LITHUANIA 2025

The Lithuanian act and song were selected on February 15th through "Eurovizija.LT 2025" Before the final there were 5 heats. Two songs qualified automatically from each and 2 songs were awarded wildcards  In the final, a top 3 was chosen by a 50-50 mix of televote and jury then teletoving only chose the winner. Going to Basel is the band Katarsis with the song "Tavo akys" (Your Eyes)

Katarsis are a band whose music is in the alternative, shoegaze and post-punk genre with an emphasis on melody and emotional lyrics which are all in Lithuanian. Their songs are generally quite moody and dark, and not necessarily what one might except from a Eurovision entry. The four-piece consists of Andrius Gruodis, Emilija Kandratavičiūtė, Eivin Laukhammer and Lukas Radzevičius and have been together as a band since 2020. They have a number of song releases to their name but no album to date.

The song has a rather odd structure and I feel like the 'bigger picture' is what needs to be brought to mind. After the first verse there is a sparse, building pre-chorus before the repetitive chorus. There is then a short break as the music really builds tension and the gradually creeping beat intensifies. Then there is an oddly-paced bridge before the one word 'tavo' (your) is repeated for almost all of the final 50 seconds. The band members are scattered around the back on the dimly lit stage all dressed int eh same muted blue outfits a kin to what a dentist or clinician might wear.. The singer comes forward, maintaining eye contact with the camera. His pacing around is emphasised by the close up (not-so) Steadicam work with is intersperses with odd angles and flashes of the backing band. As the background clears we see a silhouette of fields and a house. This background turns blue and the landscape fragments and breaks apart almost like a blue tinted volcano or earthquake. During the repetitive outro, the back drop is full of rocks which starts turning the blue background into white.

The performance doesn't work without the song and the song doesn't work without the performance. The song is OK but nothing special; it isn't particularly catchy or sing-along-able. There are no gimmicks or dance routines; key changes or vocal gymnastics. But this isn't that kind of stereotypical modern Eurovision performance. This is much more nuanced and much more about the entry being greater than the sum of its parts. For such a minimalistic show, the band really pulls you in; the incessant gaze of the lead singer could be seen as intriguing or menacing. This less about the song, more about creating a memorable moment on stage. This all said, if this doesn't enrapture you within the first few seconds, or by the time the chorus come round, you are going to get up and see this as a break to have a cup of tea. I feel like this will have a following with those who like this 90s indie chart, shoegazy almost goth sound but many might just see this as noise and a bit too odd for a show like this. You either get it or you don't. Personally I am glad this is here and opens a channel for other similar acts to realise Eurovision could be an opening for the too.

ARTIST - Katarsis 

SONG - Tavo Akys

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Jurgis Masilionis, Lukas Radzevičius

LITHUANIA 2024

The Lithuanian act and song was chosen on February 17th through their selection process "Eurovizija.LT". Before the final, there had been 5 semi-finals of eight songs each with only 2 qualifying to the final. A 50/50 combination of jury and public votes selected 3 songs for a superfinal which would be judged through televote alone. Going to Malmö is Silvester Belt performing the song "Luktelk" (Wait).

Silvestras Beltė - aka Silvester Belt - was born in Kaunas, Lithuania but  a degree in Commercial Music Performance from University of Westminster in London. On his return to Lithuania after his studies he won the show "Aš – superhitas" (I Am a Superhit) which spawned him his first hit. A year later participated in Lithuanian X Factor being eliminated in the 4th week of the competition. This is not Silvester's first foray into Eurovision - in 2010 he came third in the selection contest for their Junior Eurovision song. 

Silvester is wearing a baggy red suit and what has become his trademark nose clip. He is joined on stage by 4 dancers in t-shirts, baggy trousers but also masks over the lower part of their faces. Because of the stark lighting most of what is on stage is seen mainly in silhouette but there is a lot of sharp chorography and intricate arm movements. Luktelk is a pop song with a driving hard bassline. Silvester's singing style is quite laid back and gentle which feels like it should be at odds with the harshness of the instrumental but isn't at all. The song's structure is very formulaic with a verse-prechorus-chorus order which goes around twice. There is then a bridge before the last chorus. Although the song is wholly in Lithuanian, the song has a lot of repetition in it and to be honest the rhythm and flow of the song is really what drives it.

The lighting for this is very stark and mysterious and it has this slightly shady club feel which fits with the style of song. I love the use of block colour and the slightly anonymous dancers as this adds a lot of flow and coolness of the track.  Although the song is in Lithuanian, one's lack of understanding of the words is made up with the repetition and simple rhythms made in the words and music. The repetitive chorus in particular is a straight-to-your-brain earworm. However, I feel that for this song to fully connect with the non-Lithuanian speakers and voters at home, there needs to be a little more effort put in to make Silvester (in particular) visible on screen. Yes, I understand the visual feeling they are trying to make, but that is much easier to execute when your audience understands the meaning of the lyrics. It is very obvious that this song went down well with the Lithuanian public at home, but is this is down to a great performer and performance OR down to a support of the Lithuanian language? 

