Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018
{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox song contest national year
| Year = 2018
| Broadcaster = {{lang|ro|Televiziunea Română|i=no}} (TVR)
| Country = Romania
| Selection process = Selecția Națională 2018
| Selection date = 25 February 2018
| Artist = The Humans
| Song = Goodbye
| Writer = {{Unbulleted list|Alexandru Matei|Alin Neagoe|Cristina Caramarcu}}
| SF result = Failed to qualify (11th)
}}
Romania was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Goodbye" written by Alexandru Matei, Alin Neagoe and Cristina Caramarcu. The song was performed by the Humans. The Romanian broadcaster Televiziunea Română (TVR) organised the national final Selecția Națională 2018 in order to select the Romanian entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal. The national final consisted of six shows: five semi-finals and a final. A total of sixty entries were selected and twelve competed in each semi-final where a five-member jury panel selected three entries to advance to the final. The fifteen qualifiers competed in the final on 25 February 2018 where "Goodbye" performed by The Humans was selected as the winner entirely by a public vote.
Romania was drawn to compete in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 10 May 2018. Performing during the show in position 2, "Goodbye" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the second semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. This marked the first time that Romania failed to qualify to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest from a semi-final since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004. It was later revealed that Romania placed eleventh out of the 18 participating countries in the semi-final with 107 points.
Background
{{main|Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest}}
Prior to the 2018 contest, Romania had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 18 times since its first entry in 1994. To this point, its highest placing in the contest has been third place, which the nation achieved on two occasions: in 2005 with the song "Let Me Try" performed by Luminița Anghel and Sistem, and in 2010 with the song "Playing with Fire" performed by Paula Seling and Ovi. To this point, Romania has qualified to the final on every occasion since the introduction of semi-finals to the format of the contest in 2004. After returning to the contest in 2017 following their forced one-year absence in 2016 due to repeated non-payment of debts to the EBU, "Yodel It!" by Ilinca featuring Alex Florea placed 7th in the final.{{cite web|title=Romania Country Profile|url=http://www.eurovision.tv/page/history/by-country/country?country=33|access-date=15 January 2015|publisher=EBU}}
The Romanian national broadcaster, Televiziunea Română (TVR), broadcasts the event within Romania and organizes the selection process for the nation's entry. TVR has consistently selected the Romanian Eurovision entry through national finals that feature a competition among several artists and songs. The broadcaster confirmed their intentions to participate at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest on 7 July 2017.{{Cite web|date=7 July 2017|title=Romania: TVR Confirms Participation in Eurovision 2018|url=https://eurovoix.com/2017/07/07/romania-tvr-confirms-participation-eurovision-2018/|access-date=4 December 2021|website=Eurovoix}} TVR had set up national finals with several artists to choose both the song and performer to compete at Eurovision for Romania, a procedure which the broadcaster opted for once again to select their 2018 entry.
Before Eurovision
= ''Selecția Națională 2018'' =
{{location map+
| Romania
| float = right
| width = 300
| caption = Cities where the shows took place. The location of the final is shown in bold.
| places =
{{location map~|Romania|lat=45.7 |long=27.179722|label={{nowrap|1. Focșani }}|position=bottom}}
{{location map~|Romania|lat=45.759722|long=21.23 |label={{nowrap|2. Timișoara }}|position=right }}
{{location map~|Romania|lat=44.333333|long=23.816667|label={{nowrap|3. Craiova }}|position=top }}
{{location map~|Romania|lat=46.533333|long=23.866667|label={{nowrap|4. Turda }}|position=top }}
{{location map~|Romania|lat=46.216944|long=24.791111|label={{nowrap|5. Sighișoara}}|position=right }}
{{location map~|Romania|lat=44.4325 |long=26.103889|label={{nowrap|Bucharest}}|position=right }}
}}
Selecția Națională 2018 was the national final organised by TVR in order to select Romania's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. The competition consisted of six shows: five semi-finals featuring twelve songs each and a final featuring fifteen songs to be held between 21 January and 25 February 2018.{{cite web|date=9 January 2018|title=Semifinale|trans-title=Semi-finals|url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/semifinalisti/semifinale/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109134909/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/semifinalisti/semifinale/|archive-date=9 January 2018|access-date=9 January 2018|website=TVR.ro|publisher=TVR|language=ro}}{{cite news|last1=Agadellis|first1=Stratos|date=27 October 2017|title=Romania: TVR in preparations for Selecția Națională 2018|website=ESCToday.com|publisher=ESC Today|url=http://esctoday.com/151424/romania-tvr-preparations-selectia-nationala-2018/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116132228/http://esctoday.com/151424/romania-tvr-preparations-selectia-nationala-2018/|archive-date=16 November 2017}}{{cite web|date=25 October 2017|title=CD al TVR a aprobat calendarul și echipa de realizare a Eurovision România|url=http://www.tvr.ro/cd-al-tvr-a-aprobat-calendarul-si-echipa-de-realizare-a-eurovision-romania_20618.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171111151725/http://www.tvr.ro/cd-al-tvr-a-aprobat-calendarul-si-echipa-de-realizare-a-eurovision-romania_20618.html|archive-date=11 November 2017|website=TVR.ro|publisher=Televiziunea Română|language=ro}} Under the slogan Eurovision unește România! (Eurovision unites Romania!), the shows took place in different cities across Romania in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Union of Transylvania with Romania (also known locally as the "Great Union") and were hosted by Diana Dumitrescu and Cezar Ouatu who represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013.{{cite news|date=15 January 2018|title=Diana Dumitrescu și Cezar Ouatu prezintă Eurovision România|language=ro|trans-title=Diana Dumitrescu and Cezar Ouatu will present Eurovision Romania|website=TVR.ro|publisher=TVR|url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/diana-dumitrescu-si-cezar-ouatu-prezinta-eurovision-romania/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116135040/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/diana-dumitrescu-si-cezar-ouatu-prezinta-eurovision-romania/|archive-date=16 January 2018}} The six shows were televised on TVR1, TVR HD, TVRi as well as online via the broadcaster's streaming service TVR+ and YouTube. The six shows were also broadcast in Moldova via the channel TVR Moldova. TVR hosted behind-the-scenes programmes the day prior to each show which contained interviews and pre-recorded inserts such as rehearsal, press conference footage and other backstage material.{{cite news|date=18 January 2018|title=Duminică aflăm primii trei finaliști ai Selecției Naționale|language=ro|trans-title=On Sunday, we will find out the first three finalists of Selecția Națională|website=TVR.ro|publisher=TVR|url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/duminica-aflam-primii-trei-finalisti-ai-selectiei-nationale/|url-status=live|access-date=18 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119120446/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/duminica-aflam-primii-trei-finalisti-ai-selectiei-nationale/|archive-date=19 January 2018}}
