Aftermath 2017 (5): Ilinca and Alex proud of their yodeling top 10

We take a look at the aftermath of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. Today we take a look at Romania, that returned to Eurovision with a 7th place in the grand final with their typical song ‘Yodel It!’.

A combination of yodeling and rap. Only in the Eurovision Song Contest you can see and hear such a unique combination! Especially the televoters loved the Romanian entry, giving Ilinca and Alex a result in the top 10 of the contest in Kiev, with a seventh place!

The aftermath

Right after the national final in Romania, there were some speculations that ‘Yodel It’ might go really high at the contest in Kiev. But, with the jury vote introduced a couple of years ago, these kind of gimmick songs get voted down, so a win was never a possibility this year for Romania. Still, Ilinca is proud of her result, as she looks back in the Adevarul newspaper.”I feel proud to have entered the top ten countries at Eurovision 2017. That was my goal set at home. In the semifinal we put on a bet that we are out in this top 10 and we have won! Others gave us the first five. Juries were envious. The judges had other criteria of classification and I do not think they appreciated the songs that invited you to dance, as it is ours. I think they appreciated the ballads more.”

Alex tries to correct her, by saying that juries did go for Moldova’s uptempo fun-song. “But what we enjoy is that we have won the hearts of the fans, we have reached the 5th place in the public preferences. If the jury was more generous, we also had the second or third place!”

Salvador Sobral

About the winner Salvador Sobral he was not so generous in his comments: “The winner used the marketing. His story worked and caught on to the audience. But from my point of view Salvador has no problems with the heart, but with his head. The Portuguese made the theater, so I felt. I’ve seen him in many ways and I did not think he’s in trouble. His song is excellent, on the other hand, he has never written one like that. But it takes me out of cheap theater. There are many people who have problems. But do not count on this to win. If you want to win something you have to go strictly on what you do professionally, on the voice, on the show. That’s the win!”

The – more than a friendly – kiss that Alex tried to give his “partner” Ilinca right after their performance was also mentioned in the interview… “That kiss from the end was a spontaneous gesture. It was like a release. It was a kind of thanks!,” says Alex. Ilinca has no hard feelings. “Now all the jokes are with and about us! But it does not bother us. I’m also laughing at my face!”