Romania enters the straight line towards the Eurovision 2026 semi-final in Vienna, after Alexandra Căpitănescu attracted favorable reactions following the two official rehearsals, especially after the appearance in the choreography of a new character, the “ghost self”.
The Romanian delegation to the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 is enjoying a wave of positive reactions in Vienna, where Alexandra Căpitănescu, the representative of our country, manages to capture the public’s attention through a scenic moment built around emotion and artistic expressiveness.
After the two official rehearsals, the reactions from international fans and the Eurovision community were favorable, and Romania climbed the unofficial rankings of the public. Currently, Alexandra Căpitănescu is in third place in the fan vote, after Finland and Denmark, even surpassing Sweden, notes Click!.
The ascension comes after the second official rehearsal, which reconfirmed the artistic vision of the Romanian team, built around a mixture of vulnerability, dramatic tension and visual impact.
On the stage in Vienna, Alexandra Cîpitănescu performed alongside her four bandmates – Bogdan, Luca, Matei and Thomas – with a special choreography, in which the visual elements and interpretation are put at the service of the artistic message.
Who is the “phantom self” that appears in Alexandra Căpitănescu’s show
The second rehearsal brought the unveiling of the sixth artist who completes Romania’s stage moment.
It is about Daria Cristea, the performer who appears on stage dressed in a white cape and who contributes to the dramatic and symbolic dimension of the performance.
His appearance has a well-defined role in the artistic concept of the show. The character in white represents the “ghost self”, closely related to the lyrics of the song performed by Alexandra Căpitănescu and, at the same time, a symbolic projection of the artist, the presence of this character suggesting the inner struggle and emotional fragility that can be found in the message of the song.
Between the two rehearsals, the production team worked on technical and filming adjustments to highlight the intensity of the performance and the relationship between the characters built on stage.
At the same time, the first video images from Romania’s artistic moment were also published, which can be watched on the official YouTube account of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Romania enters the competition with number 03 in the semifinal on May 14
Romania will enter the contest with number 03, in the first part of the second semi-final Eurovision Song Contest 2026, scheduled for May 14.
In the same semifinal, Alexandra Căpitănescu will compete alongside the representatives of Albania, Denmark, Armenia, Cyprus, Switzerland, Norway, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Malta, Bulgaria, Australia, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Latvia.
The semi-finals and the final of the competition will be broadcast live by TVR 1 on May 12, 14 and 16, from 22:00.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 takes place in Vienna under the slogan “United by Music”, with the semi-finals scheduled for May 12 and 14 and the final on May 16.
The best results achieved by Romania in the history of the competition remain the third place achieved by Luminița Anghel & Sistem, in Kiev in 2005, and by Paula Seling and Ovi, in Oslo in 2010, as well as the fourth place won by Mihai Trăistariu in Athens, in 2006.