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Cities and venues of Selecția Națională 2018 |
| scope="col" | Show
! scope="col" | Date ! scope="col" | City ! scope="col" | Venue |
|---|
| scope="row | Semi-final 1
| 21 January 2018 | Focșani | Teatrul Municipal "Maior Gheorghe Pastia" |
| scope="row | Semi-final 2
| 28 January 2018 | Teatrul Național "Mihai Eminescu" |
| scope="row | Semi-final 3
| 4 February 2018 | Craiova | Teatrul Național "Marin Sorescu" |
| scope="row | Semi-final 4
| 11 February 2018 | Turda | Rudolf Mine, Salina Turda |
| scope="row | Semi-final 5
| 18 February 2018 | Sala de Spectacole "Mihai Eminescu" |
| scope="row | Final
| 25 February 2018 |
== Competing entries ==
TVR opened a submission period for artists and composers to submit their entries between 15 November 2017 and 15 December 2017. The broadcaster received 72 submissions after the submission deadline passed, of which 68 participated in auditions held between 19 and 20 December 2017 at the TVR Studio 2 in Bucharest.{{cite news|date=19 December 2017|title=Eurovision România: peste 70 de piese au intrat în preselecție|language=ro|trans-title=Eurovision Romania: over 70 songs have entered the pre-selection|website=TVR.ro|publisher=TVR|url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/eurovision-romania-peste-70-de-piese-au-intrat-in-preselectie/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051902/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/eurovision-romania-peste-70-de-piese-au-intrat-in-preselectie/|archive-date=22 December 2017}}{{cite web|date=18 December 2017|title=Eurovision Romania|url=https://www.facebook.com/eurovision.romania/photos/a.111977155533032.13996.111965115534236/1681079991956066/?type=3&permPage=1|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103111031/https://www.facebook.com/eurovision.romania/photos/a.111977155533032.13996.111965115534236/1681079991956066/?type=3&permPage=1|archive-date=3 January 2018|publisher=TVR|quote=Audițiile au loc marți, 19 decembrie și miercuri, 20 decembrie a.c. [The auditions take place on Tuesday, 19 December and Wednesday, 20 December, current year.]}} The auditions were later broadcast on TVR1 and TVR HD between 12 and 15 January 2018.{{cite news|date=11 January 2018|title=Preselecția Eurovision România, în premieră la TVR|language=ro|trans-title=The Eurovision Romania pre-selection premieres on TVR|website=TVR.ro|publisher=TVR|url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/preselectia-eurovision-romania-in-premiera-la-tvr/|url-status=live|access-date=11 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112100858/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/preselectia-eurovision-romania-in-premiera-la-tvr/|archive-date=12 January 2018}}The three audition shows are available online as two halves each:
- {{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E2cWDNNF0c|title=Preselecția Eurovision România 2018 – prima parte (@TVR1)|date=13 January 2018|language=ro|publisher=TVR|trans-title=The Eurovision Romania pre-selection – first part (@TVR1)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219113441/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E2cWDNNF0c|archive-date=19 February 2018|url-status=live|website=YouTube.com}}
- {{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CceuO2bgvEg|title=Preselecția Eurovision România 2018 – a doua parte (@TVR1)|date=13 January 2018|language=ro|publisher=TVR|trans-title=The Eurovision Romania pre-selection – second part (@TVR1)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219113441/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CceuO2bgvEg|archive-date=19 February 2018|url-status=live|website=YouTube.com}}
- {{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgfRUgrAx9w|title=Preselecția Eurovision România 2018 – a treia parte (@TVR1)|date=14 January 2018|language=ro|publisher=TVR|trans-title=The Eurovision Romania pre-selection – third part (@TVR1)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219113441/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgfRUgrAx9w|archive-date=19 February 2018|url-status=live|website=YouTube.com}}
- {{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJIb2K70Sys|title=Preselecția Eurovision România 2018 – a patra parte (@TVR1)|date=15 January 2018|language=ro|publisher=TVR|trans-title=The Eurovision Romania pre-selection – fourth part (@TVR1)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219113441/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJIb2K70Sys|archive-date=19 February 2018|url-status=live|website=YouTube.com}}
- {{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx846E6NlmA|title=Preselecția Eurovision România 2018 – a cincea parte (@TVR1)|date=14 January 2018|language=ro|publisher=TVR|trans-title=The Eurovision Romania pre-selection – fifth part (@TVR1)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219113441/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx846E6NlmA|archive-date=19 February 2018|url-status=live|website=YouTube.com}}
- {{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BojXLccpgZc|title=Preselecția Eurovision România 2018 – a șasea parte (@TVR1)|date=15 January 2018|language=ro|publisher=TVR|trans-title=The Eurovision Romania pre-selection – sixth part (@TVR1)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219113441/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BojXLccpgZc|archive-date=19 February 2018|url-status=live|website=YouTube.com}} A jury panel consisting of Marian Ionescu (bass guitarist, pianist, composer), Liliana Ștefan (lyricist), Nicu Patoi (guitarist), Ilinca Băcilă (singer, represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017) and Viorel Gavrilă (composer, conductor) reviewed the performances during the auditions and rated each song between 1 (lowest) and 10 (highest) based on criteria such as the melodic harmony and structure of the song, the orchestral arrangement, originality and stylistic diversity of the composition and sound and voice quality. After the combination of the jury votes, the top sixty entries that scored the highest, one per artist that entered with more than one song, were selected for the national final.