Saturday 3rd February will see eight more artists compete for the chance to represent Lithuania at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. Here are the six acts who have qualified for the grand final of Eurovizija.LT so far:
- Silvester Belt – Luktelk
- VB Gang – Kaboom!!!
- Aistè – We Will Rule the World
- Žalvarinis – Gaudė vėjai
- Pluie de Comètes – Be Careful
- Shower – Impossible
In addition to tonight’s hopefuls, Lithuanian singer-songwriter Giedrė Kilčiauskienė will perform as tonight’s interval act alongside Lithuanian new wave band Happyendless. Giedrė will also serve as a member of tonight’s jury, which will have 50% of the say in who qualifies tonight alongside the televote. Read on to learn more about the artists competing tonight!
Agnė Buškevičiūtė – Puppeteer
Agnė Buškevičiūtė is a singer-songwriter who has studied classical singing in both Lithuania and Finland. In recent years, she has also worked with songwriters in Norway to give her music a more Nordic feel. She attempted to represent Lithuania at Eurovision last year, making it to the semi-finals of Pabandom iš naujo! 2023 with her song ‘New Start’.
Now Agnė is back again with her entry ‘Puppeteer’ which was written alongside a group of Norwegian songwriters. Speaking to Lithuanian news publication 15min about the song, she said:
The song tells a story about love that creates dependence on another person and you allow yourself to be controlled by them. How do you understand that something is wrong with such a relationship, but still want to go into it? You pretend that you don’t see, you don’t hear the warnings and you are in that relationship because you can’t control your heart, you are ready to do anything for that person. The puppeteer in this context is like a metaphor or allegory for this kind of manipulative and addictive love. I think that the relationship between a puppeteer and a doll is a beautiful way to look at such a relationship when we fall in love with the wrong person.
Agnė Buškevičiūtė, 15min.lt
Could this do well tonight? You can listen to the song below:
Il Senso – Time
Another act back for the second year in a row are Il Senso, who placed 10th in the final of Pabandom iš naujo! 2023 with their song ‘Sparnai’ (‘Wings’). The group are classically trained, consisting of two tenors (Laimonas Bendaravičius and Kasparas Damulis) and two sopranos (Ieva Barbora Juozapaityte and Indre Anankaite). Although trained in opera, the group also love to include jazz and pop elements in their music.
Their 2024 entry ‘Time’ is composed by Kipras Mašanauskas and the lyrics are written by Andrius Kairys. It is a dramatic number that allows each member of the group to showcase their undoubtedly strong operatic vocals. Could the group be heading to the final for the second year running? You can listen to ‘Time’ below:
Kasparas – Fool
Kasparas Varanavičius, known professionally as Kasparas, may never have participated in a national final before but he has taken part in a Eurovision entry: he played Mae Muller‘s ex-boyfriend in the music video for 2023 United Kingdom entry ‘Instead I Wrote a Song’! Kasparas is primarily an actor, having appeared in a number of short films. He also has a role in the upcoming Lithuanian TV series ‘ ‘Ne Tau Martyna’ (‘Not For You, Martyna’) which is due to be released in March this year.
Kasparas will be making his musical debut with the song ‘Fool’ which is a pop-dance number and lyrically deals with someone managing to use their “pretty lies” to get the object of their affections to fall for them. Will it draw listeners in? You can listen to the song below:
Monika Marija – Unlove You Starting Tomorrow
Monika Marija is no stranger to attempting to represent Lithuania at Eurovision: she has attempted to do so from 2018-2020, with her most recent effort ‘If I Leave’ in 2020 placing third in the final of Pabandom iš naujo! Outside of this, Monika is best known for having won the sixth series of the Lithuanian edition of The Voice in 2018, when she was just 19-years-old.
After a break from national finals, Monika is back with her entry ‘Unlove You Starting Tomorrow’, which is a ballad. Lyrically, it deals with a relationship that has run its course, with the singer resolving to draw a line under it and return all the things that remind her of the relationship “starting tomorrow”. She’s done well in her previous efforts to represent Lithuania but how will Monika do tonight? You can listen to her song below:
Vilija – Save Me
In a semi-final laden with returnees, none come close to Vilija Matačiūnaitė: tonight will mark the sixth time she has participated in Lithuania’s national selection! By far her most successful effort was in 2014 when she won the national final and represented Lithuania at Copenhagen with the song ‘Attention’ which Vilija wrote herself. Unfortunately, during her semi-final, Vilija had the misfortune of being placed between Conchita Wurst‘s ‘Rise Like a Phoenix’ (that year’s winner) and Finland’s entry ‘Something Better’, which placed third in its semi and 11th in the grand final. ‘Attention’ placed 11th in its semi, meaning Lithuania just missed out on the chance to participate in the final.
Vilija will be hoping for more success tonight with her song ‘Save Me’ which starts off with sparse production before building up to a dance beat in the chorus. Like ‘Attention’, it was penned by the singer herself. Could Vilija be going to Eurovision for a second time? You can listen to her song below:
Danielė – Cold Shower
Danielė Paužaitė, billed simply as Danielė, first became known to Lithuanian audiences in 2022 when she participated in the ‘Generations’ edition of The Voice. In this series, duos and groups of different ages worked together to be in with a chance of winning the show. Accompanied by producer Marius Kernn, Danielė wowed the judges in her blind audition with her rendition of ‘Hurt’ by Christina Aguilera, inspiring all the judges to turn their chairs. She and Marius would ultimately make it to the semi-finals that year.
Making her Eurovizija.lt debut as a solo act, Danielė will be singing her entry ‘Cold Shower’ which is a ballad she wrote alongside Gabija Žvirdauskaitė and Gytis Valickas. The simple production and piano accompaniment really allows Danielė’s beautiful voice to stand out before building in the second chorus. Will she stand out on the night? You can listen to her song below:
Martin – Jigsaw
If one thing is certain tonight it’s that we’re unlikely to see an act quite as unusual as Martin! The mysterious figure performs with a cardboard box on their head and little is known about their identity outside of the contest.
Further compounding the mystery surrounding Martin is that the song ‘Jigsaw’ appears to feature a female vocalist. Could this give us any clues as to the artist’s true identity? We certainly don’t know and are unsure what to expect but, alongside the powerful dance production in ‘Jigsaw’, this intrigue could really allow Martin to stand out tonight. You can listen to ‘Jigsaw’ below:
Hansanova – Dragons and Rainbows
While it is their first time attempting to represent Lithuania at Eurovision, Hansanova have been performing together for fourteen years. The quartet base their music and style on medieval themes and have been asked to perform at a number of medieval festivals around the world as a result of this.
Their entry ‘Dragons and Rainbows’ is quintessentially a Hansanova song, with lyrics and music clearly inspired by the medieval period. Closing the show and with nothing else like it on the bill tonight, it’s almost certain to stand out. However, will it stand out for the right reasons? You can listen to ‘Dragons and Rainbows’ below:
You can watch Eurovizija.LT tonight from 20:00 CET through broadcaster LRT’s livestream. Which two artists are you hoping to see progress to the final? Be sure to let us know in the comments and don’t forget to follow our socials.
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