ARTIST - Silvester Belt

SONG - Luktelk

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Silvestras Beltė, Elena Jurgaitytė, Džesika Šyvokaitė 

LITHUANIA 2023

The Lithuanian final was held on February 18th at the LRT TV Studios in Vilnius, hosted by Giedrius Masalskis and Auguste Nombeko. Before the final there were quarter finals and semi finals cutting down to 10 the initial list of 30 entries. The winner was selected by an equal weighting of jury and televoting but as there was a tie, the jury preference won out. The winning song was "Stay" sung by Monika Linkyte.

Monika is a stalwart of competition, especially in the Eurovision sphere. In 2007 she participated in the selection for Junior Eurovision and during the time period of 2010 to 2015 Monika took part in the adult Eurovision national finals, winning the spot in 2015 as part of a duet with Vaidas Baumila. They eventually qualified for the final placing 18th position. 2014 was an important year for Monika: she represented Lithuania at the New Wave contest coming 4th and in that same year was the runner up on The Voice Lithuania. She also released her debut album "Walk With me" which went platinum and was awarded best album, best song, and female artist of the year at the MAMA awards.

The song was revamped vocally and visually from the heats to the final which possibly had a lot to do with this song's sudden rise in the voting. Monika is dressed in a gold coloured  off the shoulder dress with similarly coloured tights and shoes. The backdrop also contains these sunrise colours and there is a lot of strobing. The song starts with a brief choral intro in Lithuanian before a simplistic first verse and short pre-chorus in English. During this part the four backing singers become visible. The Lithuanian refrain comes in again and the 5 singers start to interact with each other. The second verse has a slight beat to it and the live vocals of everyone on stage gives the song a subtle power. This is then succeeded by the pre-chorus and an elongated chorus. The song finishes with the Lithuanian refrain once again.

I guess this shows a lot of guts and smart thinking from Monika and her team. The fact the song had some quite monumental changes to it - and in a relatively short amount of time - shows a fighting spirit, but also that it is never too late to change artistic direction. I feel like the addition of the Lithuanian really did endear it to the local crowd, something non-Lithuanians might not really care too much about at the actual contest. The power of the ensemble on stage was impressive and as we have seen in some of the other national finals, we have discovered there is a strength to having live backing vocals on stage. Monika has a good strong voice and this style of song suits it. 

I must admit I am utterly disappointed, nay heartbroken, by this choice. I feel like the jury suddenly choosing this song as the best, when they seemed to be enjoying Petunija, Beatrich and Ruta much more over the previous heats, more than a little odd. This song (even with its last minute change in direction) is essentially weak and feels more like a song left on the cutting room floor during the editing of "The Greatest Showman". It lacks a noticeable story and has no real call to arms. The staging is simplistic and rather generic and the pieces don't really fit. I fear this is an example of someone's voice outselling the song and I am not sure if this will be enough, even when only 6 of the 16 will not qualify. On the other hand, Lithuania's semi contains quite a few neighbours and diaspora countries and this may well be enough if everyone does their bit. I guess if this song can be worked into a national final winning song in a matter of hours, it could be moulded into something worthy of being in the final with even more time and energy. Who knows what this song will look and sound like by the time May comes around....?

ARTIST - Monika Linkyte

SONG - Stay

WRITING/PRODUCTION CREDITS - Krists Indrišonoks, Monika Linkytė, JJ LUSH

LITHUANIA 2021

The Lithuanian Final was held on February 6th at the LRT TV Studios in Vilnius, hosted by Ieva Stasiuleviciute & Vytautas Rumšas. Before the final there two heats and a semi final. The winner was chosen by a 50/50 mix of televoting and jury. Going to Rotterdam are The Roop, who were to be the Lithuanian representatives last year, with their song "Discoteque".

The group are all wearing different outfits in a very lurid shade of yellow however the aesthetic is more memorable than off putting. The singer is front and centre with a dancer either side and then the two instrumentalists either side of them. There is a lot of movement going on but is all done is a very organised way which gives a sense or controlled chaos. The back ground uses three main colour pallets, White for the verse, purple for the chorus and a strobing chequerboard effect for the dance routine after the chorus.

We start in almost darkness with the main singer, Vaidotas, in silhouette doing a rather sinister whispery spoken intro. It is also here we hark back to their "On Fire" routine with a nod to the 'hand on the head' dance move from last years' entry. The lights then come on and we see the other two members of the Roop on either side of the stage. The first verse is quite unsteady as the camera sweeps round the stage causing confusion, which marries up with the lyrics, also Vaidotas's dancing is also very unbalanced. Just before the chorus they are joined by the male and female dancer. The chorus is highly choreographed and mirrors the staccato nature of the lyrics. the instrumental goes back to the chaotic and frenetic style before This then repeats with a longer instrumental part with what can only be described as 'fingerography' before the very last chorus.

