Samanta Tina: I did not plan to send "Still breathing" to Supernova or even enter this year

Photo: Arturs Martinovs

The next artist I'm interviewing is someone we all are very familiar with as she has taken part in some NFs in the past but this year she has brought with her a bop with a powerful message behind it, here are Samanta's answers:
Name: Samanta Tina
Birthday: 31st of March
Height: 168cm
Favorite color: for now Rubin green
Favorite food: I love Mussels in white wine
What’s your strangest talent? Play on nerves to the others
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? That there is only a bed- nothing more!
What are you really good at? Playing on nerves:)
What are you really bad at? Being patient
Childhood idol: Lara Fabian
Childhood memory: I was dreaming to become a Vet!
Celebrity crush: Andrea Bochelli
Who would you cast to play you in a movie about your life? Vivjen Lee
What would the title of that movie be? "Singer with passion"
Favorite movie: "Matilda"
Favorite TV series: They are too long for me:)
Dish/Snack/Beverage/Candy we should try if we ever visit Latvia: Black balsam with black bread with honey!
If you were a boy for a day, what would you do? Do everything a woman asks!
Can you recommend us a song (old or new) from a Latvian artist? "Tumša nakte zaļa zāle"
Can you teach me some interesting words in Latvian?
HidroElektroStacija! Karamelizēts! Mazbudžeta plāns!

Hello Samanta! Welcome back to the Eurovision universe!

How would you describe yourself as an artist?
- Singer with passion!

Photo: Lauris Vīksne

What have you learned from your past NF's experiences?
- To pay more attention to mistakes!

You are one of the participants of Supernova 2020, how did it all begin?
- When I recorded Still Breathing at the end of 2019 lots of friends were motivating me to send it to Supernova! I did not plan to send this song to Supernova or even enter this year!

“Still breathing” is the title of your song, and it is written by you and Aminata. How was it to work with her?
- She is really talented and an amazing person! We are stage collegues! :)

What’s the story behind the song?
- A story of a woman's inexorable power, drawing attention to society's stereotypes of women - we must be ideal mothers, wives, mistresses, and successful careerists with big future career plans, sometimes able to be masculine to exist for ourselves, our loved ones and our dreams. At the same time, you must maintain a perfect look and be able to take care of everyone around you too. One big SYSTEM with a number of obligations that don't give you discounts! We women don't have time to stop - We keep breathing and doing. But what really matters most is that we are happy and in love with ourselves, without losing ourselves as a woman, that we find time for ourselves - not as mothers, wives, careerists, but simply as women, whatever our social status, marital status, size and public stereotypes. Because we can! And yes I am of those strong women as well!:)

What can we expect to see on stage for the performance?
- Lot of energy and power!

I loved the outfits you and your backing singers wore in the auditions, can we expect something similar for the performance in the final?
- Something similar yes, but not the same :)

Tell us about the music video of "Still breathing":
- The same story as the song- nowadays women already from childhood are getting ready to be in the system....do everything, be everything and learn everything, but we are women not robots- we need to smile more and care more about ourselves, stop paying so much attention to our weight, ages, social status and stereotypes that everybody waits from women!

What do you like about Eurovision?
- That so many countries are coming together with love as friends on one stage!

What do you dislike about Eurovision?
- When it's mixed with Politics!

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:
Elephant: Big
Privilege: Woman
Energy: Power
Whisper: Peace
Lesson: Whole life!

Photo: Lauris Vīksne

What are your plans for 2020?
More performances around Europe, more travel!

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?
Goood luck to everyone!

Thanks to Samanta for the interview!

Facebook: SamantaTina
Instagram: samantatina

Katrīna Dimanta: I love telling stories with my songs

Latvia was one of my favorites in 2014 so when I saw our next interviewee's name on the list of possible participants for 2020 I got happy, but what made me even happier was listening to her song and seeing rock the stage in the auditions, here are Katrīna's answers:

Name: Katrīna Dimanta

Birthday: February 3

Height: 167

Favorite color: Green

Favorite food: Gelato

What’s your strangest talent? - I can twist my tongue like a lizard, it’s funny to see that. 

