The last time the representative of Latvia stepped on the stage of the Eurovision final was in 2016, and it was done by Just with the song “Heartbeat”.
The finals also include representatives of Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Armenia, Georgia, Estonia, Israel, Norway and the Netherlands. This means that all three Baltic countries will meet on the stage on Saturday, May 11.
The performances of Malta, Albania, the Czech Republic, Denmark, San Marino and Belgium remained behind the bar in the second semi-final.
At the press conference in Malmö after the second semi-final of Eurovision, Don said that today was a special day in his life: “I have never felt so proud to be a part of the Latvian nation, to be a Latvian.
We are the only country in the world that has the shape of a butterfly. The butterfly symbolizes hope and freedom, because to be a butterfly you have to fly and you have to be free. And every country in the world deserves to be free.”
Asked what it means to him to win such an intense competition and what it means to enter the finals together with the Baltic countries, Don said that for any artist, the journey to a competition of this level is an emotional and worrying moment: “I would say that I keep every good wish, every good word inside me , also from many of you here in the room who I actually talked to before. That warmth alone gives me the confidence to stay humble and be human.”
Talking about the actual message of the song, Don tells reporters: “The story of ‘Hollow’ is that there are so many difficulties and problems in our lives. Every day, all kinds of silly problems and big problems. But if we don’t hold on to a small ray of hope, that is somewhere up in the universe that will pull us out of the hole we are in sometimes… We have to hold on. There is hope and a bright future for all of us. I really believe that with all my heart.”
Don’s ballad “Hollow” was created together with the Irish songwriter and producer Liam Geddes (Liam Geddes) and American songwriter Kate Northrop (Kate Northrop), and was originally published in Latvian under the title “Kingdom of Broken Spears”. The Latvian version was recognized as the most valuable song of “Music Banks 2023”. The song was produced by Liam Geddes together with Rudolph Budzi, aka DJ Rudd.
When describing the song “Hollow”, Don previously chose to mention the words of his beloved Latvian poet: “Imants Ziedonis has said: “An awful lot of truths. You can fall apart if you don’t have your own.” That’s the core of how I feel this song, this message about what’s happening around us and how we see ourselves in the midst of all these events, and how tired it all is sometimes, and then we want to break free. .”
Don’s way to the stage of the second semi-final of Eurovision
Don’s way to the stage of the second semi-final of Eurovision2 min
Although the singer confidently became the winner of Latvian Television’s song contest “Supernova”, the public had doubts whether the song would make it past the semi-finals. In March, a survey by the research center “Norstat” reported that 24% of respondents believe that Don will fail to become one of the 10 semi-finalists who will try to win the Eurovision final.
On the other hand, shortly before the final, in the special edition of the Eurovision program “Smart, even smarter”, singer Roberto Meloni promised that if Don makes it to the final, he will cut his hair “down to zero”.
It should be noted that this year all the responsibility for who will make it to the final from the semi-final rested solely on the shoulders of the audience – the international jury did not participate in the voting.
Participants of the first semi-final of Eurovision:
Malta | Sarah Bonnici – Loop
Albania | Bessa – Titan
Greece | Maria Satti – Branches
Switzerland | Nemo – The Code
Final day
On the evening of the Eurovision final, on May 11, at 9:10 p.m., Jānis Pētersons from the group “Citi zēni”, as well as musician Kaspars Ansons and members of the group “Vēstulēs”, will invite you to the screens for a fun, yet informative discussion “Iešūpo Eurovision!” discuss how Don is doing in the competition this year and what to expect in the finals. There will also be an opportunity to look behind the scenes of the competition and listen to the representatives of the Latvian delegation.
On the other hand, at 22.00 it will finally be time to sympathize with the events of the Eurovision Song Contest final! The official Eurovision slogan “United in Music” reflects the power of music to bring together people from all over the world. Diversity will be one of the main features of this year’s competition, celebrating diversity not only in music, but also in emotion!
The final voting will start shortly before the first song.
Hollywood actress Malina Akermane and Eurovision veteran comedian Petra Mede host all live broadcasts of the contest from the Malmö Arena. The live broadcast of the Eurovision final in Latvia will be commented by Toms Grēviņš and Lauris Reiniks.
This is the third time the Eurovision Song Contest has been held in Malmö – previously in 1992 and 2013 – and the seventh time the contest has been held in Sweden. In 1975, 2000 and 2016, Eurovision was held in the capital Stockholm, and in 1985 – in Gothenburg.
“United By Music” has been chosen as the slogan of the 2024 international Eurovision Song Contest, and it will remain so for all the subsequent years of the contest. “Eurovision Light” will serve as the theme of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest.
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CONTEXT:
The 2024 Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Malmö, Sweden. Latvia is represented in Eurovision by Don with the song “Hollow”. He entered the Eurovision stage in the second semi-final with number 9 and was voted into the final of the competition.
In the first semi-final – on May 7 – Cyprus, Serbia, Lithuania, Ireland, Ukraine, Croatia, Slovenia, Finland, Portugal and Luxembourg won the ticket to the Eurovision final. From the second semi-final – on May 9 – Latvia, Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Armenia, Georgia, Estonia, Israel, Norway and the Netherlands made it to the final.
The 20 countries will join the 2023 Eurovision winner Sweden and the “big five” – Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and France. The final, where 26 countries will compete for places, will take place on May 11.
Artūrs Šingirejs or Don is one of the most awarded Latvian artists of the last decade.
The ballad “Hollow” was created together with the Irish songwriter and producer Liam Geddes (Liam Geddes) and American songwriter Kate Northrop (Kate Northrowp), and was originally published in Latvian under the title “Kingdom of Broken Spears”. The Latvian version was recognized as the most valuable song of “Music Banks 2023”.
The last time the representative of Latvia stepped on the stage of the Eurovision final was in 2016, and it was provided by the musician Justs with the song “Heartbeat”.
