Satoshi, speaks in a special interview with Euromix about the rehearsals on the stage in Vienna, and the message he wishes to convey to fans in Israel following the statement that caused a storm on social media.
Satoshi, Moldova’s representative for Eurovision 2026, will open the first semi-final in Vienna with the song “Viva moldova“. Moldova returns to the contest this year after a year’s absence, and Satoshi will take the stage alongside the experienced Aliona Moon. Ahead of the competition, we sat down for a special interview. The atmosphere in Vienna was uniquely charming, primarily because Satoshi arrived entirely alone, without a Head of Delegation or PR representatives to censor his words. In our open conversation, he spoke about his preparations and rehearsals, and shared a message for fans in Israel following the controversy sparked by his social media statement.
Watch the full interview below:
The Stage in Vienna and Collaboration with Aliona
We first spoke about his feelings after the first rehearsal on the big stage, and much like his arrival at the interview, his answers were honest and straightforward. “Probably I expected the stage to be a bit bigger than this, but it’s not bad,” Satoshi shared. “It’s good because you feel more comfortable in it, so it’s not that large. It’s more longer,” he noted, adding that “the first, first performance was pretty stiff because we were like, okay, we got to follow the script… But then I started to move around the stage and run and feel more freely”.
Regarding the intriguing collaboration with Aliona Moon, who has already experienced the Eurovision stage herself, he added: “After the auditions, I was recommended to try to add some melodies to the song because it only had the kick and the energy. I understood it would be good to have a female singer with, you know, a very strong voice, airy even, that would add some contrast to it. So I thought about Aliona”.
Betting Odds and the Final Moment
I asked Satoshi if he follows the betting odds, and while he admitted to “keeping a hand on the pulse,” he emphasized that he is not obsessed with the subject. “I don’t check that every day or something, but from time to time, I got interested and check” he says. Sometimes he comes across his rankings through social media posts, which makes him feel good. However, Satoshi keeps things in perspective regarding the competition itself: “I really think that this is a performative live act will change everything right in the moment. Everything depends on the vibe you have and the energy with which you are performing that specific night, and that will be the most important thing”.
The Social Media Storm and the Message to the Israeli Audience
One of the most burning issues surrounding Satoshi’s participation this year was a post he published on social media before winning the national selection. In the post in question, which has since been deleted, he wrote:
“I do not support genocide… I cannot think of a broader or more appropriate stage to say this loudly and clearly. I do not consider participating in a competition alongside a certain country as support for that country. If anyone has something to say or demonstrate, I do not see a broader and more suitable platform than this to say out loud what they have to say. I believe that expressing an opinion is meant to be said and not silenced.”
I explained to him that some of the fans in Israel who really love his song felt a bit uncomfortable voting for him after this statement, feelinע accused by Satoshi, who visibly seemed surprised by the intensity of the reaction, hastened to emphasize that he did not want to hurt anyone, did not know how the words were received in Israel, and that was absolutely not his intention.
“Eurovision is one of those very rare platform in which people from so many different countries and cultures have the opportunity to let everything away and stay united,” he explained candidly. “Of course I did not came to make any political statements. I don’t want to, you know, hurt or, insult anyone. And it would never was my intention,” he clarified. He further emphasized, “everything that I said was from a humanitarian point of view and and not even close to a political one… I never thought that I would get, appreciation and attention from so many different countries”.
“Viva, Moldova” is the song that will be performed by the singer Satoshi, who will represent Moldova as song number 1 in the first semi-final on May 12th, in Vienna, Austria. The song was written by Satoshi himself, marking the first time he has ever competed in a national final for Eurovision. In the backing vocals will join him Aliona Moon, Moldova’s representative at Eurovision 2013. The song will be performed in English and Romanian and blends multiple languages (Spanish, French and Italian).
Currently, Moldova is ranked 15th on the betting odds ahead of Eurovision 2026.
Eurovision 2026: This will be Moldova’s 20th participation in Eurovision. Moldova joined the competition in 2005 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2017 when SunStroke Project finished in third place with the song “Hey Mamma”.