{{cite news|date=21 December 2017|title=TVR prezintă juriul Eurovision România 2018|language=ro|trans-title=TVR presents the jury for Eurovision Romania 2018|website=TVR.ro|publisher=TVR|url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/tvr-prezinta-juriul-eurovision-romania-2018/|url-status=live|access-date=21 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051125/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/tvr-prezinta-juriul-eurovision-romania-2018/|archive-date=22 December 2017}}{{cite web|title=Eurovision 2018 - The Humans (Romania)|url=https://esckaz.com/2018/rom.htm|access-date=4 December 2021|website=ESCKAZ}} The competing entries were announced on 22 December 2017. Among the competing artists was Mihai, who previously represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006, and Alex Florea, who previously represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2017.{{cite news|date=22 December 2017|title=The jury of Eurovision România has decided the semi-finalists of the National Selection|website=TVR.ro|publisher=TVR|url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/the-jury-of-eurovision-romania-has-decided-the-semi-finalists-of-the-national-selection/|url-status=live|access-date=22 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110175737/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/the-jury-of-eurovision-romania-has-decided-the-semi-finalists-of-the-national-selection/|archive-date=10 January 2018}}
On 9 January 2018, "Fix Me" performed by Freia was disqualified from the competition due to the song having been released in China prior to 1 September 2017. The entry was replaced with the song "Baby You're the Only One" performed by Tomer Cohen.{{cite news|date=9 January 2018|title=Remarks on the disqualification of the song 'Fix me' (Freia) from the National Selection|website=TVR.ro|publisher=TVR|url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/remarks-on-the-disqualification-of-the-song-fix-me-freia-from-the-national-selection/|url-status=live|access-date=9 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110175734/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/remarks-on-the-disqualification-of-the-song-fix-me-freia-from-the-national-selection/|archive-date=10 January 2018}} On 21 January 2018, Tom Hartis withdrew his song "Teardrop Rain", which was set to compete on the first semi-final, for health reasons.{{cite web|last=Popescu|first=David|date=21 January 2018|title=Romania: Three acts qualify for the final|website=ESCUnited|url=https://www.escunited.com/romania-three-acts-qualify-for-the-final/|access-date=18 November 2023}}
| class="sortable wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
! Artist ! Song ! Songwriter(s) |
| Alessandro Dănescu
| "Breaking Up" | John Ballard, Jonathan Dahl, Robin Carlsson, Marcus Holmberg |
| Alex Florea
| {{nowrap|"Nobody Told Me It Would Hurt"}} | Jonas Thander, Aidan O'Connor |
| Alexandru Ungureanu
| "Sail with Me" | Alexandru Ungureanu |
| Alexia and Matei
| "Walking on Water" | Mihai Alexandru, Alina Todașcă-Dascălu |
| Alice Jeckel
| "Out of the Dark" | Cezar Dometi, Alice Jeckel |
| Aurel Dincă
| "Fire in the Sky" | Aurel Dincă, Victor Solomon |
| Ayona
| "The Story Goes On" |
| Bernice Chitiul
| "Too Busy for My Heart" | Florin Chitiul, Bernice Chitiul |
| Carolina Gorun
| "Reach Out for the Stars" | Peter Jordan, Jannis Kaffka, Lenne Kaffka, Andre Bollweg |
| Claudia Andas
| "The One" | Samuel Bugia Garrido, Roxana Elekes |
| Cornel
| "Take Me Away" | Ștefan-Suraj Trandafir, Cornel-Ionuț Ciubotaru |
| Cristian Simionescu
| "Nirvana" | Cristian Simionescu |
| Dan Manciulea
| "Rază de soare" | Dan Manciulea, Dinu Olărașu |
| Denisa Trofin
| "Tears" | Alexandru Luft, Tiberiu Băncilă |
| Diana Brătan
| "Paint It Rainbow" | Diana Brătan |
| Dora Gaitanovici
| "Fără tine" | Dora Gaitanovici |
| Echoes
| "Mirror" | Liviu Elekes, Claudiu Dănăilă, Pavel Petricenco |
| Eduard Santha
| "Me som romales" | Alexandru Luft, Eduard Santha |
| Elena Hasna
| "Revival" | Ylva Persson, Linda Persson, Dan Attlerud |
| Elena Turcu
| "The Perfect Fall" | Marian Nica, Alexandra Ivan |
| Eliza Chifu
| "So Good Without You" | Valeriu Moruz, Doina Sclifos |
| Endless feat. Maria Grosu
| "Thinking About You" |
| Erminio Sinni and Tiziana Camelin
| "All the Love Away" | Erminio Sinni, Mauro Goldsand, Alessandro Camponeschi, Tiziana Camelin |
| Evermorph
| "Live Your Life" | Alin Neagoe, Ciprian Lemnaru, Alexandru Rotărescu |
| rowspan="2" | Feli
| "Bună de iubit"{{efn|During the auditions, Feli performed the Spanish version of the song, "Fácil de amar"}} | Felicia Donose, Florin Boka, Vlad Popescu, Șerban Cazan |
| "Bună de iubit (Royalty)"
| Felicia Donose, Florin Boka, Vlad Popescu, Șerban Cazan, Cristi Pascu, Dorian Micu, Vlad Munteanu |
| Hellen
| "From Underneath" | John Ballard, Magnus Hydén |
| data-sort-value="Humans, The" | The Humans
| "Goodbye" | Alexandru Matei, Alin Neagoe, Cristina Caramarcu |
| Iliana
| "I Won't Lie" | George Lazăr, Eduard Taraș, Elena Moroșanu |
| Ioana Ciornea
| "Time After Time" | Daniel Lazăr, Dominic Cini, Christian Arding, Mario Farrugia |
| Jessie
| "Lightning Strikes" | Pelle Blarke, Ellie Wyatt, Amy Amanda van der Wel |
| Johnny Bădulescu
| "Devoted" | Michael James Down, Primož Poglajen, Jonas Gladnikoff |
| Jukebox feat. Bella Santiago
| "Auzi cum bate" | Alex Luft, Bogdan Marinescu, Cristina Dobrescu |
| Lina
| "A Love Worth Falling For" | Lina Sandén, Gustav Nilsson, Johan Smith |
| Lion's Roar
| "Rekindle the Flame" | Liviu Sorescu |
| Liviu Anghel
| "Rise Up" | Bogdan Marian Păunescu, Liviu Anghel, Ana-Maria Mirică |
| Manuel Chivari
| "Somebody to Love" | Michael James Down, Will Taylor |
| Mareș Pană
| "Daydreamer" | Mareș-Cătălin Pană, Georgian Mărgărit, Ștefan-Adrian Marin |
| Maria Suciu
| "Sweet Nothing" | Mădălin Botezatu |
| Meriem
| "End the Battle" | Meriem Vizitiu, Mihail Gheorghe, Marian Achim |
| Mihai
| "Heaven" | Michael James Down, Will Taylor, Jonas Gladnikoff, Mihai Trăistariu |
| Miruna Diaconescu
| "Run for You" | Radu Pompiu Bolfea, Marcel Prodan |
| Nicoleta Țicală
| "Una oportunidad" | Samuel Bugia Garrido |
| Othello
| "Noi suntem pădure" | Florentin Milcof, Laura Sgârcitu |
| Paula Crișan
| "I Am Here" | Paula Crișan |
| Pragu' de Sus
| "Te voi chema" | Călin Bârcean |
| Rafael and Friends
| "We Are One" | Rafael, Alexandru Nucă |
| Romeo Zaharia
| "Maybe This Time" | Fred Endersen, Olaf Owre |
| Save
| "All We Need" | Stelian Savu, Vlad Isac |
| Serena
| "Safari" | Radu Baișan, Nicolae Stan, Diana Șerban, Mircea Nistor |
| Sergiu Bolotă
| "Every Little Thing" | Sergiu Bolotă |
| Tavi Clonda
| "King" | Alex Luft, Tavi Clonda, Cristina Dobrescu, Alexandru Duma, Denisa Demian, Alina Colțan |
| Teodora Dinu
| "Fly" | Thomas Reil, Jeppe Reil, Udo Mechels, Maria Broberg |
| Tiri
| "Deșert de sentimente" | Mihail Tirică |
| Tomer Cohen
| "Baby You're the Only One" | Tomer Cohen |
| Vyros
| "La la la" | Vladimir Cioban |
| Waleska
| "Renacer"{{efn|During the auditions, Waleska performed the English version of the song, "Reborn"}} | Waleska Díaz González |
