Song about choking women and bondage makes it through to Eurovision final - after Romanian singer performs on all fours in skimpy leather outfit

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 09:49, 15 May 2026 | Updated: 09:55, 15 May 2026 Romania's controversial entry to the Eurovision song contest has made it through to the final, after their performer writhed around on all-fours in a skimpy leather outfit.  At the second semi-final last night, Alexandra Capitanescu, 22, raised eyebrows at the Vienna Stadthalle by performing a bondage-inspired song called 'Choke Me.' Lyrics of the song include: 'All I need is your love. I want it to choke me, choke me, choke me. Born for you to control. I want you to choke me, ch-ch-ch-choke me, ch-ch-ch-choke me. Love me, make my lungs explode.' And onstage, the Romanian singer was seen wearing a full black leather outfit.  She began her performance bound to her guitarists by white neon ropes.  She then crawled across the stage on her hands and knees at the Stadthalle as jets of fire soared into the air.  The song caused quite the stir, with many claiming it was inappropriate to be singing about choking women and bondage at Eurovision.  Addressing the controversy, Alexandra took to social media and denied there were any sexual themes in the song.  Alexandra Capitanescu (pictured) raised eyebrows at the Vienna Stadthalle by performing a bondage-inspired song called 'Choke Me' The Romanian singer was seen crawling across the stage while wearing a full black leather outfit She wrote: 'I have a responsibility to the people who listen to my music, come to my concerts or follow me on Social Media.  '"Choke Me" is a metaphor for the pressure we sometimes place on ourselves. It speaks about inner fears, self-doubt, and the feeling of being emotionally suffocated by our own expectations. It was never intended to represent anything sexual.  'As a songwriter, I often use symbolism to give shape to feelings that are difficult to explain directly.  'This song reflects the weight of certain emotional struggles and the journey of reclaiming your voice and autonomy. Music is how I process complicated emotions and make sense of my inner world. 'When I stop putting pressure on myself, I reach my maximum potential. The lyrics are about taking back control over anxiety and emotions that are choking you.  'I’m grateful to everyone who listens and engages with my music in good faith.' It comes after Eurovision viewers joked the UK would get 'no points' again this year after Look Mum No Computer performed for the first time.   While viewers were left unimpressed by the performance of the YouTube star, whose real name is Sam Battle, 37, they went on to hail Delta Goodrem, 41, as the standout act of the night after she performed her song for Australia, Eclipse.  For the UK's act, Sam wore a pink boiler suit as performers in fluffy computer headwear danced in a mock workshop, while he played a synthesiser on his song Eins, Zwei, Drei.  The song caused quite the stir, with many claiming it was inappropriate to be singing about choking women and bondage at Eurovision She began her performance bound to her guitarists by white neon ropes Fans wrote on X: 'Just when you think it's absolutely impossible to get any worse the UK entry has done it yet again! Absolute Trash. Nil points!' 'Why does the UK do so badly at Eurovision. LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER is another car crash of a performance. We've not had a good entry since Sam Ryder'.   'That was embarrassing for the UK. I will be surprised if we get any points this year.'  However, others thought a 'joke' act might actually do better than last year's entry Remember Monday, who placed 19th out of 26.  'UK was actually really interesting to watch! And funny. Much better than I expected!' 'I thought the UK Eurovision staging was brilliant. It’s not a radio friendly song, but it sticks in your head because it’s so catchy. It’s bonkers, but I like the fact we’ve tried something wacky + different because the last few ‘radio friendly’ songs didn’t land us points.'  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.