As usual every Saturday, a new Eurovizijos show took place this evening where each of the seven remaining candidates presented a new song out of the sixteen potential entries. The least voted act was VIG Roses thus they had to leave the competition.
A new heat of the Lithuanian marathon that LRT took place this evening to select their representative for Copenhagen. In fact, this week it was announced that the national selection to pick the Lithuanian Eurovision entrant will be longer than expected due to high viewing figures. According to this, the national final is scheduled to be held on the 1st of March meaning that the selection process will be two weeks longer than planned.
Seven artists were competing tonight in Lithuania and we were able to listen to for the first time the other half of the potential Eurovision entries. One of these, or maybe one of the songs we listened to last week, will be the winning song that will represent Lithuania at the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest.
The songs:
1. Vaidas Baumila – World’s Apart
His voice and the piano worked perfectly together in this jazzy song to create an intimate, almost secretive effect. He has a rich and expressive voice with a knack for melody and he achieved a special deep connection with the audience. He wore a maroon velvet jacket, a white shirt and black leather trousers. He did not move from center stage during the whole performance. The staging was one of the prettiest we have seen so far with white and yellow images on the screens and yellow light flashes.
2. Monika Linkytė – It’s All About A Boy
It was quite interesting the sassy style of this song. The blend of genres really aided in the song’s catchiness and made it stand out. The chorus busted into a fiery hook that was dominated with energy, power and attitude. Monika seemed very comfortable on stage wearing a spectacular fringe golden dress which stood out with the dark purple and pink backdrop.
3. Vilija Matačiūnaitė – You Found Me
This was not an
immensely catchy song but the rock influence and the combination of
emotions made this much more than just a typical pop rock track. The
song relies on guitars to bring out a gritty sound and a steady drum
beat leads the verses. Vilija sang powerfully and put a lot of emotion into
her intonation which was complimented by the dynamic instrumentation.
All of this was enhanced in the chorus where her voice soared
beautifully. She wore a black dress and the stage lighting was red with white flash lights.
4. Martynas Kavaliauskas – New Beginning
This up-tempo song had an incredibly beautiful melody which was really nice to listen to. The use of the guitar or percussion was necessary to set the mood, but never overpowering. Martynas’ deep vocals were always the main attraction during the performance although at times, such as in the chorus, the voices of the three female backing singers stood out more than his. He was wearing a red and white checkered shirt and dark blue trousers. The backdrop was yellow and red.
5. VIG Roses (Giedrė Girnytė and Akvilė Matukaitė) – Silent Tears
This song had an anthemic energy that fitted perfectly with the duo. Their delicate voices were simply captivating and they sang with poignancy, gusto and spirit. They were next to each other in the center stage and they both were dressed in suits but two very difererentes styles. Giedrė, simpler, wore an elegant black suit and Akvilė wore a blue floral print suit. On the screens one could see red and purple images.
6. Mia – Let’s Share That Love Tonight
In this song Mia stayed in her comfort zone, but she did everything extremely well, much better than what she did last week in her other song. Her vocals were fresh and fierce which were perfect for the catchy melody. The chorus was set up with some nice club-friendly beats that made the song a huge hit. She was wearing a bright blue dress and a white leather jacket. The stage was lit in yellow which fitted perfectly with the images on the screens which were mostly green and orange.
7. Ieva Zasimauskaitė – Blowing Out Cobwebs
This was a simple but gorgeous mid-tempo ballad with a radio-friendly chorus. The melody was not quite as catchy as the others but it was still a nice song. Her voice was solid and there was a charm that brought you right into the world of the song. Ieva’s outfit was perhaps the most striking of the show. She wore a short black dress with a long piece of white tulle over her right shoulder and flat black boots. On the screens one could see images of blue skies and white clouds and the stage was lit in light blue.
The show:
The two-hour show started at 20:00 CET and it was broadcast from LRT studios in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. It was hosted as usual by Arūnas Valinskas and Simona Nainė who welcomed us and introduced the members of the national jury who were on set. They were Ramūnas Zilnys, Edmundas Seilius, Adrija Čepaitė and Vytenis Pauliukaitis.
Once the televoting was opened, the performances began on the stage which was the same diamond-shaped that we have seen at the previous heats. To the right of the stage was located the orchestra and three female backing singers.
The seven acts performed one of the potential entries each, other than those that they performed last week. Each performance was preceded by a video of the rehearsals or the previous performances from the artist who was the next up on stage.
After each performance, each artist listened to the evaluation from the jurors who were sat in front of the stage and between performances, the hostess interviewed some of the candidates who were in the green room.
The provisional results of the televoting were also made public from time to time during the show.
Justinas Lapatinskas, who was eliminated from the competition last Saturday, was the guest of the show performing another of the songs in the run, Is This The Way (You Want Me). It is a well-crafted pop rock song. At first, it seemed to be a
mid-tempo but then, halfway through the percussion was added, it became a lot
more upbeat. His voice was warm and stunning at times.
The results:
A combination of televoting, national and international juries decided the outcome. This time, the international jury was made of Brand Stone from Germany, Valerij Prosvirov from Russia and Liselott Bjork from Sweden.
This was the final result:
1st. Ieva Zasimauskaitė
2nd. Monika Linkytė
3rd. Martynas Kavaliauskas
4th. Vaidas Baumila
5th. Vilija Matačiūnaitė
6th. Mia
7th.
VIG Roses (Giedrė Girnytė and Akvilė Matukaitė)
Thus, VIG Roses had to leave the competition. The remaining six acts will proceed to the next Eurovizijos show to be held next Saturday.
Lithuania at the Eurovision Song Contest:
After its debut twenty years ago, in 1994, Lithuania have participated a total of fourteen times but, aside from a much surprising 6th place in 2006, the country is not usually at the top positions. Last year, Andrius Pojavis qualified to the final and finished 22nd in Malmö with the song Something.
