Latvian broadcaster LTV has confirmed their participation in Baku 2012, stating that their national selection Eirodziesma is to undergo significant changes in an announcement made on their official website today.
Board member of Latvijas Televīzija, Edgar Kots says that "We hope the new changes will bring the contest up to date, both in terms of production and professionalism, something that both viewers and participants will notice alike". LTV have called for submissions, inviting songwriters to submit entries from the 1st of september until the 14th of october. At this stage, the overall sound of the entry is not so important, as changes will inevitably occur along the way. Composers are however not allowed to send in more than two entries.
Production manager for Eirodziesma Aigars Dinsberga goes on to explain some of the reasons as to why changes have been implemented : "We wish to avoid the experience from previous years, whereby the audience have voted for the performer, rather than the song. This year, everything will be different." Once the deadline has lapsed, all submitted entries meeting the requirements for participation will be made available on the Eurovision website www.eirovizija.lv on the 1st of November, without the public knowing just which artists are behind what song, a proud first for the Baltic broadcaster.
Visitors to the site will be able to give their feedback on the entries, in addition to a professional committee evaluating the entries that make it thus far. The committee will consist of seven members, who have the task of making an objective selection, narrowing the entries down to just twenty based on their live performances, who will then proceed to semi final heats. Songs and their composers will be presented on the 8th of november, while performers will be revealed on the 1st of december. The committee will then evaluate the live performances of all acts.
Dates have been set for the semi finals, being broadcast on on LTV1 on the 7th and 14th of january. For the first time ever, the performances in each semi will be live featuring 10 acts. 5 acts from each respective semi will then go through to the final, decided by a 50/50 split between audience votes and a jury. The grand final will be broadcast, like this year, from Ventspils with the Rio Theatre House named as the venue. The final will also feature a super final this year, with both audience and jury playing a vital part in deciding just who gets to proceed to the super final round. Stay tuned for further details! Latvia failed to make the final from their respective semi with Musiqq singing Angel in Disguise. The duo ended up in 17th place with a paltry 25 points.
