Latvia reveals the 24 Eurovision candidates

by Sanjay (Sergio) Jiandani 320 views

LTV, the Latvian national broadcaster has revealed to esctoday.com the names of the 24 artists that will compete at the 2013 Latvian national selection.

The 24 acts have been divided into 2 groups,and they have been allotted into one of the 2 semi-finals.

 Semi-final 1: 8 February

  1. Pieneņu Vīns – Better than you
  2. Ivo Grīsniņš Grīslis – Give me a try
  3. Dominic Okolue – Good woman
  4. Liene Candy – Higher and higher
  5. Samanta Tīna – I need a hero
  6. Headline – Love
  7. Liene Matveja un Baiba Reine – Love responder
  8. Olafs Bergmanis & The random people – Never let me go
  9. Per – Sad trumpet
  10. Fox Lima – Tirpini
  11. Sabīne Berezina – Upside down
  12. Antra Stafecka  – When you are with me

Semi-final 2: 9 February

  1. Ieva Sutugova – Cold heart
  2. Dāvids Kalandija un Dināra – Fool in love
  3. Rūta Dūduma – Here I am
  4. Per – Here we go
  5. Andris Kivičs – Hey hey!
  6. Marta Ritova – I am who I am
  7. Mārtiņš Ruskis un 4 Vēji – Joey
  8. Framest – Let the night belong to the lovers
  9. Aiwink – Now or never
  10. Niko – One
  11. Kristīne Šomase – Phoenix fly
  12. Pieneņu Vīns – The one

The 2013 Latvian Eurovision selection will consist of 2 semi-finals on 8 and 9 February 2013 and the grand final 16 February. For the first time ever the semi-finals will be held in Riga’s Palladium Concert Hall and will be open to audience. The grand final will be held in Ventspils at the same venue as last year’s finals and will also be open to public. The Latvian broadcaster opened its  selection to foreign composers and authors to submit their entries and songs, though the competing artists/acts are strictly to be Latvian citizens. The list of the 24 competing songs was announced on 11 December. Listen to the Latvian songs on the revamped Latvian Eurovision website here.

As the producer of the project Zita Kaminska points out, “Dziesma 2013 has all prerequisites to become a positive event on the Latvian music scene as well as to provide the adventurous experience to the audience. The quality of the songs is remarkable as well as the preparations for the semi finals and final concerts are going on successfully. The directors of the show are Anna Vekmane and Zane Gargažina, but the hosts of all three broadcasts are actor Mārtiņš Meiers and  etno-tehno-trans-disko group MAD ANT aka as actresses Madara Boitmane and Anta Aizupe. Previously, we have focused entirely on the teleaudience but this year we have put an effort in making the audience present at the semi finals feel as being part of the show.”

Anna and Zane, the directors of the show are confident that the positive mood of the creative team is definitely going to make everybody to “stand up” as it is an exciting show bringing the joy to the team as well as the audience.

The following musicians have already agreed to performer as guest acts in the semi finals – Astro’n’out, Trianas Parks, DaGamba and Lara Bellerose (Belgium), Tumsa, Pulsa efekts, Riga Dom Cathedral Boys Choir, Anmary etc. Among the guests entering the stage of the final event are Labveligais tips, Ott Lepland (Estonia), Melo M etc.

As announced earlier the semi finals are taking place in the concert hall Palladium in Riga on February 8 ad 9, but the final will be in the theatre house Juras Varti in Ventspils on February 16. The tickets are still available online at Bilesu serviss.

The Latvian national selection for Eurovision Song Contest 2013 is possible to continuous partnership with Ventspils City and Ventspils Development Agency which are supporting the event for the 13th year.

Latvia debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest with Brainstorm’s My Star in 2000, and has won the event in 2002 with Marie N’s I wanna and successfully hosted the contest on home soil, in Riga in 2003.

Stay tuned to Esctoday.com for more news on Latvia and the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest.