The Balkan Girls

"The Balkan Girls"
Gheorghe standing on a bridge with her hands on her hips.
Single by Elena Gheorghe
from the album Te Ador and Disco Romancing
Released6 January 2009
GenreDance-pop
Length2:58
LabelCat
Songwriter(s)
  • Laurențiu Duță
  • Alexandru Pelin
Producer(s)
Elena Gheorghe singles chronology
"Până la stele"
(2008) 		"The Balkan Girls"
(2009) 		"Disco Romancing"
(2010)
Eurovision Song Contest 2009 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
English
Composer(s)
  • Laurențiu Duță
  • Alexandru Pelin
Lyricist(s)
  • Laurențiu Duță
  • Alexandru Pelin
Finals performance
Semi-final result
9th
Semi-final points
67
Final result
19th
Final points
40
Entry chronology
◄ "Pe-o margine de lume" (2008)
"Playing with Fire" (2010) ►

"The Balkan Girls" is a song by Romanian singer Elena Gheorghe for a special 2009 edition of her second studio album, Te Ador (2008), and third record, Disco Romancing (2012). It was written by Laurențiu Duță [ro] and Alexandru Pelin, while production was handled by Duță, Ovidiu Bistriceanu and Daris Mangal. The song was released on an enhanced CD on 6 January 2009 by Cat Music. "The Balkan Girls" is a folk-influenced dance-pop song whose refrain celebrates the party life of Balkan girls.

It represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow after winning on the preselection show Selecția Națională. Gheorghe qualified in ninth place for the Grand Final in Moscow, where she finished 19th with a total of 40 points (one of Romania's lowest scores in the contest). During her iele-inspired, mostly negatively-received show, she performed "The Balkan Girls" accompanied by female background dancers with hair extensions and chopped dresses.

Music critics generally gave the song mixed reviews, praising its beat while criticizing its cheesiness. "The Balkan Girls" fared well commercially, topping the Romanian Nielsen Music Control chart and receiving airplay in Greek, Maltese and Turkish clubs. It was promoted with concerts in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Belgium and a music video released in March 2009. The clip portrayed her in an underground club along with fellow dancers.