Latvia

Aisha

About Quick Facts NameAija Andrejeva Born16 January 1986 Nationality🇱🇻 Latvian National SelectionEirodziesma 2010Eirodziesma 2009Eirodziesma 2008Eirodziesma 2007 In Eurovision2010 Oslo SongWhat For (2010) Biography Aija Andrejeva-Aišpure, known as Aija Andrejeva and formerly as Aisha, is a Latvian singer and musical theater actress. She was born on January 16, 1986, in Lielvārde, Latvia. Aija spent her childhood in Lielvārde and attended Edgars Kauliņš Lielvārde Secondary School. At five years old, she competed in the children’s vocal contest Cālis ’91 and won second place. She started learning to play the flute and piano at the Lielvārde Music School at age ten. At eleven, she participated in a young flautist competition, earning 12th place. A year later, she won the Jauno diriģentu parāde competition. In 2002, she conducted the wind orchestra Sirius. In 2004, Aija, using the stage name Aisha, joined the TV5 reality show Fabrikas muzikālais teātris. She won the final, thanks to viewer votes. That summer, she participated in the musical Tā ir jānotiek and performed with her father in a concert celebrating Latvia’s accession to the European Union, singing “Tu un es.” At the end of 2004, Aisha won the Best Soloist of the Year award at the LNT Music Video Awards Ceremony. In February 2005, she debuted in theater, playing Dorothy in the Daile Theater’s musical The Wizard of Oz. In the spring of that year, she toured with the group Credo. On July 8, 2005, Aisha performed as the opening act for the Russian band BI-2 with Opus Pro at the Ogre stage. In 2006, she hosted the TV show Mīl — nemīl and recorded the album “Tu un es” with her father’s band. In 2007, Aisha participated in the LNT show Divas zvaigznes with Frīdis, launching her solo career afterward. At the beginning of 2008, she competed in the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “You Really Got Me Going,” making it to the final and finishing second. A year later, she also participated in the TV3 show Dejo ar zvaigzni! 2, finishing second. She released her first solo album, “Viss kārtībā, mincīt,” featuring successful songs like “Dziesma pustumsā.” Coming in 2009, Aisha competed in the Eurovision national selection again with the song “Hey, Hey,” finishing sixth overall. She won the European selection of the New Wave competition in Riga and placed fourth in the main event. In September 2009, she released her solo album “Dvēselīte.” In 2010, Aisha won the Latvian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “What For?” She represented Latvia in Oslo, Norway, but did not qualify for the final, finishing last in her semi-final on May 25. In September 2011, she presented a website with her own name, Aija Andrejeva, and a new single, “Kafijas krūze”. She played the role of Baiba in the musical “Pūt, vējiņi”. In 2013 she started performing as the soloist of the Ventspils Bigbend. In October she released a single, “”Mežā”, as an announcement of the album with the same name. The album itself came out in November. Aija won the contest Muzikālā Banka in 2015 with the song ”Soļi”. A ‘ten years on stage’ tour followed with guest performances of big names in every single show. She teamed up with Goran Gora for the song “Pavasaris”. A year later, she started a project, “Satikšanās mūzikā”, where people could register to make music with Aija. In October of that year, her song “Mazais Princis” was released. Two months later she teamed up with Kārlis Būmeisters to sing the song “Ēnas”. With Alex she released the song “Mēs pārejam uz tu”, in 2017. The song was awarded most valuable song of the year. With Colt she recorded “Man ir viss”, solo “Tu mani sauc”. Her new album was also called “Mēs pārejam uz tu”, which was released in February 2018. A new single, “Pinies man pa kājām”, was released in May 2018. Meanwhile, Aija participated in a project to release her own postcards. She teamed up with DJ Rudd for the song “varbūt šodien, varbūt rīt”. Her song “Es iešu tālāk” reached the Latvian top-10. She also did the Latvian voice of Silvera in the movie Angry Birds 2. Her single “Bungādiņas” reached the no. 1 spot in the Latvian charts. Her album “Es iešu tālāk” was released in 2020. While it was in the middle of the COVID19 pandemic, the presentation of the album took place in a special car concert. In March 2021 Alija teamed up with ZeBrene for the song “Šamanis”. In November 2022 Aija teamed up with Intars Busulis for the song ”Ziemassvētki džungļos”, the theme song of the family- and adventure movie ‘Viss ko es šodien vēlos”. In June 2023, the song “Pērkons Pāries” was released. With the Baltic Groove Orchestra, Aija sang the song “Jūk”. A new album, “Tagadne”, was released on March 12th. It was in 2013, Aija married Toms Bērziņš in Valmiera, but they divorced in 2016. Since 2021, she has been married to singer Jānis Aišpurs. Entries What For Country🇱🇻 Latvia Year2010 LanguageEnglish LyricsGuntars Račs MusicJānis Lūsēns BackingsRaili OrravaKatrīna CīruleMadara KačorekaLāsma Ivansone Results Semi Points: 11Position: 17Running order: 6 Results Finals Points: –Position: –Running order: – https://youtu.be/oRjtqVkj5w0?si=yYqEQKawyY7EPQLW

