With “Run With The Lions” by Jurijus being one of my favorites from ESC 2019, I had high expectations of this year’s Lithuanian national selection (Pabandom iš naujo!). The first heat had 12 contestants, with half moving on to the semi-finals – as judged by a 50/50 split between a professional jury and public vote. Notably, many of the contestants shared a similar style of music and it seemed almost mandatory to feature TikTok dancing in the stage performances. One thing also became clear – those who sang in Lithuanian appeared to connect more, emotionally, with the lyrics than those who sang in English.
1. “Game Over” by Glossarium – With a lead singer inspired by legendary Kurt Cobain, Nirvana it was not. Mostly underwhelming performance missing an audience connection. (eliminated in this heat)
2. “Namų dvasia” by Baltos Varnos – This duo sang an impressive ethereal piece with great harmonies and stage performance. It was clear quickly that Baltos Varnos deserved to move to the grand finale. Very contemporary piece that could be produced easily for radio play. (moved on to the semi-finals)
3. “Highway Story” by Justinas Lapatinskas – The show took a turn after Justinas started his performance. While the song, itself, was just okay, the Karaoke-style performance just didn’t sell it. Justinas just needs a little polish to bring it up a level. (eliminated in this heat)
4. “Dangus man tu” by Aistay – This contemporary piece included ethereal elements and mostly on trend. However, nothing really stood out as new and different. There was no hook in the song and almost forgotten as soon as it finished. (eliminated in this heat)
5. “Show Ya” by Petunija – Best described as experimental with a groovy lounge feel, Petunija’s performance was okay, although she had some shaky vocals. Yet, quickly went to our second-place favorite in the performances so far, “making Lithuania famous.” (moved on to the semi-finals)
6. “Atsiprašyk” by Lukas Norkūnas – With a performance as rich and colorful as his guyliner, he was like a drunk sailor at a Karaoke bar. Very hard to follow and not my cup of tea. (eliminated in this heat)
7. “Made of Wax” by Donata Virbilaitė – Donata sold the performance, but in the end, the song couldn’t be saved. (eliminated in this heat)
8. “Why Why Why” by Andy Vaic – This Oxford professor really put himself out there. The style of music and performance were like a street performer during tourist season, and left me wondering why, why, why, did he make the choices he did? (moved on to the semi-finals – didn’t see that coming!)
9. "Paradas" by Aika – One of the best performances of the night with strong vocals but we were distracted by TikTok Frankenstein choreography. Perhaps too Avant guard? (eliminated in this heat)
10. "DRIP" by Meandi – Another experimental song that was similar to the others. Although the sampling of Rob Base added to the cheekiness, the TikTok dancing was distracting. I will never forget “blue ass pants.” (moved on to the semi-finals)
11. "If I Leave" by Monika Marija – Hands down the best performance of the night. Eurovision-ready, contemporary, and with attitude. Her vocals were spot on and she knows how to work a crowd. Highest scorer of the night by the jury and public. (moved on to the semi-finals)
12. "Tave čia randu" by Gabrielius Vagelis – Finishing strong, Gabrielius is a strong vocalist and the song won hearts. Again, though, really unusual TikTok dancing served as a major distraction. (moved on to the semi-finals)
In the end, the right six songs moved on to the semi-finals, but it was clear that just one had a fighting chance in this heat, and that was “If I Leave” by Monika Marija. I haven’t seen a semi-final this painful since Romania 2018 and think they could have shortened this process just a bit. Nevertheless, they kept the show moving and there weren’t any exceedingly boring parts. Because I’m writing this after the grand finale, I have a better framework in which to view Roop’s win – TikTok dancing is clearly a trend for Eurovision this year and he did it best for Lithuania.