Who is Alexandra Căpitănescu? Get to Know Romania’s Eurovision 2026 entry

The Eurovision Song Contest is heading towards its 70th edition, which will take place in Vienna (Austria) on May 12, 14, and 16 at the Wiener Stadthalle.

Little by little, the participating countries are immersed in preparations to refine the details of their entries with which they will compete to win the coveted glass microphone.

In this 70th edition of the contest, the Eurovision season has brought forward several notable names and, among them, stands Romania. In its return to the festival, the broadcaster TVR has opted for one of the most promising voices in its current music scene. The Romanian public broadcaster entrusted its candidacy to Selecția Națională 2026, its national selection, where Alexandra Căpitănescu managed to win convincingly with “Choke Me”, thus securing her place in Vienna.

How did she reach this point? What path supports her within the music industry? And how is she preparing her candidacy to face the Eurovision 2026 stage?

On this occasion, we review the musical career of Alexandra Căpitănescu, the context of her candidacy, and her song. The Romanian representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will attempt to take her country to the Grand Final with “Choke Me”, an entry with which she hopes to leave a mark on the stage, in what will be Romania’s 28th participation in the European contest.

This is Alexandra Căpitănescu, her origins and training

Alexandra Căpitănescu was born in Galați, on the banks of the Danube, into a family that quickly detected her interest in music. From a very young age she began to train in singing, starting lessons at just ten years old, which allowed her to build a solid technical foundation. In parallel, she has always stood out for her academic interest, going on to study Physics at the University of Bucharest, a discipline she combines with her artistic career and which brings a unique perspective to her way of understanding music.

The major turning point in her career came in 2023 with her participation in The Voice of Romania. From the blind auditions she attracted attention for her vocal power and interpretative intensity, managing to advance through the competition until being crowned the winner. This victory marked her definitive entry into the music industry and allowed her to become known to a wider audience.

After her win, she began her recording career with the release of her first EP, where she started defining her style, characterised by a blend of pop and rock with alternative nuances. Her music stands out for the emotional weight of its lyrics, focused on personal experiences, inner conflicts and processes of overcoming, always performed with authenticity.

Among her early works are songs such as “Nu pot” (2023) and “A ta” (2024), as well as the EP Căpitanu’ (2024), released under the Universal Music Romania label. Later, she continued expanding her repertoire with tracks such as “Arde”, “Tare”, “Dilaila”, “Stea căzătoare” and “De sărbători” (2025), showing constant evolution and increasing artistic maturity. One of her strongest assets is her live presence, where she manages to connect intensely with the audience thanks to her energy and expressiveness on stage.

In 2026 she took a decisive step by winning Selecția Națională with “Choke Me”, which allowed her to represent Romania at Eurovision 2026.

This is “Choke Me”, the proposal by Alexandra Căpitănescu to represent Romania at Eurovision 2026

Alexandra Căpitănescu represents Romania in its return to the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 with the song “Choke Me”, composed by the singer herself together with Călin-Alexandru Grăjdan, Elvis Silitră, and Ștefan Condrea.

“Choke Me”, a song performed entirely in English, portrays an intense and obsessive relationship where love is mixed with control and dependency. The protagonist feels like a “ghost”, someone without an identity of her own, who seeks in another person a way to feel alive, even if that means submitting herself.

The desire to “be choked” is a metaphor for wanting a love so strong that it consumes everything, even if it becomes harmful. All of this under the premise of emotional need, loss of control, and an attraction to toxic relationships where power and submission become confused with love.

Lyrics

Romania at Eurovision: A Quick History

Romania debuted in Eurovision in 1994 with Dan Bittman and «Dincolo De Nori», after failing to pass the pre-qualification in 1993. Its best results came in 2005 and 2010, with two third places that marked its historical peaks. However, its trajectory has been irregular, including the disqualification in 2016 due to debts of the public broadcaster.

In 2017 it returned with a 7th place finish, one of its best modern results. Since 2018 it has accumulated several semi-final eliminations, although in 2022 WRS returned to the final with an 18th place. In 2023 it obtained its worst result with a double zero and since then it has not participated in 2024 or 2025, remaining absent from the contest while restructuring its future participation.