We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today we look back at Nicola’s Don’t Break My Heart, Romania 2003.
Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest
Romania made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994. The year before, they already did an attempt. That year, they took part in the Eastern European qualification round Kvalifikacija za Millstreet. Romania has never won the Eurovision Song Contest so far. Both Luminița Anghel & Sistem with Let Me Try (2005) and Paula Seling & Ovi with Playing With Fire (2010) reached a 3rd place. However, Romania did not participate in this year’s contest. They will also be absent in the 2025 contest.
Luminița Anghel
Selecția Națională 2003
The Romanian national selection is called Selecția Națională. That was already the case in 2003. Two semifinals were held with 12 songs each. Mălina Olinescu (Eurovision 1998) was one of the contestants but she didn’t reach the final. The 10 who did are listed below:
- Valahia sang Friends Are Friends, 11 pts. 3rd
- D’La Vegas sang Oxigen, 5 pts, 10th
- Nicola sang Don’t Break My Heart, 24 pts, 1st
- Genius sang My Life, 9 pts, 6th
- Paula Seling sang Let’s Go!, 11 pts, 3rd
- Răzvan Crivaci and Liviu Sorescu sang Once Upon A Time, 9 pts, 6th
- Alexandra Ungureau sang Make This Love Come True, 11 pts, 3rd
- Centru’ Civic sang Come With Us, 9 pts, 6th
- Aurelian Temișan sang Let’s Have A Holiday, 20 pts, 2nd
Mihai Trăistariu (member of Valahia) and Paula Seling later also represented Romania, Paula even twice.
Mihai Trăistariu
Nicola
Nicoleta Alexandru, known as Nicola, was born on November 5, 1966, in Bucharest, Romania. She began her music career in 1985, performing at the Mamaia Festival, where she won several awards. Nicola sang in various bands before launching her solo career in 1999 with the hit song Cu tălpile goale (Barefoot). The song gained widespread airplay on many radio and TV stations across Romania.
In 2003, Nicola rose to fame after winning Romania’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Don’t Break My Heart. She represented Romania in Riga, Latvia, and secured 10th place. That same year, she released her album Best of Nicola, which achieved great success and earned her a Platinum Disc.
Nicola continued her music career, releasing albums and singles such as De mă vei chema (If You Call Me) and Honey in 2005. She received several MTV Romania Music Award nominations and collaborated with well-known international artists, including Thomas Nichols.
In 2019, Nicola competed again in Romania’s Eurovision selection with the song Weight of the World.
Don’t Break My Heart
Nicola wrote and composed Don’t Break My Heart, with her husband Mihai Alexandru producing the song. With its catchy tune and her strong performance, Nicola won first place in Romania’s national competition, securing her spot at the Eurovision Song Contest in Riga.
On May 24, 2003, Nicola performed Don’t Break My Heart for an international audience. The song’s upbeat pop melody and her powerful vocals captured attention. Nicola finished in 10th place, earning 73 points from the voting countries, marking a strong result for Romania at that time.
