Eurovision 2014: Romania: Miracle

Romania: Paula Seling and Ovi

Has it really been almost two months since Paula Seling and Ovi won the 2014 crown at the Romanian national final with their song, Miracle? Apparently so.

I mention the time element because back on March 1st when the pair won, there was so much initial excitement about them returning to Eurovision. Now, there's virtually no mention of their song at all.

In some respects, it's not surprising. Over the last couple of months many more songs have been announced, and you have to say, that a lot of them are so much better than Miracle.

Capturing third place in 2010 with Playing With Fire, I think we were all expecting something on a par with that fan favourite - or possibly something even better. Unfortunately, for the most part, Paula and Ovi have not delivered.

This year, Romania walks the well-trodden path into Euro disco with a generic dance track that holds very little in the way of surprises. It starts off well enough with Ovi's solo vocal, but then descends into a sub par Avicii-style track with all the highly recognisable pre-recorded instrumentation one would expect.

As it progresses, Paula's vocal skills are predominant. One cannot deny that she has a fine set of lungs on her, but what she has to sing is banal and, quite frankly, makes little sense.

There is a little nod in this year's presentation to their past glory, though. If you saw their 2010 appearance, you'll remember the transparent double grand piano. The pair's performance in the national final used this gimmick once again to good effect. Although they were not seated at it, it was center stage and a neat reminder for those who have seen them perform together before.

The important question is whether viewers will vote for it? As it's the last song on stage in the second semi-final, it does appear to have something of a shoe-in to the Grand Final. It also has the benefit of some audience familiarity with the singers, and of course, it will have the advantage of a large Romanian diaspora in Europe.

Because of this, I see it qualifying. However, I predict an ultimate placing somewhere between 10th and 15th.