness” made me feel embarrassed”there were other reactions of internet users, presented by Ziarul de Gardă.
Later, in a clip posted on her Facebook page, Paula Seling apologized, explaining that, out of a desire to be “nice and nice”he used a word that he had no idea was in Russian and without knowing that it would cause upset.
“I managed to bring a totally unintentional moment in front of my brothers from the Republic of Moldova. Trying to be nice and nice, I used a word that I had no idea was in Russian without knowing that it would cause upset. When I found out that it was in Russian, I understood why”explained the artist.
Paula Seling emphasized that his intention was not political, nor did he seek to offend anyone: “It was simply a situation of a man who does not know very well the words used in street jargon. Spending a lot of time in different circles from the Republic of Moldova and working with many musicians, I heard this word used as a sign of appreciation and took it over, thinking it was something nice. Yes, I was wrong and I didn’t think for a second about the connotations that this expression can have”.
The artist publicly apologized to those who felt offended and to the organizers of the show.
“No one is perfect. Where you give and where you break, it still happens. I apologize to those I upset with my attempt to thank the public in the Republic of Moldova and the organizers of this extraordinary show. I congratulate the whole team, the audience and the competitors; I was honored to be part of this grandiose event” the artist also said.
