"Prison" is a 2020 single by Moldovan singer Natalia Gordienko. The song was originally scheduled to represent Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 after winning Finala națională 2020, Moldova's national final.[1][2] However, the contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
| "Prison" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Natalia Gordienko | ||||
| Released | 30 January 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2020 | |||
| Length | 2:57 | |||
| Label | K2ID Productions | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Natalia Gordienko singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Prison" on YouTube | ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2020 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Artist(s) | ||||
| Language | English | |||
| Composer(s) | ||||
| Lyricist(s) | ||||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | Contest cancelled | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "Stay" (2019) | ||||
| "Sugar" (2021) ► | ||||
Background
editIn the song, Gordienko speaks of a woman who is torn by many different emotions felt by a lover she both loves and hates, making her feel like she is in a prison.[4]
Release
editThe song was originally released on 30 January 2020, in preparation with all other songs that were participating in the live auditions to get into Finala națională 2020. A revamped version of the song was released on 1 February 2020 just before the live auditions for the Moldavian spot for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020.[5]
Eurovision Song Contest
editFinala națională 2020
editArtists and composers had the opportunity to submit their entries between 27 December 2019 and 17 January 2020.[6] At the conclusion of the submission deadline, 35 valid entries were received by the broadcaster.[7] The live audition round took place on 1 February 2020 at the TRM Studio in Chișinău, broadcast on Moldova 2 as well as online via trm.md and via TRM's Facebook and YouTube pages, where 20 finalists were selected to advance. "Prison" was selected as one of 20 finalists for Finala națională 2020.[8]
The final took place on 29 February 2020. Nineteen songs competed and the winner was selected based on the combination of a public televote and the votes of an expert jury, with half of the votes coming from each vote. "Prison" would manage to win the final, earning the spot for the Moldavian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020.[1]
At Eurovision
editAccording 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 28 January 2020, a special 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. Moldova was placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 14 May 2020, and was scheduled to perform in the first half of the show, performing in fourth.[9] However, due to 2019-20 pandemic of Coronavirus, the contest was cancelled.
References
edit- ^ a b "Moldova: Natalia Gordienko wins Finala nationala 2020 with "Prison"". wiwibloggs. 2020-02-29. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
- ^ "Moldova: Natalia Gordienko to Eurovision 2020 with "Prison"". Eurovisionworld. 2020-02-29. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
- ^ Tsioulcas, Anastasia (2020-03-18). "Eurovision 2020 Is Canceled Because Of Coronavirus". NPR. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
- ^ "Natalia Gordienko's "Prison" lyrics portray a woman trapped by her emotions". wiwibloggs. 2020-04-16. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
- ^ "Moldova: National selection hopeful Natalia Gordienko drops revamped version of "Prison" ahead of live auditions". wiwibloggs. 2020-02-01. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
- ^ Jumawan, Tim. "🇲🇩 Moldova opens submissions for Eurovision 2020". escxtra.
- ^ "Eurovision 2020, la etapa audițiilor live!". TRM. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
- ^ Trejo (Spain), Iván (2020-02-01). "Moldova: O Melodie Pentru Europa 2020 finalists announced". ESCplus. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
- ^ Groot, Evert (28 January 2020). "Which country performs in which Eurovision 2020 Semi-Final". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 28 January 2020.