Malmö Messages: And we are complete!

photo: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett With the ten finalists from the 2nd semifinal, we are complete. All the finalists are known. The 10 countries getting through to the Grand Final tonight are: Latvia Austria Netherlands Norway Israel Greece Estonia Switzerland Georgia Armenia

The second semifinal

photo: EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett The hosts Petra Mede and Malin Åkerman open the show with their own version of “Tattoo.” Malta In the Maltese act by Sarah Bonnici, there is a lot of movement and dancing. Later during the act, she is blindfolded, as are her dancers. Despite so much movement, Sarah manages to sing remarkably well. Albania Besa wears a turquoise gown with gemstones. The stage also includes several dancers, which might make it look a bit messy. However, many dancers are projected onto LED screens. Besa’s voice sounds a bit sharp here and there. Greece First, we see her purple boots, then the whole Marina Satti. She is also flanked by four dancers, but it looks much more organized. Greece has chosen a sophisticated entry not meant for casual listeners. A lot happens during this entry. Marina continues to sing well. Switzerland Nemo takes the viewer into his story with the song “The Code,” managing to crack the (binary) code. Their clothing says it all. Nemo has so far managed to enhance their narrative through fashion statements. Nemo jumps, skips, shows himself to be a balancing artist… and continues to sing crystal clear. We do not know if this is a winner, but we definitely respect their skills. Czechia You would expect Aiko to be standing on a pedestal during her performance. That’s not the case, but we find that the ceiling (one of the cubes) is very low. Aiko has four… Her nipples are no longer visible. Pay particular attention to the high note that Aiko effortlessly hits. Aiko surprises! During the first semifinal, Nicole (from Hugo) received a tribute, and in this semifinal, Jahn Teigen (ESC 1978, 1982, 1983) is honored. We are treated to a journey through Eurovision history with several participants who did not finish very high. France Slimane, dressed in white, starts singing while lying down, then sits up. Everything is shot in close-up, which makes the song even more intimate. Slimane pulls out all the stops in terms of his singing ability. The song has its distinct fans, but others are completely on the opposite end of the spectrum. Austria It’s interesting to put someone on stage who has held various other roles at the contest. Singing is clearly not Kaleen’s strongest suit. Regardless of how enjoyable the song may be found, the singing is forgotten in Austria. However, the act looks absolutely tight, and Kaleen knows very well what she is doing in terms of dance. Denmark It seems like you only see a singer sprinkling some sand and singing her song. However, we also see a second Saba in the background… A hologram, as it turns out, because at one point she disintegrates into sand. Occasionally, Saba tends to sing too loud, which makes the whole thing seem a bit shouty. Armenia Cheerfulness all over, garnished with typical Armenian sounds. Singer Jaklin Baghdasarian of Ladaniva plays a leading role throughout the act. The other band members and backing band stand behind her, but at one point, the flutist also comes forward. We see all sorts of things in the background: trumpets, chickens, and the artists themselves. Latvia Looking at his Instagram account, he is very cheerful and humorous: the Latvian Dons. But seeing him standing there in his sleeveless leather outfit amid a circle, and hearing his very serious ballad, we notice little of that. There is nothing wrong with this song, but that might also be the problem. Spain Both the