| Xandra
| "Try" | Michael James Down, Will Taylor, Jonas Gladnikoff |
| Zavera
| "Come Back to Me" | Florin Octav Ionescu, Petre Bogdan, Marian Mihai, Raluca Răducanu, Ionuț Fleancu, Vasile Simion, Marilena Ionescu, Cristian Costache |
| Zøltan
| "Dacă dragostea e oarbă" | Sebestyén Zoltán László |
{{Notelist}}
== Shows ==
== Semi-finals ==
The five semi-finals took place on 21 January, 28 January, 4 February, 11 February and 28 February 2018 with different presenters hosting segments from the green room in each show: Anca Medeleanu in the first semi-final, Doriana Talpeș in the second semi-final, Alina Șerban in the third semi-final, Loredana Corchiș in the four semi-final and Simona Boantă in the fifth semi-final.{{cite news |date=19 January 2018 |title=Doina Gradea, Director General TVR, anunț în premieră la conferința de la Focșani: Marea Finală Eurovision România va fi organizată la București, în Sala Polivalentă |language=ro |trans-title=Doina Gradea, General Director of TVR, announces at the Focșani conference: The Eurovision Romania Grand Final will be organized in Bucharest, at Sala Polivalentă |website=TVR.ro |publisher=TVR |url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/doina-gradea-director-general-tvr-anunt-in-premiera-la-conferinta-de-la-focsani-marea-finala-eurovision-romania-va-fi-organizata-la-bucuresti-in-sala-polivalenta/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119235447/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/doina-gradea-director-general-tvr-anunt-in-premiera-la-conferinta-de-la-focsani-marea-finala-eurovision-romania-va-fi-organizata-la-bucuresti-in-sala-polivalenta/ |archive-date=19 January 2018}}{{Cite web |title=Romania: Selecția Națională 2018 |url=https://eurovisionworld.com/national/romania/selectia-nationala-2018 |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=Eurovisionworld |language=en-gb}} In each semi-final twelve songs competed and a jury panel selected three songs to qualify to the final. The members of the jury panel that voted during the semi-finals were: Marian Ionescu (bass guitarist, pianist, composer), Liliana Ștefan (lyricist), Nicu Patoi (guitarist), Ilinca Băcilă (singer, represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017) and Viorel Gavrilă (composer, conductor).
In addition to the performances of the competing entries, the opening act featured 2005 Romanian Eurovision entrant Luminița Anghel performing the 2009 Moldovan Eurovision song "Hora din Moldova" with the Țara Vrancei Folk Ensemble in the first semi-final and Ricardo Caria performing the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 winning song "Amar pelos dois" in the second semi-final, while the interval act featured performances by the band Pasărea Rock in the first semi-final, Cargo, Lavinia Răducanu and Neda Ukraden in the second semi-final,{{cite news |date=25 January 2018 |title=Recitaluri de muzică rock, hituri sârbești și acorduri rromanes, la a doua semifinală Eurovision România |language=ro |trans-title=Rock music recitals, Serbian hits and Romani chords, at the second Eurovision Romania semi-final |website=TVR.ro |publisher=TVR |url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/recitaluri-de-muzica-rock-hituri-sarbesti-si-acorduri-rromanes-la-a-doua-semifinala-eurovision-romania/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126071046/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/recitaluri-de-muzica-rock-hituri-sarbesti-si-acorduri-rromanes-la-a-doua-semifinala-eurovision-romania/ |archive-date=26 January 2018}} BiBi, FreeStay, Dan Helciug and Mihaela Alexa in the third semi-final,{{cite news |date=1 February 2018 |title=Florin Ristei and Dan Helciug will have the performances of the evening on the Eurovision Romania stage |website=TVR.ro |publisher=TVR |url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/florin-ristei-and-dan-helciug-will-have-the-performances-of-the-evening-on-the-eurovision-romania-stage/ |url-status=live |access-date=2 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202190036/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/florin-ristei-and-dan-helciug-will-have-the-performances-of-the-evening-on-the-eurovision-romania-stage/ |archive-date=2 February 2018}} 2009 Romanian Eurovision entrant Elena Gheorghe, Ad Libitum and Katia Cărbune in the fourth semi-final,{{cite web |date=8 February 2018 |title=Semifinala Eurovision din Salina Turda, la 90 de metri sub pământ – o premieră absolută în istoria concursului |url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/semifinala-eurovision-din-salina-turda-la-90-de-metri-sub-pamant-o-premiera-absoluta-in-istoria-concursului/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212142120/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/semifinala-eurovision-din-salina-turda-la-90-de-metri-sub-pamant-o-premiera-absoluta-in-istoria-concursului/ |archive-date=2018-02-12 |access-date=2018-02-11 |language=ro}} and the band Direcția 5 in the fifth semi-final; their performance was filmed earlier at the Piața Cetății in Sighișoara on 17 February 2018.{{cite web |date=16 February 2018 |title=Doina Gradea, Director General TVR: "Ne-am dorit să organizăm ultima semifinală Eurovision la Sighișoara, pentru a reaminti telespectatorilor TVR cultura și istoria acestui oraș" |url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/doina-gradea-director-general-tvr-ne-am-dorit-sa-organizam-ultima-semifinala-eurovision-la-sighisoara-pentru-a-reaminti-telespectatorilor-tvr-cultura-si-istoria-acestui-oras/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180219113441/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/doina-gradea-director-general-tvr-ne-am-dorit-sa-organizam-ultima-semifinala-eurovision-la-sighisoara-pentru-a-reaminti-telespectatorilor-tvr-cultura-si-istoria-acestui-oras/ |archive-date=2018-02-19 |access-date=2018-02-18}} Several host cities contributed financially towards organising the event: the city of Timișoara contributed €43,000 for the second semi-final, the city of Craiova contributed €40,795 for the third semi-final, and the city of Turda contributed approximately €30,000 for fourth semi-final.{{cite web |date=8 January 2018 |title=Hotărârea Consiliului Local 3/08.01.2018 privind aprobarea participării Primăriei Municipiului Timișoara în calitate de partener al Televiziunii Române în vederea organizării semifinalei concursului Eurovision 2018 la Timișoara în perioada 22-28 ianuarie 2018 și alocarea sumei de 200.000 lei în vederea sprijinirii organizării evenimentului |trans-title=The decision no. 3/08.01.2018 of the Local Council approving the participation of the Timișoara City Hall as a partner of Romanian Television, in the purpose of organizing the semi-final of the Eurovision 2018 contest in Timișoara between 22 and 28 January 2018 and the allotment of the sum of 200,000 lei towards supporting organizing the event |url=http://www.primariatm.ro/hcl.php?unid=8F45A8C9CD6A6C5FC225821000245C2D |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111224224/http://www.primariatm.ro/hcl.php?unid=8F45A8C9CD6A6C5FC225821000245C2D |archive-date=11 January 2018 |website=PrimariaTM.ro |publisher=Timișoara City Hall |language=ro}}{{cite web |date=23 January 2018 |title=Hotărârea nr. 6 privind aprobarea participării Municipiului Craiova, în calitate de partener al Societății Române de Televiziune, în vederea organizării semifinalei concursului Eurovision 2018, în municipiul Craiova |trans-title=Decision no. 6 regarding the approval of the participation of Craiova Municipality, as a partner of the Romanian Television Corporation, towards hosting the semi-final of the Eurovision 2018 contest, in Craiova Municipality |url=https://www.primariacraiova.ro/pozearticole/userfiles/files/01/17503.