This year's Lithuanian black horse is the group 4Fun. Hardly anyone expected this relatively unknown band to do so well in this year's preselection but here they are now, ready to compete in today's final after having won the Red quarter final and the first semi final.
4Fun lead singer, Julija Ritčik , spoke to our special correspondent Arvydas Makselis.


LT United stated back in 2006 that they were going to the Eurovision Song Contest for fun, what about you?

Lithuania always took the Eurovision Song Contest seriously. In fact, I think that nobody goes to Eurovision to have fun, it's too serious a contest. If some artists go just to party, what can we do about it? It's just a waste of time… Instead of wasting everyone�s time we could sit and think what we can offer the audience, to make them happy with our music.

At the beginning of the national preselection you weren't big favorites. When you came first in the red division's final, did you believe that one day you can be the winners?

Actually no… But I told myself “Yes, we are the best, we can win”. I think it's very important to do this, because when you believe in yourself, people believe in you as well. Imagine, some unknown singer comes on stage, and starts to sing without believing in himself. It's a tragedy. When I started singing, I was really nervous, but later everything went just great. And we won! After the results were announced the whole band was extremely happy because both the televote and the jury gave us 12 points. I didn�t expect such a unanimous vote. Everybody knows that even in Eurovision are a lot of songs that are underappreciated, and I was afraid this might happen during red final. But the 12 points from jury and televote gave us a lot of courage for the semi final and for the final.

A lot of people think that Eurovision must change – from the TV show it is today it should cross over to quality music. Do you agree?

For me, as for every simple fan of Eurovision, Eurovision has becomes an overladen contest… It seems that everybody wants to present an impressive show, because they think that there is no other way to win a good position in Eurovision. Sometimes it looks funny and even comic when some singer makes a show even if his song doesn't really need any show at all… I think there is a way to win spectators with an idea and with an open heart. Eurovision is a contest for easy and beautiful songs, which can be memorised after the first hearing. I'm a lover of lyrics!
I have to admit that Eurovision is greatly unpredictable. We don't know what mood the spectators will be in and what they will need from the singer. I have been watching the Eurovision Song Contest for almost 10 years now and there was just one time when I could predict the winner without thinking much – it was Ruslana. I would be strange if she didn�t win… I don't think it was possible to do more perfect that year.

On Saturday, on the final, both jury and televote will rate you. Who do you trust more – televote or jury?

During the red final, the jury commented positively on our performance and I was very glad because the people who were in the jury are people whose opnion I respect. I am happy because the jury did get the point of our song and performance, that's why I'd say that I trust more jury, but of course we know the televote is the most important thing in Eurovision. I don't sing to make people like me. I sing because it's my life. And if people love my songs – it's great!

Were you upset with the mistakes in the voting procedure?

Well, there were indeed some mistakes during the shows where we participated. But thank God we were the real winners! But for those who are claimed to be the winners on live, but in a few days LTV call them and say “Sorry guys, actually you are not the real winners”… It's really hard to accept this, I imagine how difficultit it must have been to realise that on Saturday you were the winner, but today you are eliminated from the show. But if I was one of them, I'd accept the results as they are. It's life!