In the Middle (Natalia Barbu song)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"In the Middle"
The cover artwork for "In the Middle". The cover features Natalia Barbu with her hands underneath her chin amongst a grey background.
Single by Natalia Barbu
Released19 January 2024 (2024-01-19)
Length2:59
LabelRagoza
Songwriter(s)
  • Khris Richards
  • Natalia Barbu
Natalia Barbu singles chronology
"Regina Noptilor"
(2023) 		"In the Middle"
(2024)
Eurovision Song Contest 2024 entry
Country
Artist(s)
Language
English
Entry chronology
◄ "Soarele și Luna" (2023)

"In the Middle" is a song by Moldovan singer Natalia Barbu. The song was written by Barbu and Khris Richards. It was released on 19 January 2024 by Ragoza Music. "In the Middle" is set to represent Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, which will be held in Malmö, Sweden.

Background and composition

"In the Middle" was written by Natalia Barbu and Khris Richards.[1] In interviews, Barbu stated that the song was inspired by her children and the feeling of love. The song was written with no expectations, with her claiming that the song instead just came "from my heart". While not written for the Eurovision Song Contest, she was eventually convinced to enter by her producers.[2] She stated that a person's heart, the "light" of the human soul, is "in the middle" of the body, with the song advocating for finding one's true self and connecting with "our divine self".[2]

Eurovision Song Contest

Main article: Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Etapa națională 2024

Moldova's broadcaster for the

TeleRadio-Moldova (TRM), organized a 11-entry competition, Etapa națională 2024, to select Moldova's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. The 11 entries were selected by juries during a 32-entry live audition round. In the grand final, the winner was selected by a 50/50 combination of televoting and juries.[3][4]

"In the Middle" was officially announced as one of the 32 entries for the live audition round on 26 December 2023.[4] The song was able to move onto the grand final, finishing first out of all entries in the round.[5][6] In the grand final that took place on 17 February, it drew a total of 22 points, tying with Valeria Pasha's "Anti-Princess". The tiebreaker was determined by jury scores, thus giving the victory to Barbu, winning her the rights to represent Moldova in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.[7]

After Barbu's victory, Pasha immediately filed an appeal, disputing the voting results.[8] Pasha declared that the rules of the contest were not transparent enough; according to her, the rules did not clarify how the tiebreaker would be determined by televoting or juries, with official rules stating that the tiebreaker would go to "the song receiving the most points".[3] TRM opted to let Barbu's victory stand, with Pasha being accused of having 950 invalid votes.[9]

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 will take place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and consist of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May and the final on 11 May 2024. During the allocation draw on 30 January 2024, Moldova was drawn to compete in the first semi-final, performing in the second half of the show.[10] Barbu will compete with a revamped version of "In the Middle", as was included in the contest's official album.[11]

Release history

Release history and format for "In the Middle"
Country Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various 19 January 2024
Ragoza Music

References

  1. ^ Santos, Pedro (17 February 2024). "Natalia Barbu wins Moldova's Etapa Națională 2024 with "In the Middle"". Eurovision World. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b Natalia Barbu (🇲🇩 Μολδαβία 2024, 2007) αποκλειστική συνέντευξη στο INFE Greece/Exclusive Interview, 23 February 2024, retrieved 11 March 2024 – via YouTube
  3. ^
    TeleRadio-Moldova
    (in Romanian). 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  4. ^ a b Farren, Neil (26 December 2023). "Moldova: Etapa Națională 2024 Audition Participants Revealed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  5. ^ Farren, Neil (13 January 2024). "Moldova: Etapa Națională 2024 Finalists Selected". Eurovoix. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  6. TeleRadio-Moldova (in Romanian). 17 January 2024. Archived
    from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  7. ^ Vautrey, Jonathan (17 February 2024). "Natalia Barbu wins Etapa Nationala 2024 and will represent Moldova at Eurovision". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  8. ^ Stephenson, James (17 February 2024). "Moldova: Valeria Pasha Appeals Etapa Națională Results". Eurovoix. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  9. ^ Granger, Anthony (20 February 2024). "Moldova: TRM Responds to Valeria Pasha's Appeal Against the Etapa Națională Results". Eurovoix. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  10. ^ "Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Draw results". Eurovision Song Contest. European Broadcasting Union. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  11. ^ Granger, Anthony (12 April 2024). "Moldova: 'In The Middle' Undergoes Revamp". Eurovoix. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=In_the_Middle_(Natalia_Barbu_song)&oldid=1218619171"