What is the strangest thing you have in your room? - At the moment My sister :D. No, no, just kidding,  I guess the thing - that I have a lot of different musical instruments and cow leather to make specific Latvian traditional shoes called - Pastalas. 

What are you really good at? Working as a medical clown at hospital, singing to children, talking to them, being funny. 

What are you really bad at? Remembering names :(

Childhood idol: Linda Leen (Latvian singer)

Childhood memory: I remember that in childhood we always spent summers in Alūksne, at our countryside with my grandmother. Had fun with my brothers, sisters and cousins. Once we slept in hen at barn and I remember we stayed up all night long playing games, went for a swim and told spooky stories, I got scared and had to wake up grandma and sleep at home. 

Celebrity crush: Freddie Mercury 

Who would you cast to play you in a movie about your life? I’m not sure that I have seen an actor who could play me, I think she will get known soon, in the next few years. Keep your eyes open and let me know when you see her!

What would the title of that movie be? - “Latvian diamond”? What do you think? Maybe “Boom, boom”. Who knows.. Let's live and see what destiny brings to us. 

Favorite movie: HUGO

Favorite TV series: Friends, HIMYM

Dish/Snack/Beverage/Candy we should try if we ever visit Latvia: Garlic bread, Latvian black balsam, Laima chocolate, Kvass (non alcoholic beverage), beer.

What is your guilty pleasure? Gin and tonic

If you were a boy for a day, what would you do? I would do sports, see how it’s to run, ride a bicycle, kiss a girl. 

Can you recommend us a song (old or new) from a Latvian artist? “Instrumenti” - Life Jacket Under Your Seat 

Can you teach me some interesting words in Latvian? Dimanta - diamond; Buča - a little kiss on a cheek; Skaisti - beautiful; Arlabunakti - goodnight; Alus - beer; Priekā - Cheers; Bruņurupucis - Turtle; Debess - sky; Zvaigzne - star; Pasmaidi - smile. 

Hello Katrina! Welcome back to the Eurovision universe!

Thank you, darling, Oswald!!! <3

How would you describe yourself as an artist?

As an artist I try to show people the highest levels how to experience music. I love telling stories with my songs. I think that I have many talents, I am an artist with a great voice. I love to perform on the stage and exchange energy with the audience. I play music because that’s the best way to express myself and Love being on the stage. I get inspired by people, nature and traveling. 

You were part of Aarzemnieki and represented Latvia in 2014, what do you remember the most from that year and what did you learn from that experience?

I had the honour to represent Latvia back in 2014. I remember meeting a lot of amazing people, working hard and most of all - the feeling that I got on the stage- it was pure happiness, people singing along, feeling loved, beautiful audience.  

This experience has given me a glimpse of what the Eurovision song contest really is and I can be prepared if we qualify to represent Latvia in ESC 2020. I am very happy about this opportunity and we are working very hard to go back and show everyone that Latvia can. 

You are one of the participants of Supernova 2020, how did it all begin?

I had a nice song in Latvian, the melody was so sticky and I loved it. We had a thinking session and we decided to give it a go in english as well. I love Latvian version PIPARS and also adore HEART BEATS. I feel confident about this song and happy that we can be a part of Supernova and hopefully Eurovision. Also finally I feel that I can give more to the world being a solo artist.

“Heart beats” is the title of your song, and it is written by you, Herberts Blumbergs, Andis Ansons and Jānis Bērziņš. How was it to work with them?

All guys that I worked with are professionals. Herbe (Herberts) comes from a punk music world, Andis has great experience producing different kind of music and Jānis is an amazing guitar player. We came together at a charity camp Līdzskaņa, that helps musicians, who have problems. We had a music writing session, had a lot of fun, talked nonsense and also a lot about my past relationships. This song came to us very easy and we all were very happy about the result. 

What’s the story behind the song?

