Many of us never thought we’d see the day Lithuania’s national selection ended before the milk spoiled again. With this year’s “Pabandom iš naujo!” (Here we go again!), they’ve brought it down to the manageable 6 weeks regular Eurovision fans are used to with something like Melodifestivalen or A Dal (rest in peace), meaning we’re getting Lithuania’s entry very soon! While most of our eyes are on the 8 finalists, let’s take a look back and see who Lithuania left behind in Heat 1. We’ll skip past Meandi’s “Drip” and Monika Marija’s “If I Leave” for now, since they're in the final, and you’ve already heard about them if you’re keeping up.
Glossarium - Game Over
The show kicked off with an edgy rock song with a killer guitar. It certainly isn’t genre-defying, but if you’re a big fan of rock music, this is definitely the track for you.
Baltos Varnos - Namų dvasia
You’re not seeing double, this ethereal folk inspired ballad was performed by twin sisters. Traditional music styles are always welcome at Eurovision, especially with their unique voices and a build that pays off so well at the end of the track.
Justinas Lapatinskas - Highway Story
I have to give him credit, “Highway Story” sounds exactly like a long, uneventful highway journey. As a cheesy, mid-tempo serenade, it’s not at all offensive; unfortunately for Justinas, the 43 people in the entire country who cast him a televote couldn’t manage to bring it to the next round.
Aistay - Dangus man tu
For a low energy female pop track, Aistay certainly does her best to sell her song. The instrumental is varied enough on the transitions to keep parts of it interesting, but the song plateaus so often, it may not hold your attention for very long.
Petunija - Show Ya
The song is a mysterious combination of mild electronic elements in the verses and a sick electric guitar in the chorus, with a touch of Lithuanian pride sprinkled into the lyrics. If only she had the vocal ability to carry her own entry to the final.
Lukas Norkūnas - Atsiprašyk
Well, it certainly meets the requirements for a classic joke entry. A repetitive musical motif, spastic arm movements, unhinged falsetto and the eyeliner to match should be enough information for you to decide whether this song is for you without even hearing it.
Donata Virbilaitė - Made of Wax
Lyrically, “Made of Wax” outsells with its ability to stick to an entertaining theme that’s fun to watch her perform live. If she came in with something more distinctive than your run-of-the-mill double bass-heavy jazz track, it would have been a treat for both our eyes and our ears.
Andy Vaic - Why Why Why
The bass on the track is insanely catchy, and the electronic elements added as the song progresses make the instrumental one of the best of the night. The only aspect that might put you off is his voice cutting through the backing track like a knife to say the word “Why?” 47 times (yes, I counted) over the three minutes the song lasts.
Aika - Paradas
One of my personal favorites of the night, the guitar heavy track pop always manages to get me grooving when I’ve heard it since. It’s great to see such an expressive performer with such a well crafted track, although spinning around sweeping the floor with her outfit might have been what held her back with the voters.
Gabrielius Vagelis - Tave čia randu
Excited seeing Gabrielius’ name after his fantastic 2018 entry, “Tave čia randu” was the only track I listened to before the show. The combination of retro synths and guitar breaks with a modern foundation works great musically for a modern sounding mid-tempo pop track. However, I absolutely cannot ignore his trainwreck outfit and dance moves, I so desperately hoped he changed them both for the semifinal.
In the end, the qualifiers were Baltos Varnos, Petunija, Andy Vaic, Gabrielius Vagelis, and the previously mentioned Meandi and Monika Marija who we’ll see in the final. Thank you all for tuning in! The grand final is live on LRT on 15 February at 20:00 CET!