Image: Andris Barbans
After winning Supernova back in February, Sudden Lights now set their sights on Eurovision as the contest approaches this May!
Their song ‘Aijā’ has become a pretty big fan favourite since Supernova, but how well will it do? Let’s find out more about the song & Sudden Lights!
Who are Sudden Lights?
Sudden Lights are a four-piece band hailing from Riga, Latvia made up of members Andrejs Reinis Zitmanis, Kārlis Matīss Zitmanis, Mārtiņš Matīss Zemītis and Kārlis Vārtiņš. Formed back in 2012 when Andrejs and Mārtiņš were studying at the Pāvuls Jurjāns Music School in Riga, the group released their first single “Tik Savādi” in 2015, after winning the First Record music competition.
They released their first album ‘Priekšpilsētas’ in September 2017, which was nominated for ‘Best Debut’ at the 2018 Golden Microphone Awards. In the same year, they supported Brainstorm (Latvia Eurovision 2000) on tour. Since 2018, they’ve released two further albums (‘Vislabāk ir tur, kur manis nav’ and ‘Miljards vasaru’) and have headed out on their own headline tours.
In 2023, the group placed 2nd in Muzikālā Banka, a music competition hosted on Latvijas Radio 2 with the song ‘Laternas’.
Supernova 2023
2023 was not their first attempt at Supernova, with the band competing with the song ‘Just Fine’, coming second to Laura Rizzoto in 2018.
They were announced as one of the 14 artists competing in Supernova 2023 back in January, alongside some big names such as Supernova veteran Markus Riva, initial favourite Patrisha and returnee & 2016 winner Justs. Sudden Lights qualified from the semi final on February 4th 2023, emerging as one of the favourites to win the contest. They did just that on the 11th February, earning them the ticket to Eurovision 2023 – winning both the jury and the televote.
Their song ‘Aijā’ has been described by the band as a “lullaby for a crazy world”, and features lyrics in both Latvian and English. They say it was written in English to be comforting to more people, although the title ‘Aijā’ is impossible to translate – giving it that Latvian folk song feeling.
Witnessing the dark events in the world and people’s lives ruined by evil, we could not remain indifferent.
Sudden Lights on ‘Aijā’
How Will ‘Aijā’ do at Eurovision?
Latvia’s Eurovision track record isn’t the cleanest, with the country having failed to qualify for the grand final since Justs represented them in 2016. However, there’s a strong possibility that ‘Aijā’ could break this streak, with the song having gained wide popularity amongst fans across the season.
The uniqueness of the lullaby-esque indie ballad clearly helps it stand out from other entries in the first semi-final, and Sudden Lights have proven that they are able to successfully elevate the song in a live performance. Hopefully this will be enough to gain the general public’s favour and help them qualify in May.
We wish Latvia & Sudden Lights the best of luck at Eurovision 2023!
Follow Sudden Lights on Social Media:
Instagram: @SuddenLights
Twitter: @SuddenLightsLV
TikTok: @suddenlights