Song is about love, of course, as for all of us it's important. It's about a girl who wakes up one morning and have planned everything, but then on her way...she meets her old friend, whom they have had something common in past. They meet and hearts goes wild BUM BUM, now is the time, destiny has got them back together and they live happily ever after! 

I like it, i love it..sometimes I am a bit annoyed that it sticks in my mind on repeat, but still I like it a lot and I love performing it. 

What can we expect to see on stage for the performance? 

What I know for sure - on the stage there will be two dancers, I will be singing :).  We are working on a concept and on the show these next few days, so I will be able to tell more next week. :)

What do you like about Eurovision?

I really like the Eurovision community, actually love it! I like the possibility to see so many great artists, show. I like that Eurovision is a place to feel safe and happy at. 

What do you dislike about Eurovision?

If I have to think about Eurovision and find something to dislike, then I may consider that it’s happening only once a year as a sad fact. 

Photo: Tenis Dimants

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:

Garage: Dad

Poem: Roses are read, violets are blue, sugar is sweet and so are you! 

Recycle: Now

Loop: Never ending circle

Theater: Phantom of the opera

Photo: Tenis Dimants

What are your plans for 2020?

I think that in 2020 it would be nice to represent Latvia in Eurovision at Rotterdam. Besides that I have plans to play music in different countries, I will record my first solo album, spend time with my family, travel, work with people around the world, be happy. 

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?

I wish that everyone has a great health and happy soul. Be positive and do things in life with love!

Thanks to Katrina for the interview!

Facebook: KatrinaDimantaMusic
Instagram: katrinadimanta

Latvia 2019: Carousel

The winner of Supernova 2019 is Carousel with That night:

I feel like I should love this but for some reason I dont, she is a good performer and the camera work is stunning but the song is just okay.

Latvia 2018: Laura Rizzotto

Photo: Lauris Vīksne

Here is the winner of Supernova 2018: Laura Rizzotto with "Funny girl":

I dont know how this song will do in may but I think she is a brilliant performer, and I cant wait to see her on the ESC stage! Good luck Laura!

Latvia 2017: Triana Park

Here is the song that is going to represent Latvia this year: Line by Triana Park

Good job, Latvia! I really like this! They are pretty good performers and I love the atmosphere they create on stage.

Shout out to The Ludvig, who was my second favorite in the NF:

2016: National selections (2)

Here is the 2nd part of my favorite NF songs from 2016:

Kristi Popa - Ajo çfarë ndjej

Catalepsia - Damnation

NAVI - Heta ziamlia

Erna Mist & Magnus Thorlacius - Ótöluð orð

Kállay Saunders Band - Who We Are

Boris René - Put Your Love on Me

Pur:Pur  - We Do Change

Robin Bengtsson - Constellation Prize

Laila Samuels - Afterglow

Mick Pedaja - Seis

THE HARDKISS - Helpless

Mikael Saari - On It Goes

Latvia 2016: JUSTS!

The winner of Supernova 2016 is...JUSTS!

The Supernova 2016 finalists were all really good so lets give a big round of applause to all of them and to LTV! Justs was just awesome since day one and Im really happy for him but now its time for him and his team to work hard on the eurovision performance! Right now I cant see him doing better than Aminata last year but I can see him in the top 10. GO LATVIA!

BIG SHOUT OUT TO: 

CATALEPSIA

MYRADIANTU

MARTA RITOVA

and of course to RIGAS BEAVER!

LOVE HIM!

Catalepsia: "Our goal is to try new things and reach the audience that haven’t heard about us before"

