Romania wins the ESC 2026. True or false? Stay with me to the very end of this text to find out if this is possible at all. And if you read the text till the end, you’ll be able to hear my song “I’m Choosing a New Era” that I submitted to the Polish Preselection for the ESC 2026.
Hello, Guys!
This is your EurovisionaryVoice calling! My name’s Janusz Jacek Siwiorek JJS. I present my reactions here.
This time I’m going to show you my most sincere reaction to the song that will represent Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. This is “Choke Me” by Alexandra Căpitănescu.
Let’s watch the video:
𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮 𝗖𝗮̆𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮̆𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂 – “𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗠𝗲” (𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘) – 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮 🇷🇴 | 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 | 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Well, first things first.
The Romanian entry was chosen by the jury.
This year’s Romanian song was created by Alexandra Căpitănescu herself, Călin-Alexandru, Grăjdan, Elvis Silitră, Ștefan Condrea. It’s sung in English.
What genre is that? Nu metal (with pop-punk / alternative rock influences).
What’s the song about?
“Phantom
You feel like a phantom
Why do you wanna tame me?
It’s hard to breathe in
Do you feel me?
Do what I say
And don’t you ever betray me
You are here to obey me
Are you not?
All I need is your love
I want it to choke me, choke me, choke me
Born for you to control
I want you to choke me
Ch-ch-ch-choke me
Ch-ch-ch-choke me
Love me, make my lungs explode
All I need is your love
I want it to choke me
Ch-ch-ch-choke me
Ch-ch-ch-choke me”
The song is about is about a toxic, emotionally suffocating relationship.
The singer feels controlled and overwhelmed by someone close to her.
“Choke me” is not literal — it represents: emotional pressure, manipulation, losing freedom in the relationship.
The overall vibe is dark, intense, a bit angry, but also vulnerable.
Alexandra Căpitănescu is a Romanian singer and songwriter. She became popular after winning the Voice Romania.
A fun fact: Since January 2026 she is a temporary member of the Romanian Folk metal band E-an-na, replacing Roxana Amarandi.
The song drew controversy for its title and subject matter, with the phrase “choke me,” repeated thirty times in the song, being criticized for glamorising strangulation and sexual violence
🎤 Vocal analysis:
Verses:
Her voice is soft and controlled, almost whispery. It creates a tense, emotional atmosphere.
Pre-chorus:
She builds intensity gradually, adding more breath and slight rasp. You can hear the emotion rising.
Chorus:
The vocals become strong, powerful, and slightly gritty. She uses a mixed belt with some edge, which fits the rock/nu-metal style.
Emotion:
You can clearly hear frustration and vulnerability. It doesn’t sound “perfect pop” — it feels raw and real, which works very well.
Dynamics:
Good contrast between quiet verses and explosive chorus — this keeps the performance engaging.
⭐ Overall:
👉 Expressive, dynamic, slightly rough vocals that match the dark, intense mood of the song
Is this going to be a banger? Hmm, first let’s ask a question: Is this song going to make it to the Grand Final?
All in all, I’d say this is a very good song with great vocals.
As each juror is going to rank all the competing songs in each show based on the given criteria, I will assign points in the same categories (eurovision.com):
– composition and originality of the song, 9 out of 10;
– quality of the performance on stage, 10 out of 10;
– vocal capacity of the performer(s), 10 out of 10;
– overall impression of the act, 9 out of 10.
So the total is: 38 out of 40 points that is 95%.
Will Alexandra’s “Chokin” lead her to victory? We’ll see if she will get the best result for Romania. To do that she would have to finish at least 2nd (as the best result for Romania so far was the 3rd place; it happened twice: it was in 2005 & 2010).
In the end, I can only say: Well done, Alexandra! Congratulations, Romania! I assume this song might qualify for the Grand Final but of course it depends on the other entries as well. What do you think, Guys?
What do the bookmakers say about the Romanian entry? Well, at this moment (26th March 2026) Romania is in 12th/35 place.
Let’s hear it for Alexandra and the whole team!
Let me know what you think of this performance in the comments section below. I encourage you to watch my previous videos about the Eurovision Song Contest and read my texts. And if you’d like to watch my first song ever “I’m Choosing a New Era” that I submitted to the Polish Preselection 2026, click on the end screen which you see below.
𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝘀𝘇 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗸 𝗦𝗶𝘄𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗸 𝗝𝗝𝗦 – „𝗪𝘆𝗯𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗮̨ 𝗲𝗿𝗲̨” / “𝗜’𝗺 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗘𝗿𝗮” | 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲
Thank you for watching my video and reading my text! Thanks ever so much. 😊
I’ll be back soon.
Stay tuned!
Bye, Guys! 😊
