Choke Me
2026 song by Alexandra Căpitănescu
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"Choke Me" is a song by Romanian singer Alexandra Căpitănescu. The song represented Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 and made it to third place after winning Selecția națională 2026, Romania's national selection format for Eurovision.[1][2]
| "Choke Me" | |
|---|---|
| |
| Single by Alexandra Căpitănescu | |
| Language | English |
| Released | 13 February 2026 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 2:58 |
| Label | Universal Music Romania |
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| Music video | |
| Alexandra Căpitănescu - Choke Me (Official Music Video) on YouTube | |
| Eurovision Song Contest 2026 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artist | Alexandra Căpitănescu |
| Composers |
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| Lyricists |
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| Finals performance | |
| Final result | 3rd |
| Final points | 296 |
| Entry chronology | |
| ◄ "D.G.T. (Off and On)" (2023) | |
History
On 13 February, the song was announced to be taking part in the Romanian national final Selecția națională 2026[3] and was also released. On 2 March, the running order was made public, announcing that Căpitănescu would be performing eleventh out of twelve performers.[4] After Selecția națională occurred on 4 March, it was revealed that Căpitănescu won the contest.[5] She released a music video for the song later that month.[6]
The song drew controversy for its title and subject matter, with the phrase "choke me," repeated thirty times in the song, being criticized for glamorising erotic asphyxiation, strangulation and sexual violence.[7] Campaigners against sexual violence have described the song as "reckless," drawing specific focus on the lyrics "I want you to choke me" and "make my lungs explode".[8] Clare McGlynn, a professor at Durham University, said that the song was “playing fast and loose with young women’s lives”; Căpitănescu defended her song by arguing that the song's message was metaphorical and representative of being overwhelmed by emotion and self-doubt.[9]
After it was confirmed that the song had reached the final of Selecția națională,[10] Căpitănescu was asked "...what message did she want to convey through her song?"[10] and she responded "Choke me" is a call of desperation, because you're reaching your limit and all you want is to "suffocate" yourself with self-love and gentleness towards yourself. When we don't put obstacles in our way, we can reach our full potential. Let's speak our minds and free ourselves from the fears of the past."[10] as well as commenting that Romanian pop musician Majii had contributed to writing the lyrics for the song.[10][11][12] Căpitănescu further commented that "'The song is not about a man or romantic love, it's only about us and about the feeling of any human being and about the power [to] go beyond your limits and be the best versions of yourself,'...”.[13]
On the 18 March, TVR released a statement further defending Căpitănescu and the song, stating that the song's stage concept was intended to "highlight the metaphorical nature" and "exclude any literal interpretation of the lyrics."[14]
Composition
Căpitănescu wrote the song with Călin Grajdan and Silitră Elvis Claudiu based on a beat Grajdan had on his laptop[15] and the song also credits Ștefan Condrea as co-writer.[5]
It was described by Louder as a nu-metal song[8] and it includes elements of metal, rock, pop and includes a vocal phrase that is reminiscent of operatic vocals and Căpitănescu has commented that "It's a mix of several musical genres, but that's my madness because I like music in all its forms."[10]
Eurovision Song Contest 2026
The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 took place at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, and consisted of two semi-finals held on 12 and 14 May and the final on 16 May 2026.[16] During the allocation draw held on 12 January 2026, Romania was drawn to compete in the second semi-final, competing in the first half of the show.[17]. It qualified for the final and received 3rd place.[18]