Choke Me
2026 song by Alexandra Căpitănescu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Choke Me" is a song by Romanian singer Alexandra Căpitănescu. The song is set to represent Romania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 after winning the national final Selecția națională 2026.
| "Choke Me" | |
|---|---|
| |
| Single by Alexandra Căpitănescu | |
| Language | English |
| Released | 13 February 2026 |
| Genre | Nu metal[1] |
| 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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| Entry chronology | |
| ◄ "D.G.T. (Off and On)" (2023) | |
Eurovision Song Contest
Selecția națională
On 13 February, Căpitănescu was announced to be taking part in the Romanian national final Selecția națională with "Choke Me".[2] The song was released on the same day. On 2 March, the running order was made public, announcing that Căpitănescu would be performing eleventh out of twelve performers.[3] After Selecția națională occurred on 4 March, it was revealed that Căpitănescu won the contest.[4]
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will take place at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, and will consist of two semi-finals to be held on the respective dates of 12 and 14 May and the final on 16 May 2026.[5] 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.[6]
Controversy
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 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".[1] Claire McGlynn, a professor at Durham University, claimed 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 being overwhelmed by emotion and self-doubt.[8]