Photo: Adelīna Darviņa

Good morning! Let's start the day with an interview with one of the semifinalists from Supernova 2016, here are the answers from CATALEPSIA:
Name: Erwin
Birthday: July 23, 1990
Height: 1,96 m
Favorite color: It depends on my mood but I prefer black, bloody red and fir green
Favorite food: Different kinds of Indian dishes
What do you do in the band? I am the vocalist and the guitar player as well. Also, I do the songwriting.
Where are you right now? In my flat
3 things that make you happy: Listening to metal music, meeting friends and playing live gigs
What’s your strangest talent? Scaring people without a purpose to scare them
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? The chain on my wall
What are you really good at? Making hellish noise
What are you really bad at? Somersaulting
Childhood idol: James Hetfield
Childhood memory: Playing guitar with a tennis racquet
Celebrity crush: Angela Gossow
Tell me something no one knows about you: I am unable to see pink color
What would you do if you were invisible? I would scare the shit out of people who piss me off
Favorite movie: The Lord of the Rings
Favorite TV series: Vikings
If you were a girl/boy for a day, what would you do? I would try lesbian sex
What is your guilty pleasure? Making fun of death
Name a song that never fails to make you happy: Carnivore – Jesus Hitler
Can you teach me some interesting words in Latvian? One word in Latvian I have found silly lately has been the archaism “sapurgāt” which basically means “to spoil something”.

Photo: Adelīna Darviņa

Name: Krišjānis
Height: 1.84 m
Favorite color: Darkness
Favorite food: Guts of the innocent
What do you do in the band? Rhythm creation, useless philosophy
Where are you right now? In my comfy pants
3 things that make you happy: My family, my drumsticks, annihilation of false gods
What’s your strangest talent? Making all the food disappear
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? A book about some Hindu religious stuff, half destroyed by my child.
What are you really good at? Staring
What are you really bad at? Sleeping
Childhood idol: My dad
Childhood memory: Random memory? It was a beautiful sunny day. I was riding my first bicycle, wearing a bright yellow shirt with a picture of a butterfly on it, my golden locks dancing in the wind. Suddenly I got flushed with a bucket full of dirty water, recently used for cleaning a filthy floor.
Celebrity crush: Shakira, Anne Hathaway, Emma Watson.
Tell me something no one knows about you: There is no such thing
What would you do if you were invisible? Dance like nobody’s watching. Because they aren’t.
Favorite movie: ’’The Room’’
Favorite TV series: ’’Brickleberry’’
If you were a girl/boy for a day, what would you do? My day would be exactly the same.
What is your guilty pleasure? I do not feel guilt.
Name a song that never fails to make you happy: ’’Pīppauze’’ by Krāsainais kas
Can you teach me some interesting words in Latvian? Yes.

Photo: Adelīna Darviņa

Name: Juris
Birthday: 26th of January
Height: 1,82 m
Favorite color: Blue
Favorite food: Chicken breast
What do you do in the band? Play guitar, compose songs
Where are you right now? In my apartment, sitting on a sofa
3 things that make you happy: Music, loved ones, sports
What’s your strangest talent? Talking to cats
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? Holy Bible
What are you really good at? Living my life
What are you really bad at? Answering this kind of questions
Childhood idol: Ultraman
Childhood memory: Playing in the sandbox with my brother
Celebrity crush: None
Tell me something no one knows about you: If I will tell that, someone will know
What would you do if you were invisible? I would go around and watch people
Favorite movie: One of favorites – The Lord of the Rings
Favorite TV series: Vikings, Breaking Bad, Lost, Dexter
If you were a girl/boy for a day, what would you do? I guess I would explore the new possibilities
What is your guilty pleasure? Eating unhealthy food
Name a song that never fails to make you happy: Purple rain
Can you teach me some interesting words in Latvian? Šaursliežu dzelzceļš