Obviously the group were supposed to be the Lithuanian representatives last year and were one of the favourites. The song kind of fits in with the whole 80s nostalgia motif that has infiltrated music but I would also say this lends itself a fair bit more to the 70s - in particular the name of the track, the dance moves, the outfits and strobing brightly coloured background makes me think of the "Saturday Night Fever" OST. This song has enough different about it to make if different rom "On Fire" but structurally you can see and hear that it feel like one of their songs. The use of earwormy instrumentals, the ebb and flow of the backing track as well as the way the whole group seems to get their personality across.

Although this is pretty much a ready-to-go performance and song there are some small issues which may need looking at. Usually I would pick up on the prominent use of backing vocals. This year, being slightly different, the rules on backing vocals have changed and pre-recorded vocals are allowed. However this doesn't mean that it's 'OK'. There are points where the backing vocals are too prominent and it would be nice to hear as much of the live voices as possible. I don't want this year's Eurovision ruined by songs or singers where they are basically drowned out or where acts are accused of hiding behind or effectively miming to parts of the song.

This is a great song, and even more great as a Eurovision song. This works well as a radio friendly number but also as a stage show. The band know what they are doing and understand the purpose of the song. The stage show looks immense but also well managed and also have that aspect of having lyrics to singalong to and a dance routine to join in with. Hey, they even have a colour scheme that you can fashion yourself with too! This is easily an early front runner and could well be up at the top of the scoreboard in May

ARTIST - The Roop
SONG - Discoteque
WRITING CREDITS - M. Banišauskas, R. Baranauskas, Laisvūnas Černovas, Kalle Lindroth, Vaidotas Valiukevičius, Ilkka Wirtanen

03/03/12 LITHUANIA

The Lithuanian Final was held on March 3rd, hosted by Liepa Rimkeviciene & Darius Uzkuraitis. Before the final there were 4 semi-finals where the long list of 36 was reduced to a final of 14. The winner was chosen in two rounds of voting. In the first round the top 3 was chosen by televoting (50%) & an "expert" jury (50%), whilst in the second round the winner was chosen by an "expert" jury.  After an epic show that seemed to last hours the winner was announced as Donny Montell with the song “Love is Blind”

One would say that this is a song of 2 halves. During the first half of the song, Donny is wearing a black blindfold, mirroring the title of the song whilst singing quite a slow melodic melody with a very minimal soulful backing track. During this time he is still emoting using his hands and does move a little. He then starts the chorus which then builds in the backing track with a more noticeable beat. Halfway through he then removes the blindfold, does a one handed somersault and then starts disco dancing and interacting with the audience.

Donny is alone on stage and the song (as it is) does not require backing singers. I feel that Donny is able to command the stage by himself and I actually feel that more bodies on the stage would detract from the fact that Donny is a very strong singer and performer. The song is OK. I would say that the first half is much stronger then the second visually and melodically. There is also a strange part about two minutes in when her repeats the ‘love is blind’ part like a stuck record which sounds very odd and could go wrong very easily.

I would say that this is quite an interesting choice by the Lithuanians. As I have already stated Donny is a strong performer and singer. Not the strongest of songs, not even the more Eurovision of songs, but it is pleasant enough. Maybe a bit too pleasant…

A video of his winning performance can be found on LRT's youtube site below.

http://www.youtube.com/user/LRTinklas?feature=watch

SONG – Love is blind

ARTIST – Donny Montell (Donatas Montvydas)

COMPOSERS –

LANGUAGE – English

LITHUANIA

The Lithuanian final took place on the 24th February in Vilnius. 13 songs were promoted into the final after a semi-final and online wildacrd voting. The songs were presented then voted on by the public. The top 3 went through to the Superfinal and judged by an expert jury. The song chosen for Düsseldorf is “C’est Ma Vie” by Evelina Sašenko.

This is a very slow dramatic ballad, if not a little old fashioned. The verses are all in English, whilst the choruses are in a mixture of French and English. Eveline is joined only by a pianist on stage; the lighting is very sparse and moody, which suits the style of song. To be honest this is more the type of song that would not feel out of place in a musical, rather than on the Eurovision stage. The song has little edge or hook and is not very memorable at all. The ending of the song is also a little stank and pointless. Giving her some due, Eveline’s voice is very strong although she has to really push to get the high notes. Her accent is not too bad and singing in English and French may get here a few extra votes.

Eveline is wearing the most strange dress. The top half is a dark brown with a light brown flowery ruffle on her shoulder but the bottom half seems to be a tight ankle length dress with a see-through light brown netted underskirt on top. It looks very bizarre. I do hope she wares something a little more suitable as this will with the Barbra Dex award for worst outfit EASILY.



SINGER – Evelina Sašenko
SONG – C’est Ma Vie (It’s My Life)
MUSIC – Paulius Zdanavičius
WORDS – Andrius Kairys