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124070611/https://www.primariacraiova.ro/pozearticole/userfiles/files/01/17503.pdf |archive-date=24 January 2018 |access-date=23 January 2018 |website=PrimariaCraiova.ro |publisher=Craiova City Hall |language=ro}}{{cite web |date=10 January 2018 |title=Hotărârea nr. 3 privind asocierea Municipiului Turda cu Societatea Română de Televiziune, în vederea organizării evenimentului semifinala Eurovision 2018 |trans-title=Decision no. 3 regarding the association of the Turda Municipality with Romanian Television, in the purpose of organizing the Eurovision semi-final event |url=http://primariaturda.ro/hotararea-nr-3-privind-asocierea-municipiului-turda-cu-societatea-romana-de-televiziune-in-vederea-organizarii-evenimentului-semifinala-eurovision-2018/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112042353/http://primariaturda.ro/hotararea-nr-3-privind-asocierea-municipiului-turda-cu-societatea-romana-de-televiziune-in-vederea-organizarii-evenimentului-semifinala-eurovision-2018/ |archive-date=12 January 2018 |website=PrimariaTurda.ro |publisher=Turda City Hall |language=ro}}
| class="sortable wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;"
|+ Semi-final 1 – 21 January 2018{{cite news|date=21 January 2018|title=Alexia & Matei, Echoes și Eduard Santha sunt primii finaliști Eurovision România|language=ro|trans-title=Alexia & Matei, Echoes and Eduard Santha are the first finalists at Eurovision Romania|website=TVR.ro|publisher=TVR|url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/alexia-matei-echoes-si-eduard-santha-sunt-primii-finalisti-eurovision-romania/|url-status=live|access-date=22 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122125022/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/alexia-matei-echoes-si-eduard-santha-sunt-primii-finalisti-eurovision-romania/|archive-date=22 January 2018}}{{cite news|last=Weaver|first=Jessica|date=21 January 2018|title=Romania: First 3 artists advance to the Selecția Națională 2018 final|website=ESCToday.com|publisher=ESC Today|url=http://esctoday.com/157151/romania-first-3-artists-advance-selectia-nationala-2018-final/|url-status=live|access-date=22 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122072000/http://esctoday.com/157151/romania-first-3-artists-advance-selectia-nationala-2018-final/|archive-date=22 January 2018}} | ||||
| rowspan="2" | Draw
! rowspan="2" | Artist ! rowspan="2" | Song ! colspan="5" | Jury Votes ! rowspan="2" | Total ! rowspan="2" | Place | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|M. Ionescu|Marian Ionescu}}}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|L. Ștefan|Liliana Ștefan}}}} ! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|N. Patoi|Nicu Patoi}}}} ! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|I. Băcilă|Ilinca Băcilă}}}} ! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|V. Gavrilă|Viorel Gavrilă}}}} | ||||
| 1
| align="left" | Alex Florea | align="left" | "Nobody Told Me It Would Hurt" | 4 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 4
| 28 | 5 |
| 2
| align="left" | Lina | align="left" | "A Love Worth Falling For" | 8 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6
| 24 | 7 |
| 3
| align="left" | Cornel | align="left" | "Take Me Away" | | 1 | 1 | | 2
| 11 | |
| 4
| align="left" | Liviu Anghel | align="left" | "Rise Up" | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 7
| 20 | 9 |
| 5
| align="left" | Hellen | align="left" | "From Underneath" | 7 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2
| 22 | 8 |
| style="background:navajowhite;"
| 6 | align="left" | Alexia and Matei | align="left" | "Walking on Water" | 12 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 12
| 53 | 1 |
| 7
| align="left" | Johnny Bădulescu | align="left" | "Devoted" | 2 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10
| 34 | 4 |
| 8
| align="left" | Waleska | align="left" | "Renacer" | 5 | 1 | 1
| 7 | 10 | ||
| style="background:navajowhite;"
| 9 | align="left" | Echoes | align="left" | "Mirror" | 6 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 8
| 38 | 2 |
| 10
| align="left" | Elena Turcu | align="left" | "The Perfect Fall" | 10 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 3
| 27 | 6 |
| style="background:navajowhite;"
| 11 | align="left" | Eduard Santha | align="left" | "Me som romales" | 1 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 5
| 35 | 3 |
| class="sortable wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;"
|+ Semi-final 2 – 28 January 2018{{cite news|date=28 January 2018|title=Jukebox feat Bella Santiago, RAFAEL & Friends şi MIHAI au câştigat a doua semifinală Eurovision România|language=ro|trans-title=Jukebox feat. Bella Santiago, Rafael & Friends, and MIHAI have won the second Eurovision Romania semi-final|website=TVR.ro|publisher=TVR|url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/jukebox-feat-bella-santiago-rafael-friends-si-mihai-au-castigat-a-doua-semifinala-eurovision-romania/|url-status=live|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129141219/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/jukebox-feat-bella-santiago-rafael-friends-si-mihai-au-castigat-a-doua-semifinala-eurovision-romania/|archive-date=29 January 2018}}{{cite news|last=Weaver|first=Jessica|date=28 January 2018|title=Romania: Here are the semi-final 2 results of Selecția Națională 2018|website=ESCToday.com|publisher=ESC Today|url=http://esctoday.com/157840/romania-semi-final-2-results-selectia-nationala-2018/|url-status=live|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180128233453/http://esctoday.com/157840/romania-semi-final-2-results-selectia-nationala-2018/|archive-date=28 January 2018}} | ||||
| rowspan="2" | Draw
! rowspan="2" | Artist ! rowspan="2" | Song ! colspan="5" | Jury Votes ! rowspan="2" | Total ! rowspan="2" | Place | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|M. Ionescu|Marian Ionescu}}}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|L. Ștefan|Liliana Ștefan}}}} ! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|N. Patoi|Nicu Patoi}}}} ! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|I. Băcilă|Ilinca Băcilă}}}} ! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|V. Gavrilă|Viorel Gavrilă}}}} | ||||
| 1
| align="left" | Pragu' de Sus | align="left" | "Te voi chema" | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6
