As all native Lithuanians know, the Eurovision Song Contest is an international song competition organized annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and featuring participants representing primarily European countries. Lithuania debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994 and has yet to win the event. Its best results in the competition in 2006 when it placed 6th with LT United‘s We are the winners in Athens.
This year‘s contest will take place in Rotterdam, which was due to host it in 2020 before the event was cancelled due to COVID-19. The semi-finals will take place on May 18 and 20 of this year. The finals take place on May 22, 2021. This Saturday, February 6, one of six bands and performers will win the golden ticket to represent Lithuania at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam in May.
Voldemars Petersons topped the first heat of Lithuania’s national Eurovision selection with his lyrical song Never Fall for You Again. Despite his Latvian-sounding name – he spent his early childhood in Riga – Voldemars hails from Kaunas. His musical career started with a music reality show in 2005, and before that he had been in a Christian rock band.
Gebrasy is the stage name of 26-year-old Audrius Petrauskas. His song, Where’d You Wanna Go?, won the semifinal, receiving top scores from both the jury and televoters. Gebrasy has been singing since childhood, and also started writing songs when he was about ten. In fact, he co-authored two more songs that were competing to represent Lithuania in Eurovision this year.
Titas and Benas, the cousin duo from Panevėžys, made a splash a year ago on Lithuania’s X Factor, present a song called No, a lyrical rendition of a painful love story – apparently a pattern in this year’s selections.
Nineteen-year-old Evita Cololo launched her career by winning a TV music competition, Lithuania’s Voice, last year, though she says she’s been serious about music since age 13.
She comes from a family of performers, her father being a famous comedian. Evita is the only contestant in the final to perform a song in Lithuanian, Be Paslapčių (“No Secrets”), one that she herself co-wrote.
Martyna Jezepčikaitė is from the southern town of Alytus, where the 18-year-old is in her final year of high school. Like many of her competitors, Martyna used The X Factor as a career springboard and was the runner-up in 2019. Martyna’s entry, Thank You Very Much, is “a song for strong women”, she says.
Eurovision fans are already familiar with The Roop, the band that won Lithuania’s national competition in 2020, but was prevented from performing on the big stage due to COVID-19. Even though their new song, Discotheque, has not yet been judged, The Roop are among the favourites to go to Rotterdam. Discoteque is an 80s-inspired tune complete with a stylish music video, is about inner liberation and dance, says the band.
With information from LRT.lt
