Sixteen acts have qualified for Moldova’s Selecția Națională 2026, following live auditions held on 16 December as part of the country’s selection process, broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova (TRM) announced.
A total of 37 artists registered for the auditions, with 34 eventually taking to the stage. Three participants chose not to perform. Although the regulations initially allowed for a maximum of ten finalists, TRM, together with the production team, decided to expand the shortlist under article 4.3.6 of the competition rules.
According to the organisers, the decision was driven by the high overall quality of the songs and the strong performances delivered during the auditions.
“Live auditions helped us see who is truly ready for the big stage. We looked not only at vocal ability, but also at charisma, stage presence and how artists connect with the audience,” said Serghei Orlov, music producer of Selecția Națională, as quoted by TRM. “We originally planned to select ten participants, but we moved forward with 16 finalists because we saw potential in more artists and wanted to give them the chance to perform on the Arena stage at the Selecția Națională final on 17 January.”
The audition sessions lasted more than six hours, during which music producers provided individual feedback to each participant, focusing on song development, stage performance and artistic potential for the next phase of the competition.
“We have our finalists. The next month will be spent working closely with them to refine their performances, so that the final is of high quality,” added Roman Burlaca, another music producer involved in Selecția Națională. “Regardless of the winner, all participants will deliver performances worthy of the stage.”
Here are the 16 finalists:
Sasha Flowers – We Fight Till The End
Evghenii Avramov & Alenin Ivan – Foc La Ghete
Adelisha – Alegria
Artiom Topal – Money
Pavel Orlov – Can’t Say Goodbye
Ilinca Siviroveanu – Running Through The Rain
Bacho – Tata
Satoshi – Viva, Moldova
Curly – Respir Liber
DAYANA – Doina
Emforia – Tipare
Katy Rain – Dance & Cry
Cristy Rouge – Bliss
Maxim Zavidia – Alo
Valleria – Valerian Steel (Rai Di Ri Di Dam)
Cătălina Solomac – Pink Margarita