singer and the dancers are dressed in black. The singing isn’t fantastic, but Nebulossa certainly knows how to throw a party in the hall. And of course, halfway through the act, the dancers strip off their clothes and continue dancing with bare chests and buttocks. At the end, a keyhole appears behind the singer Mery. The Spaniards really throw a party. San Marino We stick with the Spanish language, as San Marino sends the Spanish group Megara. Singer Kenzy Loevett is briefly flanked by two dancers in scary Easter bunny suits. Everything is pink and black in this act. It’s all rock, and the group tries to match the scariness of Bambie Thug, but it remains rather tame for a horror show. Georgia Nutsa Buzaladze is dressed in gold and stands in a circle of fire, which at one moment looks like a sun, the next a burning hoop. Nutsa is flanked by four dancers, and gives her all in terms of singing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good. For Georgia, it’s definitely not a done deal. Belgium We had already seen photos of Mustii amid a circle of microphones, but he starts alone on stage. He then stands on a rotating platform. Later, he goes into this circle. Mustii is dressed in white. The singing we hear here is very cautious, with Mustii consciously staying below the high notes. He did not, as we previously reported, take his shirt off. But towards the end, we see the whole hall going wild with the Belgian entry! Estonia 5miinust and Puuluup are having a party on stage. The title of the song is, as previously mentioned, the longest ever. Whether the party really come across with all the “hey hey hey” is still a question. Possibly a finalist position for Estonia, but that is by no means certain. Italy Angelina Mango starts lying down, with roses projected under her. She has a sort of henna-like print depicted. This print also continues with the dancers. There are so many prints all over. There are so many details that you occasionally don’t see Angelina and her dancers at all. The singing is fine where it concerns Angelina. She ends a cappella. That takes skilsl, and Angelina has them. Italy will finish high, but perhaps not win. Israel The Israeli entry is the only ballad in this latter stage of the second semifinal. Just before she starts singing, Eden Golan leans back in a circle with lights. Five dancers flank her,

Malmö Messages: another outfit and a lot of folkore

Austria: Here too, we have a different outfit. Kaleen was already wearing a swimsuit before, but the current one shows much more skin (read: flesh-colored bodysuit). The color is now silver. She is also surrounded by a group of four dancers. This act too is mainly focused on dance, with singing possibly taking a backseat. But we will only find out during the public rehearsals. Austria is ranked 14th at the bookmakers. Denmark: Little has changed in the Danish act compared to last time. Saba is still singing her ballad in a white dress. Like a real Sandman, she scatters sand. She is ranked 22nd by the bookmakers. Who knows, maybe she will break the negative spiral of not reaching the finals. Armenia: Armenia will actually be represented by a duo, which is not visible in the act. There is a lot of movement and several musicians have joined Ladaniva. A lot of cheerfulness is visible. And take note: you are not drunk, you really see the duo multiple times, displayed on the LED screens. The bookmakers give Armenia a 17th place. Latvia: We could now say that Dons’ hair is different from the last rehearsal, but that would be trivial. What we see in the photos is virtually the same as what we had seen two days earlier: Dons in blue in a circle, calmly singing his song. He is currently ranked 27th by the bookmakers. It will be a close call for Latvia whether Hollow will make it.

