| Eurovision Song Contest 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  Romania | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Selecția Națională 2008 | |||
| Selection date(s) | Semi-finals 9 February 2008 16 February 2008 Final 23 February 2008 | |||
| Selected entrant | Nico and Vlad | |||
| Selected song | "Pe-o margine de lume" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | Qualified (7th, 94 points) | |||
| Final result | 20th, 45 points | |||
| Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
Romania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia. They selected their entry, "Pe-o margine de lume" (English: "On an edge of the world"), by Romanian singers Nico and Vlad through the national selection competition Selecția Națională 2008 in February 2008. Controversy surrounded the event, as the organising broadcaster, Romanian Television (TVR), was accused of conspiracy, and the song reviewed for plagiarism. Prior to the 2008 contest, Romania had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest ten times since its first entry in 1994. Its highest placing in the contest had been third place, which the nation achieved in 2005. In 2007, Romania finished in 13th place.[1]
Prior to Eurovision, "Pe-o margine de lume" was promoted by a music video and live performances in Greece, Moldova, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain and Cyprus. Romania qualified in seventh place from the contest's first semi-final on 20 May and ultimately finished in 20th place in the Grand Final on 24 May, achieving 45 points. This remains one of the country's lowest Eurovision placements. Nico and Vlad were accompanied by three backing vocalists and a piano player during their performance, and sang in front of a dark-coloured LED screen. Among other accolades, "Pe-o margine de lume" won a Marcel Bezençon award in the composers' category.[2]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
historywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Floras, Stella (27 May 2008). "The 2008 Bezençon Awards winners". ESCToday. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2018.