Alexa Niculae is the lyricist and Mihai Alexandru, the composer of Yodel It! by Ilinca feat. Alex Florea, which is the song that will represent Romania at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev.

Here Alexa speaks to ESC Covers –

1. Hello Alexa. Many congratulations to you and Mihai Alexandru for composing, ‘Yodel It!’ by Ilinca & Alex Florea, the winning song of 2017 Selectia Nationala in Romania. What does this success mean to you and how does it feel to be representing your country the Eurovision Song Contest?

Thank you so much! To me, representing Romania in the Eurovision contest has always been a dream of mine and now that the dream has come true, it’s an honour. Every year since I was a little girl I’ve watched this show and I find it amazing every time. As you know, I tried as a singer but I’ve tried my hand at writing as well for the competition. And this year it seems we got our lucky break, not only for myself but for Mihai Alexandru as well who really wanted to comeback in the competition.

2. Could you tell us your inspiration in composing ‘Yodel It!’?

The idea of a yodelling song combining rap with a mix of rock was Mihai’s idea but I thought of giving it a good message and so I wrote the lyrics to it.
It’s very uplifting, basically I thought of the everyday life of someone who is stuck in a routine, running in circles, doing something that they don’t enjoy and have put their dreams aside and want to break free of all of that. Something that I think many people will relate to. And I thought of the idea of someone coming along and lifting your spirit and giving you courage in breaking out of that cycle by using the “Yodel”‘ to feel better. Because just listening to someone yodel makes you smile and gives you a good vibe. That’s what yodelling does to me . Ha ha!.. And that’s how the lyrics came in my mind.

3. How did you come to work with Ilinca & Alex Florea? The song is a unique style.

I knew Ilinca and Alex from a talent show they were on two years ago, and I thought they had great voices. Mihai wanted to do a song with yodelling and saw Ilinca on tv and so he invited her to sing it. Then he realised that the song needed a male presence and after a short search , we found Alex Florea and we thought he was a good choice for the song, not only because of his voice but because of his energy as well. He is “rock” and we loved that. And in this context we realised that he has rap skills as well. They have great chemistry on stage and that’s a very good thing. And it shows .

4. Alexa, you are an established singer yourself and have participated in the Selectia Nationala in the past. Could you tell us about your previous participations in the selection?

My most recent try for the Eurovision Contest was two years ago when I collaborated with Aurelian Temisan for the song ‘Chica Latina’ and that was a wonderful experience even though we didn’t win but we got to perform in front of 4,000 people and it felt amazing. I also tried my luck in 2009 and 2010 as a solo performance but I also wrote the lyrics to other songs that got selected in the national competition, for example for Renne Santana in 2013 and 2014. What can I say, this year was finally the lucky year.

5. You participated in Megastar tv show in Romania. Could you tell us about this experience and tell us about some of the songs you performed?

The Megastar tv show was more like American Idol . I finished in the top 3 and I got to sing a lot of good but hard songs. My favourite songs in this competition were ‘I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker by Sandi Thom, ‘Irreplaceable’ by Beyonce, ‘Breakaway’ by Kelly Clarkson and of course ‘Waterloo’ by ABBA . It was a good experience for me, I learned a lot of things about myself and how courageous I can be under pressure.

6. Could you tell us about some of your songs you have released and where readers can listen to your music?

Last year, I had a collaboration with Serkan, a Turkish singer , and together we released the song called ‘IMDAT’ which means “SOS”. It was played on the radio in Turkey and Albania. I sing at events and I also work at the tv show “Cronica Carcotasilor” on Prima Tv where I present a funny column called “Vocea Poporului”. I also wrote lyrics for a few artists in Romania as well as from abroad. You can check out ‘IMDAT’ on Youtube channel as well as my Eurovision performances from the last years.

7. Have you participated in any other music festivals in Romania or abroad?

Besides Megastar and Eurovision, the National selection, no. I’ve tried of doing my artistic thing locally let’s say. I had the chance of presenting a musical contest called Global Battle of the Bands in London, UK. And I got the chance to host it twice. I learned a lot of great things there and I met a lot of cool people.

8. Do you have a favourite Eurovision song from the past?

I really loved Loreen with ‘Euphoria’ and ‘Heroes’ by Mans Zelmerlow. . I also have favourite songs that actually didn’t win but could’ve like ‘A Million Voices’ by Polina Gagarina a few years ago and of course our Romanian contestants like Paula Seling and Ovi with ‘Playing With Fire’ and Sistem with Luminita and ‘Let Me Try’. Believe me , it’s a looong list!!!

9. Who are your own musical influences?

I listen to a lot of music and I’m influenced more by good singers and good attitude on stage. Just to name a few of my favourite artists: Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Shakira but the legends as well Freddie Mercury, Celine Dion, Tina Turner. It’s a long list here too. Ha ha!!

Thank you very much Alexa. We wish you lots of luck in Kiev. Pass on our good wishes to Mihai and of course Ilinca and Alex Florea.

Thank you very much Ian. It’s a wonderful thing to finally be a part of this wonderful ride. I will send them all your good wishes. See you in Kiev!

You can hear IMDAT by Alexa with Serkan below as well as see a performance of Yodel It! by Ilinca feat. Alex Florea from the Selectia Nationala final