Malmö Messages: circles, a lot of fire and an open white shirt

Latvia is represented by Dons with his song “Hollow”. Dons, dressed in a suit with a sleeveless blue jacket, stands alone on stage inside a sort of circle, also in blue with pink and orange. On the LED screens, we see gently blinking lights, as well as circles and other figures. For San Marino, the Spanish group Megara will perform. They sing “11:11”. Just like during the national final, the members of Megara are again dressed in pink and black, but now with a slightly different pattern. The LED screens also display black and pink; we see a forest and dragons; a mix between Snow White and The Addams Family. According to eurovision.tv, the dance moves don’t quite match what we expect from a rock band. And of course, there are fireworks: smoke and large fireballs. Nutsa Buzaladze will represent Georgia with a song about her Firefighter. Nutsa starts on a black platform, dressed in a golden mini dress with boots. She stands there alone in red light. Behind her is a glowing circle. However, after the first verse, four dancers in black appear. Throughout the song, the LED screens display fireballs. There is also a lot of, a great deal of fire on stage. It’s becoming a tradition. EBU/Corinne Cumming Then it’s Mustii’s turn. He will represent Belgium with his song “Before the party is over”. During the performance, Musti wears a white shirt that is open. He wears a top with inlaid sparkling stones. He builds the act slowly: at the beginning, he stands in a circle of microphones on a rotating platform. He is not only surrounded by smoke but also smoke appears on the LED screens. At the end of his performance, he steps forward. Then the choir, consisting of Eurovision fans who could send in their singing, can be heard. Especially this part seems to make a big impression.

Dons

© EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett About Quick Facts NameArtūrs Šingirejs Born10 April 1984 Nationality🇱🇻 Latvian National SelectionSupernova 2024Dziesma 2014Eirodziesma 2010 In Eurovision2024 Malmö SongHollow (2024) Biography Artūrs Šingirejs (born 10 April 1984), better known as Dons, is a Latvian singer and songwriter. He has achieved remarkable success with the release of eight solo albums, securing multiple accolades, including winning the Latvijas Radio’s Muzikālās Banka (translated as ‘Musical Bank’) Song of the Year award five times. At the Latvian Music Recording Awards, his albums Varanasi (2014) and Tūrists (2020) have each earned him the Best Pop Album title, out of five nominations. His album Lelle (2008) garnered him the Best Rock Album award from two nominations, and Signāls (2013) received a nomination for Best Pop-Rock Album. In 2024, he emerged victorious in the Supernova song competition with his English single “Hollow,” earning him the opportunity to represent Latvia at the Eurovision Song Contest. Prior to this, he had twice aimed to represent Latvia at Eurovision with the tracks “My Religion is Freedom” (2010) and “Pēdējā Vēstule” (2014), finishing as the runner-up in the Latvian national finals on both occasions. Originating from Saldus, Latvia, Dons kick-started his career on the Latvian reality show Talantu Fabrikā (meaning ‘Talent Factory’) in 2003. He released a duet album titled Viens Otram (2004) with Lily (real name Linda Kalniņa, married in 2009 and divorced in 2013) following their participation in the show. His debut solo album, Lights On (2006), was predominantly in English, marking the beginning of his successful career. He then continued to release seven subsequent albums in Latvian: Lelle (2008), Signāls (2013), Varanasi (2014), Sibīrija (2015), Tepat (2016), Namiņš. Kaste. Vārdi (2018), and Tūrists (2020). While performing internationally, he has adopted the stage names Art Green and Art Singer. When he represented Latvia in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest with his song “Hollow”, Dons managed to reach the Grand Final. He ended up in 16th place there. Entries Hollow Country🇱🇻 Latvia Year2024 LanguageEnglish LyricsArtūrs ŠingirejsKate NorthropLiam Geddes MusicArtūrs ŠingirejsKate NorthropLiam Geddes BackingsKrists IndrišonoksLiam Geddes Results Semi Points: 72Position: 9Running order: 7 Results Finals Points: 64Position: 16Running order: 11 https://youtu.be/kgIwQkMwURY?si=q085KGUui-8zwqbu

