The 68th international Eurovision Song Contest is starting in Malmö, Sweden. Today, May 7, the first semi-final will take place, and on Thursday – the second, in which the Latvian representative Don will perform with the song “Hollow”. The final will be held on Saturday, May 11.
Could Don manage to enter the final and end Latvia’s streak of failures in Eurovision? What trends are emerging in the competition this year? How has Latvia presented itself in general at this international event for 23 years now?
In 2000, Latvia made its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “My Star” by “Prāta Vētras” and won the high third place. This was followed by the appearance of Arņi Medņas with the composition “Too Much” and the 18th place, and then also the triumph of Latvia, when in 2002 Marija Naumova won the laurels with the song “I Wanna”.
After Marija Naumova’s victory, Latvia had good results two more times – in 2005, when “Walters&Kaža” won 5th place, and ten years later, when Aminata won 6th place. So, in total, during the 23 years since Latvia has participated in the competition, there have been four good achievements, the other participants have either remained in very low places in the finals or, for the most part, have not reached the finals at all.
Music columnist Sandris Vanzovičs, who has been closely following Eurovision since Latvia’s participation, and was also on the selection jury a few years ago, believes that it is very good that we participate in this event, because it is one of the rare opportunities for our musicians to show themselves internationally. However, as a competition, this event is not Latvia’s strong point, but you should not worry about it so much either.
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