Photo: Adelīna Darviņa

MyRadiantU: "We will be stars" is a song of hope for freedom

Photo: Matīss Markovskis

Time for our 2nd Supernova interview! Here are the answers of Janis from MYRADIANTU:
Name: Janis Driksna
Birthday: 18.10.1981
Height: 1,80 m
Favorite color: blue
Favorite food: a good medium rare stake with a glass of red wine
What do you do in the band? I am the lead singer, producer, song writer
Where are you right now? The band is located in Riga, but I live in Jelgava, Latvia
3 things that make you happy: to see my kids happy, warm and beautiful spring time, arts
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? poopy diaper of my youngest daughter :)
What are you really good at? I am good at music, and I love carpentry
What are you really bad at? Keeping a good diet, cos I love food:)
Childhood idol: I loved theatre and ballet, but can't remember a particular person that I would have idolized
Childhood memory: definitely my first bike, I also did BMX as a kid for about 5 years
Celebrity crush: haven’t had one, honest :)
Tell me something no one knows about you: in that case everyone would know about it :)
What would you do if you were invisible? I would hang out in crowded places and observe people
Favorite movie: one of the favorites would be Gladiator
Favorite TV series: Friends
If you were a girl for a day, what would you do? Probably try to cope with the shock :)
What is your guilty pleasure? A Cuban cigar with a glass of some 20 years old Port watching "Notting Hill"
Name a song that never fails to make you happy: Something of Mumford and Sons type of music, Civil Wars
Can you teach me some interesting words in Latvian?  Hello guys! How are you? - Sveiki Zēni! Kā klājas?

How would you describe the band?
We are very much in to the music production; we are a duet and we work closely with our friends. So it's a bunch of people that like to hang out and work on music together. We like to keep it very positive and happy, yet touching themes that concern us and that we believe are important.

How did you meet each other?
Mainly through songwriting and having dinners together as well as working in the studio. The band started out as a producer’s project. At first we didn't do any performances, it was just about writing and releasing music and listening to lots of different stuff.

Photo: Matīss Markovskis

You are one of the participants of Supernova 2016. How did it all begin?
We started by partaking at Eurosong 2014 with "Going All The Way" We realized that it's pretty hard to win in one go and knew right away that we'll do it again. So, this year we submitted a song that we wrote and that we felt had a relevant message for today.

“We will be stars” is the title of your song, what’s the story behind it?
The song is about setting someone free from captivity. It's a song of hope for freedom, for being who you dreamt, or where meant to be. It's about taking back your confidence when you lose it or when it's being taken away and realizing that you have a voice and it can be heard. It's dedicated to all of the modern day slavery fighters.

Describe the song with 4 words:
You can be a star!

What can we expect to see on stage for the performance?
Expect a good song that is sung very well and powerfully. It will be a pretty static performance; because we believe the song itself has a powerful message in it.

What do you like about Eurovision?
It's a great chance to be heard and to express yourself and music you write as a person or a collective. A chance to present your country and some of your culture and values.

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:
Birds: eagle
Nightmare: failure as a dad
Stage: lights
Sleepwalking: never had a chance :)
Aminata: reserved
Flowers: strong perfume
Dreams: flying

What are your plans for 2016?
We are releasing our first studio album in March called "The City of Love" Planning a small presentation tour around Latvia, hitting the festivals in the summer........And hope to spend some quality time in Stockholm :):):)

Photo: Matīss Markovskis

Thanks to Janis for the interview! Good luck in Supernova!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myradiantu
Official website: http://www.myradiantu.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/janisdriksna
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/myradiantu

DVINES: "Our duo is unbreakable"

Photo: Mā Photo Pleasure

Good morning Latvia! On sunday we got the names of the Supernova 2016 finalists and now it's time to post an interview with one of them. Here are the answers of DVINES:
Name: Anastasia and Katherine
Birthday: 28th of June, 1991
Height: 157cm (both)
Favorite color: A: white, K: red
Favorite food: Avocado
Where are you right now? At home, in Riga
3 things that make you happy: Family, Music, Animals
What’s your strangest talent? We can read each other’s minds
What is the strangest thing you have in your room? DIY ringlight for beauty pics
What are you really good at? Listening
What are you really bad at? Lying
Childhood idol: Michael Jackson, and still is
Childhood memory: Setting up music concerts for our family members
Celebrity crush: A: Leonardo DiCaprio, K: Chris Hemsworth
What would you do if you were invisible? Walk around naked
Favorite movie: It’s too hard to answer; there are too many great movies
Favorite TV series: Friends, Game of Thrones
If you were a boy for a day, what would you do? We would say compliments to every girl we would see.
What is your guilty pleasure? Nutella….mmm
Name a song that never fails to make you happy: Any Disney soundtrack
Can you teach me some interesting words in Latvian? Well :D Let’s see: DVINES - Twin-sisters, Burbulvanna - Bubble bath, Saldejums - Ice cream. Pretty random, ha? :)

Hello girls! How are you?
Hi! We’re great, thank you for asking! Really excited about the upcoming month, a lot of things to do - a little overwhelmed about that, but very positively excited.