🇱🇻 Dons for Latvia in Malmö

Dons wins! It’s gonna be Dons for Latvia. will sing the song “Hollow”, which is written by Artūrs Šingirejs, Kate Northrop and Liam Geddes. Dons will perform in the second half of the second semifinal. You will find the full results here: Dons, “Hollow” Vēstulēs, “Kur?” Katrīna Gupalo, “The cat’s song” Alekss Silvers, “For the show” Saint Levića, “Tick Tock” Edvards Strazdiņš, “Rock ‘n’ roll supernova” Ecto, “Outsider” Avéi, “Mine” Funkinbiz, “Na chystu vodu” Papīra Lidmašīnas, “Mindbreaker”

🇱🇻 Latvia will select an entry tonight

Latvia will select their entry tonight. After a semifinal last week, 10 songs will compete in the final of Supernova. The show starts at 20:10 CET and you can watch it here. Lauris Reiniks and Ketija Šēnberga will host the show, that takes place in LTV Studio 6 in Riga. Below you will find the 10 competing songs: nr. Title Artist(s) 1 Kur? Vēstulēs 2 Mine Avéi 3 Mindbreaker Papīra Lidmašīnas 4 The cat’s song Katrīna Gupalo 5 Outsider Ecto 6 Hollow Dons 7 Tick Tock Saint Levića 8 Rock ‘n’ roll supernova Edvards Strazdiņš 9 Na chystu vodu Funkinbiz 10 For the show Alekss Silvers Avéi was 5th last year.Katrīna Gupalo took part in 2018 and remained in the semifinal.Dons was the runner-up in 2010 and in 2014.Saint Levića participated in 2017 (4th).Edvards Strazdiņš was involved in the 2020 internet voting.

🇱🇻 These are the Latvian finalists!

Latvia has chosen 10 finalists out of 15. Next week, they will compete in the final, in order to select the Latvian entry. Here are the results: Agnese Rakovska sings “AI” Patrīcija Spale sings “Heaven’s raining down on me” B/H sings “Amsterdam” Alekss Silvers sings “For the show” Jar Of Kings sings “Wildfire” Saint Levića sings “Tick Tock” Sasha Sil sings “Love is a language” Papīra Lidmašīnas sings “Mindbreaker” Avéi sings “Mine” Ecto sings “Outsider” Dons sings “Hollow” Katrīna Gupalo sings “The cat’s song” Funkinbiz sings “Na chystu vodu” Vēstulēs sings “Kur?” Edvards Strazdiņš sings “Rock ‘n’ roll Supernova”

🇱🇻 Latvia: Supernova starts with semifinal

It’s time for Supernova, the Latvian national final. Tonight, 15 songs will be presented, 10 of which will head to the final next week. The show starts at 20:10 CET and you can watch it here. Below you’ll find the 15 titles: Agnese Rakovska sings “AI” Patrīcija Spale sings “Heaven’s raining down on me” B/H sings “Amsterdam” Alekss Silvers sings “For the show” Jar Of Kings sings “Wildfire” Saint Levića sings “Tick Tock” Sasha Sil sings “Love is a language” Papīra Lidmašīnas sings “Mindbreaker” Avéi sings “Mine” Ecto sings “Outsider” Dons sings “Hollow” Katrīna Gupalo sings “The cat’s song” Funkinbiz sings “Na chystu vodu” Vēstulēs sings “Kur?” Edvards Strazdiņš sings “Rock ‘n’ roll Supernova” Agnese Rakovska represented Latvia in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest with “Line”. She was a member of the group Triana Park. They also took part in the national finals in 2008 (4th), 2009 (4th), 2010 (4th), 2011 (final, but due to an illnes of Agnese they had to withdraw) and 2012 (9th).Saint Levića participated in 2017 (4th).Avéi was 5th last year.Dons was the runner-up in 2010 and in 2014.Katrīna Gupalo took part in 2018 and remained in the semifinal.Edvards Strazdiņš was involved in the 2020 internet voting.