| 19 | 7 |
| 2
| align="left" | Miruna Diaconescu | align="left" | "Run for You" | 6 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 5
| 22 | 5 |
| style="background:navajowhite;"
| 3 | align="left" | Mihai | align="left" | "Heaven" | 4 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 10
| 39 | 3 |
| 4
| align="left" | Othello | align="left" | "Noi suntem pădure" | 7 | 1 | 5 | 4
| 17 | 8 | |
| 5
| align="left" | Alessandro Dănescu | align="left" | "Breaking Up" | 3 | 7 | 4 | 1
| 15 | 11 | |
| 6
| align="left" | Jessie | align="left" | "Lightning Strikes" | | 8 | 7 | 8 | 3
| 26 | 4 |
| 7
| align="left" | Romeo Zaharia | align="left" | "Maybe This Time" | 1 | 6 | 1 | 8
| 16 | 10 | |
| style="background:navajowhite;"
| 8 | align="left" | Rafael and Friends | align="left" | "We Are One" | 12 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 7
| 40 | 2 |
| 9
| align="left" | Serena | align="left" | "Safari" | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 2
| 17 | 9 |
| 10
| align="left" | Endless feat. Maria Grosu | align="left" | "Thinking About You" | 8 | 6 | 2 | 5 | | 21
| 6 |
| 11
| align="left" | Meriem | align="left" | "End the Battle" | | | 0
| 12 | |||
| style="background:navajowhite;"
| 12 | align="left" | Jukebox feat. Bella Santiago | align="left" | "Auzi cum bate" | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12
| 58 | 1 |
| class="sortable wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;"
|+ Semi-final 3 – 4 February 2018 | ||||
| rowspan="2" | Draw
! rowspan="2" | Artist ! rowspan="2" | Song ! colspan="5" | Jury Votes ! rowspan="2" | Total ! rowspan="2" | Place | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|M. Ionescu|Marian Ionescu}}}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|L. Ștefan|Liliana Ștefan}}}} ! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|N. Patoi|Nicu Patoi}}}} ! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|I. Băcilă|Ilinca Băcilă}}}} ! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|V. Gavrilă|Viorel Gavrilă}}}} | ||||
| 1
| align="left" | Eliza Chifu | align="left" | "So Good Without You" | 4 | 6 | 3 | | 13
| 9 | |
| 2
| align="left" | Carolina Gorun | align="left" | "Reach Out for the Stars" | | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1
| 17 | 8 |
| 3
| align="left" | Mareș Pană | align="left" | "Daydreamer" | 1 | 3 | 3
| 7 | 11 | ||
| 4
| align="left" | Ayona | align="left" | "The Story Goes On" | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | | 8
| 10 |
| 5
| align="left" | Aurel Dincă | align="left" | "Fire in the Sky" | 7 | 6 | 2 | 4
| 19 | 7 | |
| style="background:navajowhite;"
| 6 | align="left" | Vyros | align="left" | "La la la" | 8 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 8
| 37 | 3 |
| 7
| align="left" | Zavera | align="left" | "Come Back to Me" | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7
| 25 | 6 |
| 8
| align="left" | Elena Hasna | align="left" | "Revival" | 2 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 2
| 25 | 5 |
| 9
| align="left" | Diana Brătan | align="left" | "Paint It Rainbow" | | 1 | 5
| 6 | 12 | ||
| 10
| align="left" | Tavi Clonda | align="left" | "King" | 6 | 1 | 12 | 4 | 6
| 29 | 4 |
| style="background:navajowhite;"
| 11 | align="left" | Erminio Sinni and Tiziana Camelin | align="left" | "All the Love Away" | 12 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 10
| 52 | 1 |
| style="background:navajowhite;"
| 12 | align="left" | Xandra | align="left" | "Try" | 10 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12
| 52 | 1 |
| class="sortable wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;"
|+ Semi-final 4 – 11 February 2018{{Cite web|url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/claudia-andas-tiri-si-feli-au-castigat-semifinala-eurovision-romania-din-salina-turda/|title=Claudia Andas, TIRI şi Feli au câştigat semifinala Eurovision România din Salina Turda|website=Eurovision.tvr.ro|date=12 February 2018|access-date=12 January 2022}} | ||||
| rowspan="2" | Draw
! rowspan="2" | Artist ! rowspan="2" | Song ! colspan="5" | Jury Votes ! rowspan="2" | Total ! rowspan="2" | Place | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|M. Ionescu|Marian Ionescu}}}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|L. Ștefan|Liliana Ștefan}}}} ! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|N. Patoi|Nicu Patoi}}}} ! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|I. Băcilă|Ilinca Băcilă}}}} ! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|V. Gavrilă|Viorel Gavrilă}}}} | ||||
| 1
| align="left" | Bernice Chitiul | align="left" | "Too Busy for My Heart" | | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3
| 11 | 10 |
| 2
| align="left" | Cristian Simionescu | align="left" | "Nirvana" | | | 0
| 12 | |||
| 3
| align="left" | Nicoleta Țicală | align="left" | "Una oportunidad" | 10 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 10
| 40 | 4 |
| 4
| align="left" | Zøltan | align="left" | "Dacă dragostea e oarbă" | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | | 12
| 8 |
| 5
| align="left" | Alice Jeckel | align="left" | "Out of the Dark" | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1
| 12 | 9 |
| 6
| align="left" | Dan Manciulea | align="left" | "Rază de soare" | 1 | 2
| 3 | 11 | |||
| 7
| align="left" | Lion's Roar | align="left" | "Rekindle the Flame" | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7
| 29 | 5 |
| 8
| align="left" | Ioana Ciornea | align="left" | "Time After Time" | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 4
| 24 | 6 |
| style="background:navajowhite;"
| 9 | align="left" | Tiri | align="left" | "Deșert de sentimente" | 8 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 5
| 43 | 2 |
| style="background:navajowhite;"
| 10 | align="left" | Feli | align="left" | "Bună de iubit" | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 8
| 43 | 3 |
| 11
| align="left" | Paula Crișan | align="left" | "I Am Here" | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 6
| 17 | 7 |
| style="background:navajowhite;"
| 12 | align="left" | Claudia Andas | align="left" | "The One" | 12 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 12
| 56 | 1 |
| class="sortable wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;"
|+ Semi-final 5 – 18 February 2018 | ||||
| rowspan="2" | Order
! rowspan="2" | Artist ! rowspan="2" | Song ! colspan="5" | Jury Votes ! rowspan="2" | Total ! rowspan="2" | Place | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|M. Ionescu|Marian Ionescu}}}}
! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|L. Ștefan|Liliana Ștefan}}}} ! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|N. Patoi|Nicu Patoi}}}} ! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|I. Băcilă|Ilinca Băcilă}}}} ! scope="col" {{vert header|nb=1|{{Abbr|V. Gavrilă|Viorel Gavrilă}}}} | ||||
| 1
| align="left" | Manuel Chivari | align="left" | "Somebody to Love" | 2 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6
| 20 | 7 |
| 2
| align="left" | Maria Suciu | align="left" | "Sweet Nothing" | | 2
| 2 | 11 | |||
| 3
