Ten qualifiers from two semifinals will meet in the grand final of Eirodziesma 2012. Let’s take a closer look at the ten participants who will fight the battle in the Saturday show, that will serve as 10 years anniversary of winning the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time ever.
You can watch the semifinal performances by clicking on the titles below:
Samanta Tina & Davids Kalandija – I Want You Back
This year Samantha participated in both semi finals, but she only managed to qualify with one entry. Samanta with her partner Davids will be the first act of the night. The duo in the first semifinal, succeeded to get 8 points from the jury and after a combination of televoing 50/50, they wrote their name to the final scoreboard for this Saturday.
Samanta successfully participated in various Latvian and international music
competitions and has appeared on TV in several occasions. Samanta’s
partner for the song is Davids Kalandija, who succeeded to win many
awards, including best country hit in Batumi Golden Music Awards making
his success international.
Their entry, I want you back is written by Oskar Maizitis and composed by Martin Gunte. This ballad song will be performed in a special choreography in the final show.
PeR – Disco Superfly
Group PeR managed to qualify from the first semifinal, showing one of the best performances in the first semifinal where they received 10 points from the juries. After a combination of jury and televote, they honoured to be participating once again.
The group PeR was founded in 2007 when the two guys Ralph Eilande and
Edmund Rasmanis came together to share their passion for Beatbox. As their mission is to show beatbox to everyone in Latvia, we can assume that they with their excellent performance managed at least that part of their mission.
The second entry of the night, Disco Superfly is written and composed by the founders of the group; Ralph and Endmund. As we can guess the style of this song from the mission of the group, we will be hearing an up-tempo act including beatbox parts. Though it is critised of being a joke entry in Eirodziesma, they will be chasing their lucks till the end on saturday.
Andris Ābelīte – We Can Change the World
Veteran singer Andris, will be attempting for another participation at the Eurovision Song Contest after 2007, when he represented Latvia with the male group Bonaparte.Lv, bringing one of the success of the the country in the finals. Though Andris was expected to qualify to the final with ease, he managed to get only five points from the juries, but fortunately televoters helped him in the first semifinal.
Veteran singer Andris Ābelīte, who is also known as a trumpeter and
composer in this Baltic country, is a member of National Symphony
Orchestra. His song We Can Change the World is both written and composed by himself. This ballad song, starts with a trumpeting performance of Andris, which sounds like coming out from a musical and it has potential to go down as a classic in the history.
Anmary – Beautiful Song
Anmary with her entry, qualified to the final after a faultless performance though the music experts did not gave her much chance. Anmary received 7 points from the juries in the second semifinal and wrote her name to the final show after adding televoters support on her side.
Armany, whose real name is Linda Amantova, has a musical background as her musical ambition
began in childhood, then having education in musics. Later she
sang some advertising music and later again was invited to the Hamburg
Symphony Orchestra to sing Magnificat.
The song Beautiful Song is written by Ivars Makstnieks and composed by Rolans Ūdris. In this mid-tempo song Linda tells us there is a beautiful song on a radio, on a TV show which everybody knows and everybody sings loudly.
Mad Show Boys – Music Thief
At first, the critisms of being a joke entry was shown towards the group Mad Show Boys but at the end of the night, they succeeded to get 12 points from the juries in the second semifinal and managed to qualify to the final with the addition of televoting in Eirodziesma 2012.
Uldirs Leiskalns is former national opera soloist, Thank God Friday is Here is one of the famous musical he played at. Andre de Page
(full name Andris Lapinjsh) is another national opera soloist of the
group, he loves to sit in the living room, baking walnut in the
fireplace, and drinking champagne "Dom Perignon", he also likes
listening to recordings by opera singer Andris Lapins. Gary Polska
is the driving force of the group as he’s the only author. He cannot
read rap, but no one in the group dares to tell him about it! Buntars İsulis, (full name Alexander Veselova) is the main soloist of the group. Winning Eurovision is an opportunity to get a goal for him. Midi (full name Aldis Zaļūksnis) is a backing vocalist and he plays all the
instruments; including Hungarian and Albanian lip brush pliers. Mister X is a mysterious person as he never removes the mask. Did anyone say Lordi?
