LITHUANIA

The Lithuanian act was announced on March 1. Earlier on February 23rd the song was chosen.

The Lithuanian Shows were held at the LRT TV Studios in Vilnius, hosted by Arunas Valinskas & Simona Naine. Over the weeks, singers performed previous ESC entries, versions of popular Lithuanian songs and versions of popular English songs - one more singer was eliminated after each show. The qualifying singers performed the potential entries and one singer was eliminated in each show.

Voting for the singers was a 50/50 mixture of televoting and jury. Voting for the songs was separate from the voting for the singers and was a 50/50 mixture of internet voting and an "expert" jury. Going to Copenhagen is Vilija Matačiūnaitė with "Attention".

 

Although I did not watch much of this selection process it was a refreshing change. Furthermore the outstanding viewing figures it produced mean the selection process went on for 3 more weeks than scheduled! One of the reasons why I think it felt fresh and different was that there was an opportunity to vote from the best singers SEPARATELY from the songs. Far too many times in Eurovision have good acts been lumbered with poor songs and vice versa. This dual voting approach has give the viewers a chance to pick the best combinations.

 

The performance of the song is quite simple in essence Vilija is on stage with a male dancer and 3 backing singers. Vilija dances and sings at the same time with the male dancer very close by. The chemistry between Vilija and her dancer are the main thing here and in the setting of the TV studio it really works - but what to do in a huge arena? Her choices of outfit have been quite diverse over the weeks but I feel that if she is going down the black route the background will need to be much stronger and possibly pulse in time with the music.

 

The song is RnB influenced pop tune with a verse, bridge and chorus - each part having its own distinctive earworm. the verses are quite plain, although do show of the singers lower range. The bridge picks up the pace and the stuttering repetition are not only ear catching but deceptively difficult to sing. The chorus starts with a shout of Attention" which gets the beat going in the song. Also, the start of the song is really in your face and gets you interested straight away the ending however is a little too abrupt.

 

Vocally I don't feel much is wrong but I think that the backing singers detract too much. During this final version they ding in harmony which I don't think works. More power needs to be put on the start of the chorus so my having everyone sing the same thing would be much more powerful. At other times I feel their level is to high in the mix and you start not being able to hear what Vilija is singing. Like the Estonian entry, there is a similarity to Euphoria with the dancing/singing and accompanying male dancer, however I feel this is done in a different way. The style of song and dance are different and the male dancer is very much an equal and integral part of the dance AND the lyrics of the song. Much has to be done to make this small stage set work on a much bigger stage.

 

This year, it looks like out of the Baltic states Lithuania has come out the strongest, which is very rare. I feel that this has a lot of individuality but also has a quality about it that means it wouldn't feel out of place in the clubs or on the radio. This is a 99% qualifier and will possibly get Lithuania their best placing ever.

 

Artist - Vilija Matačiūnaitė

Song - Attention

Music - Viktoras Vaupšas, Vilija Matačiūnaitė

Lyrics - Viktoras Vaupšas, Vilija Matačiūnaitė