| align="left" | Evermorph | align="left" | "Live Your Life" | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | | 9
| 10 |
| style="background:navajowhite;"
| 4 | align="left" | Dora Gaitanovici | align="left" | "Fără tine" | 8 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8
| 42 | 3 |
| 5
| align="left" | Tomer Cohen | align="left" | "Baby You're the Only One" | | 1
| 1 | 12 | |||
| 6
| align="left" | Sergiu Bolotă | align="left" | "Every Little Thing" | 5 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 5
| 28 | 4 |
| 7
| align="left" | Alexandru Ungureanu | align="left" | "Sail with Me" | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4
| 17 | 8 |
| 8
| align="left" | Iliana | align="left" | "I Won't Lie" | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | | 21
| 6 |
| style="background:navajowhite;"
| 9 | align="left" | Teodora Dinu | align="left" | "Fly" | 10 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 10
| 50 | 2 |
| style="background:navajowhite;"
| 10 | align="left" data-sort-value="Humans, The" | The Humans | align="left" | "Goodbye" | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12
| 58 | 1 |
| 11
| align="left" | Save | align="left" | "All We Need" | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3
| 14 | 9 |
| 12
| align="left" | Denisa Trofin | align="left" | "Tears" | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7
| 28 | 5 |
== Final ==
The final took place on 25 February 2018 with Ioana Voicu and Sonia Argint-Ionescu hosting segments from the green room.{{Cite web |date=23 February 2018 |title=Publicul alege câştigătorul Eurovision, la TVR |url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/publicul-alege-castigatorul-eurovision-la-tvr/ |access-date=12 January 2022 |website=Eurovision.tvr.ro}} Fifteen songs competed and the winner, "Goodbye" performed by the Humans, was selected exclusively by public televoting.{{Cite web |date=25 February 2018 |title=Eurovision Romania: The Humans win Selecția Națională 2018 and are off to Lisbon! |url=https://esctoday.com/160152/romania-humans-win-selectia-nationala-2018-and-are-off-to-lisbon/ |access-date=12 January 2022 |website=Esctoday.com}}https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbOTBUs08js – 18:38 In addition to the performances of the competing entries, the interval acts featured performances by 2017 Romanian Eurovision entrant Ilinca Băcilă, 2018 Moldovan Eurovision entrants DoReDoS performing their Eurovision song "My Lucky Day", as well as performances by the Alex Calancea Band.
| class="sortable wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;"
|+ Final – 25 February 2018 |
| Draw
! Artist ! Song ! Televote ! Place |
|---|
| 1
| align="left" | Rafael and Friends | align="left" | "We Are One" | 1,446 | 5 |
| 2
| align="left" | Tiri | align="left" | "Deșert de sentimente" | 320 | 12 |
| 3
| align="left" | Claudia Andas | align="left" | "The One" | 974 | 8 |
| 4
| align="left" | Echoes | align="left" | "Mirror" | 325 | 11 |
| 5
| align="left" | Dora Gaitanovici | align="left" | "Fără tine" | 1,415 | 6 |
| 6
| align="left" | Eduard Santha | align="left" | "Me som romales" | 293 | 14 |
| 7
| align="left" | Vyros | align="left" | "La la la" | 133 | 15 |
| 8
| align="left" | Feli | align="left" | "Bună de iubit (Royalty)" | 2,862 | 3 |
| 9
| align="left" | Teodora Dinu | align="left" | "Fly" | 336 | 10 |
| 10
| align="left" | Mihai | align="left" | "Heaven" | 1,165 | 7 |
| 11
| align="left" | Xandra | align="left" | "Try" | 686 | 9 |
| 12
| align="left" | Jukebox feat. Bella Santiago | align="left" | "Auzi cum bate" | 1,728 | 4 |
| 13
| align="left" | Alexia and Matei | align="left" | "Walking on Water" | 3,114 | 2 |
| 14
| align="left" | Erminio Sinni and Tiziana Camelin | align="left" | "All the Love Away" | 303 | 13 |
| style="font-weight:bold; background:gold;"
| 15 | align="left" data-sort-value="Humans, The" | The Humans | align="left" | "Goodbye" | 3,277 | 1 |
= Promotion =
Prior to the contest, the Humans specifically promoted "Goodbye" as the Romanian Eurovision entry on 10 March 2018 by performing at the Romanian stand of the ITB Berlin event, which was held at the Internationales Congress Centrum Berlin in Germany.{{Cite web|last=Granger|first=Anthony|date=10 March 2018|title=Romania: The Humans Kick Off Promotional Tour in Berlin|url=https://eurovoix.com/2018/03/10/romania-the-humans-kick-off-promotional-tour-in-berlin/|access-date=4 December 2021|website=Eurovoix}}
At Eurovision
According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 29 January 2018, an allocation draw was held which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show they would perform in. Romania was placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 10 May 2018, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show.{{cite web|last1=Jordan|first1=Paul|date=29 January 2018|title=Which countries will perform in which Semi-Final at Eurovision 2018?|url=https://eurovision.tv/story/results-of-the-semi-final-allocation-draw-2018|access-date=29 January 2018|website=eurovision.tv|publisher=European Broadcasting Union}}{{Cite web|title=Lisbon 2018 – Eurovision Song Contest Lisbon 2018|url=https://eurovision.tv/event/lisbon-2018/second-semi-final/participants|access-date=2018-04-18|website=eurovision.tv}}
Once all the competing songs for the 2018 contest had been released, the running order for the semi-finals was decided by the shows' producers rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. Romania was set to perform in position 2, following the entry from Norway and before the entry from Serbia.{{cite web|date=3 April 2018|title=Running order for Eurovision 2018 Semi-Finals revealed|url=https://eurovision.tv/story/running-order-eurovision-2018-semi-finals-revealed|access-date=3 April 2018|website=eurovision.tv|publisher=European Broadcasting Union|df=dmy-all}}
All three shows were broadcast in Romania on TVR1, TVRi and TVR HD with commentary by Liliana Ștefan and Radu Andrei Tudor.{{cite news|date=10 May 2018|title=The Humans, în această seară pe scena Eurovision|language=ro|trans-title=The Humans, tonight on the Eurovision stage|publisher=TVR|url=http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/the-humans-in-aceasta-seara-pe-scena-eurovision/|url-status=dead|access-date=10 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510181612/http://eurovision.tvr.ro/2018/the-humans-in-aceasta-seara-pe-scena-eurovision/|archive-date=10 May 2018}}{{Cite web|date=2 May 2018|title=The Humans, premieră la Eurovision: 31 de personaje pe scena concursului|url=http://www.tvr.ro/the-humans-premiera-la-eurovision-31-de-personaje-pe-scena-concursului_21824.html#view|access-date=4 December 2021|website=TVR|language=ro}} The Romanian spokesperson, who announced the top 12-point score awarded by the Romanian jury during the final, was Sonia Argint-Ionescu.
=Semi-final=
The Humans took part in technical rehearsals on 1 and 4 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 9 and 10 May. This included the jury show on 9 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.