The most interesting act of the night will be performed by this group as
in some parts of their song Music Thief, which is written and composed by Garijs Poļskis. We are reminded of Alexander
Rybak’s Fairytale, but their act is more like Lithuanian Inculto (2010)
or LT United (2006).
Ruta Duduma – My World
In the first participating with an self-made song, Ruta Duduma got 6 points from the juries and televoters let her qualify to the final in the first semifinal of Eirodziesma 2012.
Ruta made public recognition after joining the competition Singing Family where she performed with her mother in 2010. Previously she appeared in the contests Latvian talent in 2008 and Choir Wars 2 in 2009.
We will be hearing a mid tempo song named My World, coming from Ruta on saturday evening. Ruta, a lead guitar on her hands and three backing female vocals will be giving all the bests to represent Latvia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan this year.
Paula Dukure – Celebration
Paula celebrated her 18th birthday at the stage with a special show in the first semifinal where she sang her act in a birthday cake costume at the stage and then received a respectable 12 points from the jury in the first semifinal. Therefore, Paula got her name written on the scoreboard for the final in Eirodziesma 2012.
Paula showed the sides of her talent at the age of 11 when her first
winning prizes began to come. The first success was achieved in the
contest "Zigmars Liepins, New Stars" which she won. They were soon followed by participation in the Festival "Liepaja Amber".
We will be watching a homemade work from Paula as the song is written and composed by the members of Dukura family, Edijs and Miks Dukure. The up tempo song Celebration came out at the time Paula approached her 18th birthday, so all Paula needs to do, celebrating these moments in the final show on Saturday.
Roberts Pētersons – She is a Queen
Rorberts was the another participant who celebrated his 18th birthday at the stage, but this time his birthday was the day of the second semifinal where he got 6 points from the juries. He managed to qualify to the final with the addition of the televoting results.
Roberts succeeded to qualify to the semi-final stage in Junior
Eurodziesma this year too. He has taken part in many national and
international musical events and contests; recently he won Berliner Perle 2010 in Germany.
The song She Is A Queen, is wirtten by Austris Rietums and composed by Līga Markova. As this will be played in rock style, Edward Tork on keyboard and backing vocals, Edgar Piegon on lead guitar, Christopher Freedman on bass guitar, Martin Rusk on backing vocals and Karl Indroskonokson’s battery and drum will play with him.
Elizabete Zagorska – You are A Star
In the second semifinal of Eirodziesma, Elizabete Zagorska with her group, incredibly rocked the stage with an excellent show where her group set the stage on fire! After this terrific visual show, Elizabete Zagorska got the jury’s 10 points in her pocket and easily qualified to the final with the addition of televoters.
Elizabete is a famous in Latvia as singer, musician, a musical actress and host of a music programme on TV. She also has a musical education background with attending many events. Elizabeth also participated in Eirodziesma 2008 with her song Take Me Home, but couldn’t take the ticket to Belgrade.
The song, You are A Star, is written by Kārlis Streips and composed by Atis Auzāns. It has a rock spirit, but we actually will hear ethnic tunes for the first time in Eirodziesma 2012’s final show with Elizabeth’s song.
Triānas Parks – Stars are My Family
The female group Triānas Parks participated in the second semifinal where they received a respectable 8 points from the juries and then they qualified to the final with ease. It was the last act in the second semi-final and coincidencely, they are the last act in the final as well.
The group was founded by three males and a female vocalist. They work
with popular names such as Aivaras Rakovski and Agnes Rakovska, who
also put her hands on to create their act, Stars are My Family. Their appearences reminds us a bit of Estonian Urban Symphony, but their styles are completely different.
The song Stars are My Family will close the final stage of
Eirodziesma 2012. It is written by one of the vocal, Agnes and composed by Aivars Rakovskis. The song will be performed in indie/rock style where
they will mostly say "big stars are my family" in the lyrics.
After celebrating the 10th anniversary of winning Eurovision Song
Contest in Latvia this year, the winner of Eirodziesma will feel an
extra pressure on their shoulders as this country failed to qualify for
last year’s final by the representation of Musiqq singing the song Angel in Disguise.
You can read more about the first semi-final or read more about the second semi-final in our previous articles.
