Here we go! Today we’re welcoming Latvia to our recent set of confirmed countries in ESCToday’s 10 Days of Confirmations. Will 2018 be the year that Latvia crosses the line and receives their second ever Eurovision victory?
As was confirmed earlier today, LTV will compete at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in the host city of Lisbon, ready for their 19th participation in the competition!
The nation will be searching for their second victory next year, having last won the competition in 2002. But who can be Latvia’s star for 2018?
Latvia’s Eurovision history
We first saw the Baltic nation taking part at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2000, in which a national final took place in order to select the country’s first entry for the competition.
Earning that honour was the pop-rock group Brainstorm who, with their entry My star, brought the nation a successful 3rd place; a sign of what was to come in the following years.
Only 2 years after their debut, the country earned their first and only victory to date in the competition with Marie N and her song I wanna, winning the competition with 176 points.
Marie N’s victory has remained one of the memorable victory in the years to follow as the singer’s act included a grand costume stage during the big performance! Let’s look back to Latvia’s glorious victory.
The year’s the follow have seen a mix of results for the nation, including a 6 year non-qualification streak from 2009 to 2014. However, that all changed with the introduction of Supernova in 2015.
Introducing Supernova!
In 2015, the Latvian national broadcaster decided to change their selection process for the Eurovision Song Contest by introducing a brand new competition for the event – Supernova.
Consisting of 2 heats, a semi-final and a grand final show, we see a total of between 20-22 acts competing for the right to represent their nation at the Eurovision Song Contest, the winner of which being determined in the final via a public vote.
The change in selection process brought great successful for the country in both 2015 and 2016, which saw the return of the country to the Eurovision final following years of non-qualifications.
Despite 2 thriving participations for the nation, 2017 saw the return of the streak in Kyiv, with Triana Park and their entry Line finished in last place in their semi-final with a total of 21 points.
Since their 2000 debut, Latvia has always opted to select their entries via a national selection. Would the return of Supernova be the right move for Latvia in 2018? Let us know your thoughts.
Supernova 2018?
With the return of Supernova looking likely for Eurovision 2018, who would you like to see competing in the country’s national selection? Or in general, which acts do you think would be a good choice for Latvia at the competition?
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