The stage show featured the members of the Humans (one of the lead singers of the band, Adrian Tănase, was replaced by cellist Corina Matei for the performance){{Cite web|last=Partoş|first=Andrei|date=28 March 2018|title=Invitați: The Humans|url=http://www.romania-actualitati.ro/invitati_the_humans-114079|access-date=4 December 2021|website=Radio România Actualități|language=ro}} performing in a band set-up with 25 black and white mannequins wearing white masks on their faces placed around the stage floor. The lead singer of the band Cristina Caramarcu was dressed in a purple frock while the remaining members were dressed in white outfits, of which the two guitarists wore white masks on the backs of their heads. In regards to the mannequins, the Humans stated: "All the mannequins represent humanity, the people. They don't have a face, you don't see a race, nothing. We're all humans, we are equal."{{Cite web|date=1 May 2018|title=The Humans say hello to Lisbon as they rehearse 'Goodbye'|url=https://eurovision.tv/story/romania-2018-first-rehearsal-the-humans|access-date=4 December 2021|website=eurovision.tv}}{{Cite web|date=4 May 2018|title=Romania's The Humans give a dramatic second rehearsal onstage|url=https://eurovision.tv/gallery/the-humans-give-dramatic-second-rehearsal|access-date=4 December 2021|website=eurovision.tv}}
At the end of the show, Romania was not announced among the top 10 entries in the second semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. This marked the first time that Romania failed to qualify to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest from a semi-final since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004.{{Cite web|url=https://eurovision.tv/story/the-results-eurovision-2018-dive-into-numbers|title=The results of Eurovision 2018: Let's dive into the numbers!|date=14 May 2018|website=Eurovision.tv|access-date=12 January 2022}} It was later revealed that Romania placed eleventh in the semi-final, receiving a total of 107 points: 40 points from the televoting and 67 points from the juries.{{cite web|title=Second Semi-Final of Lisbon 2018|url=https://eurovision.tv/event/lisbon-2018/second-semi-final|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508165744/https://eurovision.tv/event/lisbon-2018/second-semi-final|archive-date=8 May 2021|access-date=8 May 2021|publisher=European Broadcasting Union}}
=Voting=
Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.
Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Romania and awarded by Romania in the second semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:
==Points awarded to Romania==
| class="wikitable" |
| + Points awarded to Romania (Semi-final 2){{cite web |title=Results of the Second Semi-Final of Lisbon 2018 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/lisbon-2018/second-semi-final/results/romania |publisher=European Broadcasting Union |access-date=9 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509182726/https://eurovision.tv/event/lisbon-2018/second-semi-final/results/romania |archive-date=9 May 2021 |url-status=live}} |
| scope="col" width="20%" | Score
! scope="col" width="40%" | Televote ! scope="col" width="40%" | Jury |
|---|
| scope="row" | 12 points
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Esc|Italy|y=2018}}|{{Esc|Moldova|y=2018}}}} | {{Unbulleted list|{{Esc|Hungary|y=2018}}|{{Esc|Moldova|y=2018}}}} |
| scope="row" | 10 points
| | |
| scope="row" | 8 points
| {{Unbulleted list|{{Esc|Georgia|y=2018}}|{{Esc|France|y=2018}}}} | {{Esc|Montenegro|y=2018}} |
| scope="row" | 7 points
| | |
| scope="row" | 6 points
| | {{Unbulleted list|{{Esc|Georgia|y=2018}}|{{Esc|Slovenia|y=2018}}}} |
| scope="row" | 5 points
| | |
| scope="row" | 4 points
| | {{Esc|Russia|y=2018}} |
| scope="row" | 3 points
| | {{Unbulleted list|{{Esc|Latvia|y=2018}}|{{Esc|Poland|y=2018}}|{{Esc|Sweden|y=2018}}}} |
| scope="row" | 2 points
| | {{Unbulleted list|{{Esc|Malta|y=2018}}|{{Esc|Netherlands|y=2018}}|{{Esc|Norway|y=2018}}|{{Esc|Ukraine|y=2018}}}} |
| scope="row" | 1 point
| | {{Unbulleted list|{{Esc|France|y=2018}}|{{Esc|Serbia|y=2018}}}} |
==Points awarded by Romania==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
{{col-2}}
| class="wikitable" |
| + Points awarded by Romania (Final){{cite web |title=Results of the Grand Final of Lisbon 2018 |url=https://eurovision.tv/event/lisbon-2018/grand-final/results/romania |publisher=European Broadcasting Union |access-date=9 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509182711/https://eurovision.tv/event/lisbon-2018/grand-final/results/romania |archive-date=9 May 2021 |url-status=live}} |
| scope="col" width="20%" | Score
! scope="col" width="40%" | Televote ! scope="col" width="40%" | Jury |
|---|
| scope="row" style="background:gold" | 12 points
| {{Esc|Moldova|y=2018}} | {{Esc|Austria|y=2018}} |
| scope="row" style="background:silver" | 10 points
| {{Esc|Hungary|y=2018}} | {{Esc|Spain|y=2018}} |
| scope="row" style="background:#CC9966" | 8 points
| {{Esc|Israel|y=2018}} | {{Esc|Netherlands|y=2018}} |
| scope="row" | 7 points
| {{Esc|Cyprus|y=2018}} | {{Esc|Moldova|y=2018}} |
| scope="row" | 6 points
| {{Esc|Italy|y=2018}} | {{Esc|Lithuania|y=2018}} |
| scope="row" | 5 points
| {{Esc|Bulgaria|y=2018}} | {{Esc|Cyprus|y=2018}} |
| scope="row" | 4 points
| {{Esc|Germany|y=2018}} | {{Esc|Germany|y=2018}} |
| scope="row" | 3 points
| {{Esc|Czech Republic|y=2018}} | {{Esc|Estonia|y=2018}} |
| scope="row" | 2 points
| {{Esc|Denmark|y=2018}} | {{Esc|Australia|y=2018}} |
| scope="row" | 1 point
| {{Esc|Ireland|y=2018}} | {{Esc|Slovenia|y=2018}} |
{{col-end}}
==Detailed voting results==
The following members comprised the Romanian jury:{{cite web|last1=Groot|first1=Evert|title=Exclusive: They are the expert jurors for Eurovision 2018|url=https://eurovision.tv/story/exclusive-jury-members-eurovision-2018|website=eurovision.tv|publisher=European Broadcasting Union|access-date=30 April 2018|date=30 April 2018}}
- Mihai Mircea Alexandru (Al Mike; jury chairperson){{snd}}composer, music producer
- Nicu Patoi{{snd}}musician
- Anca Lupeș{{snd}}music business consultant
- Sanda Cepraga{{snd}}sound director
- Gabi Cotabiță{{snd}}musician
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- [http://eurovision.tvr.ro/ Official TVR Eurovision site]
{{Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest}}
{{Eurovision Song Contest 2018}}