After Natalia Gordienko, Moldova’s representative at Eurovision 2021, finished the first rehearsal for her entry “Sugar”, Clara from Eurovoxx interviewed her about her emotions after getting a taste of the stage at Ahoy Arena. The conversation also touched on the meaning of “Sugar” and its music video, as well as Natalia’s previous experience with Eurovision.
According to Natalia, the song’s goal is to create an exciting positive atmosphere, desperately needed in recent times: “We want life to be full of sugar, full of happiness, full of love, full of sex – because we want this so much after all this big period of COVID”. This concept is also reflected in the song’s video, filled to the brim with all sorts of confections. “It was allegoric”, Natalia said, “because this sugar is like a positive vibe”.
The sweet sentiment is also central to Natalia’s elaborate performance, during which she moves in opposite direction to the rotating stage. Natalia admitted the stage show can be quite a challenge, especially as the song includes what is arguably the longest note ever sung at Eurovision. “It’s lasting like 18 seconds”, said Natalia, “and after you are moving, dancing… this last note, it’s very important”. But she’s still confident in her abilities to deliver, and so are we.
Clara also asked Natalia whether her Eurovision past – having represented Moldova at the 2006 edition – affected her emotions surrounding this year’s contest. Natalia assured Clara her level of excitement is still very high. “I was dreaming about this song contest like for 15 years”, Natalia confessed, “and now I’m here and happy”. Despite the many health-related restrictions this year, Natalia is enjoying her time in Rotterdam and eagerly waiting for her semi-final performance on Thursday.
The interview came immediately after Clara’s talk with Philipp Kirkorov, who co-wrote “Sugar” among many other Eurovision entries. Kirkorov said he actually met Natalia during her first stint as a contestant in 2006, and was immediately inspired by her stage presence. He also mentioned his involvement in the song’s music video, and compared “Sugar” to Natalia’s intended 2020 entry, “Prison”, which he also helped create. “I think that this kind of song is much better for her”, admitted Kirkorov.
Will Natalia improve on her result from 2006? Will Kirkorov add another song to his list of top five finishes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