How would you describe yourself as an artist?
We started out at a quite young age, when we were 17. At first we just went with the flow, didn’t put our hearts into music, but just did it for fun. We have been gone from the music stage for the last 3 years, because there was a moment when we realised we were probably moving in a wrong direction. So now, at the age of 24, we are back, fully acknowledging our direction, musical taste and the message we bring out to the public. We’d say we are young, dedicated and very close, so our duo is unbreakable.

You are one of the participants of Supernova 2016. How did it all begin?
As we mentioned earlier - we have taken a break from music for a while. But the last year we’ve been working on finding our unique sound, putting together our first EP, produced by talented Latvian producer - Makree, who is also the producer of our Supernova song. So, we were working on new music, and by the time the auditions for Supernova were announced, we had a couple of songs ready for our EP. And we just decided to give it a try and participate. We are very humbled and pleased, that the song was chosen, since it hasn’t been written specifically for Eurovision, but just as a single for the EP.

“Set it on fire” is the title of your song, what’s the story behind it?
“Set it on Fire” is one of the pieces of the storyline of our EP. It is very personal. It tells about fighting your anxiety, setting all the fears, insecurities, doubts on fire and starting a new life, not paying attention to anyone’s opinion anymore. Since we are the writers of the song, it comes from a very personal experience, but the message is universal, and we hope that anybody will be able to relate to it.

Describe the song with 4 words:
Personal, sincere, fresh and modern.

What can we expect to see on stage for the performance?
Well, we can’t pull out all the cards before the show, but we definitely have some surprises prepared. We won’t be alone on stage.

Do you already know what you’re going to wear for the semifinal?
Yes, in fact we do, and it’s going to be all white, designed by Katherine.

What do you like about Eurovision?
The best thing about Eurovision is the feeling of unity. Europe is cool, diverse and unified and you can sense it and feel so proud of it every time Eurovision comes up.

What do you dislike about Eurovision?
One thing that maybe might be negative about Eurovision, is that it puts some kind of label on artists, and puts them into a certain group of artists, who are known as “former Eurovision contestants”. But at the end of the day, it all depends on the artist himself, if he is able to produce and go on with good music after the competition, then he won’t be forgotten and labeled as such.

Tell me the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word:
Clown: scariest thing ever
Nightmare: dark
Air: clean
Stage: lights
Aminata: she’s awesome
Watermelon: summer
Dreams: peace

What are your plans for 2016?
Releasing our EP might be called the highlight of our year. Of course, Eurovision might be a nice gift to ourselves as well :D More music, more projects, music videos and lots of work ahead.

Is there anything you want to say to close the interview?
We’d like to thank all the Eurovision fans for following Supernova. We wish you all a fun time of running thought this Eurovision marathon. Let’s all just have fun and enjoy good music and the unity of Europe!

Thanks to DVINES for the interview! All the best in Supernova!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DvinesOfficial/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DvinesTwins
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvinesofficial/

THE LAST POST OF 2015

Usually my last post of the year is my top 10 with videos and pictures of some moments from Eurovision but this year I didnt feel like doing that and I also have a pretty clear top 5 so Im going to post their performances and some pictures.

Here is my top 5 of Eurovision 2015:

5.Sweden: Måns Zelmerlöw - Heroes

4.Norway: Mørland & Debrah Scarlett - A Monster Like Me

3.Estonia: Elina Born & Stig Rästa - Goodbye To Yesterday

This was probably my favorite visual performance! They did a fantastic job and I love the song.

Photo: Renee Altrov (ERR)

2.Latvia: Aminata - Love injected

 

1.Belgium: Loïc Nottet - Rhythm Inside

There is so much talent inside of this young man, I mean he is just amazing! Team Loic!

Happy new year to everyone!