Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010
Encyclopedia
Latvia and Latvijas Televīzija
(LTV) has confirmed participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, to be held in Oslo
, Norway
in May 2010. This came after financial instability in Latvia and LTV, which could have resulted in a withdrawal of the country. However after securing sponsorships and a co-operation agreement with the Ventspils
City Council a Latvian participation in the contest was secured. The Latvian entry will be decided through the Eirodziesma, which will be held in February 2010.
. Due to budget concerns only one show was held rather than a number of semi-finals and a final as was seen in previous years. 10 songs competed in the contest, with the top three songs selected by televoting and a jury progressing to a superfinal, where they competed again. Furthermore, unlike in previous years, the contest was open only to Latvian citizens. The deadline for song submissions was 15 January.
79 songs were submitted to LTV for the contest, of which ten were selected. These ten entries were announced on 22 January by LTV. The running order for the final was held on 3 February on the TV show Sems.
During the show, hosted from the Juras Varti Theatre in Ventspils
by Ugis Joksts and Kristine Virsnite, Switzerland
's 2010 entry Michael von der Heide
performed his entry "Il pleut de l'or
", and a video message by Poland
's entry Marcin Mroziński
also gave a video greeting.
Voting in Eirodziesma 2010 was made in terms of the song's placing, i.e. the 1st placed song received 1 point, the 2nd placed song received 2 points, etc. From the 10 competing songs, three were selected to progress to the super-final: Aisha
, Dons and Ivo Grīsniņš-Grīslis were the three superfinalists.
As there was a tie for first place in the Super Final between Aisha and Dons, the votes of the televote took precedence, which Aisha won. Therefore Aisha
was selected to represent Latvia with the song "What For? (Only Mr God Knows Why)", with Dons coming second and Ivo Grīsniņš-Grīslis coming third.
Latvijas Televizija
Latvijas Televīzija is the state-owned public service broadcasting television company in Latvia.The company is funded by grant-in-aid from the Latvian government , and gaining the rest from showing television commercials . Although moving LTV to licence fee funding has long been debated, this has...
(LTV) has confirmed participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, to be held in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
in May 2010. This came after financial instability in Latvia and LTV, which could have resulted in a withdrawal of the country. However after securing sponsorships and a co-operation agreement with the Ventspils
Ventspils
Ventspils is a city in northwestern Latvia in the Courland historical region of Latvia, the sixth largest city in the country. As of 2006, Ventspils had a population of 43,806. Ventspils is situated on the Venta River and the Baltic Sea, and has an ice-free port...
City Council a Latvian participation in the contest was secured. The Latvian entry will be decided through the Eirodziesma, which will be held in February 2010.
Eirodziesma 2010
The 2010 edition of Eirodziesma was held on 27 February in VentspilsVentspils
Ventspils is a city in northwestern Latvia in the Courland historical region of Latvia, the sixth largest city in the country. As of 2006, Ventspils had a population of 43,806. Ventspils is situated on the Venta River and the Baltic Sea, and has an ice-free port...
. Due to budget concerns only one show was held rather than a number of semi-finals and a final as was seen in previous years. 10 songs competed in the contest, with the top three songs selected by televoting and a jury progressing to a superfinal, where they competed again. Furthermore, unlike in previous years, the contest was open only to Latvian citizens. The deadline for song submissions was 15 January.
79 songs were submitted to LTV for the contest, of which ten were selected. These ten entries were announced on 22 January by LTV. The running order for the final was held on 3 February on the TV show Sems.
During the show, hosted from the Juras Varti Theatre in Ventspils
Ventspils
Ventspils is a city in northwestern Latvia in the Courland historical region of Latvia, the sixth largest city in the country. As of 2006, Ventspils had a population of 43,806. Ventspils is situated on the Venta River and the Baltic Sea, and has an ice-free port...
by Ugis Joksts and Kristine Virsnite, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
's 2010 entry Michael von der Heide
Michael von der Heide
Michael von der Heide is a Swiss musician, singer and actor.- Eurovision Song Contest 1999 :In 1999, Von der Heide participated in the German national final with the song "Bye Bye Bar", eventually finishing fifth, and did not go on to represent Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest...
performed his entry "Il pleut de l'or
Il pleut de l'or
"Il pleut de l'or" is a song sung by Michael von der Heide and composed by the singer, Pele Lorriano and Heike Kospach. It represented Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, Norway...
", and a video message by Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
's entry Marcin Mroziński
Marcin Mroziński
-Early life:Mroziński was born 26 September 1985 in Inowrocław, Poland. He started his music career at age 8. He participated in a series of children's song Contests in Poland when he was young. In 1997 he won the National French Song Contest and received 1st place. He also represented Ireland in...
also gave a video greeting.
Voting in Eirodziesma 2010 was made in terms of the song's placing, i.e. the 1st placed song received 1 point, the 2nd placed song received 2 points, etc. From the 10 competing songs, three were selected to progress to the super-final: Aisha
Aija Andrejeva
Aija Andrejeva Aija Andrejeva Aija Andrejeva (born 16 January 1986, Ogre, Latvia, better known by her stage name Aisha is a Latvian singer.-Eurovision Song Contest 2010:...
, Dons and Ivo Grīsniņš-Grīslis were the three superfinalists.
As there was a tie for first place in the Super Final between Aisha and Dons, the votes of the televote took precedence, which Aisha won. Therefore Aisha
Aija Andrejeva
Aija Andrejeva Aija Andrejeva Aija Andrejeva (born 16 January 1986, Ogre, Latvia, better known by her stage name Aisha is a Latvian singer.-Eurovision Song Contest 2010:...
was selected to represent Latvia with the song "What For? (Only Mr God Knows Why)", with Dons coming second and Ivo Grīsniņš-Grīslis coming third.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Lyrics (l) / Music (m) | Jury | Televoting | Total | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PeR | "Like a Mouse" | Mārtiņš Freimanis Mārtiņš Freimanis Mārtiņš Freimanis was a Latvian musician, singer, songwriter, actor and TV personality.Freimanis was born in Liepāja, but spent his childhood in Aizpute... (m & l) |
10 | 10 | 20 | 10 |
| 2 | Triānas parks | "Lullaby For My Dreammate (Diamond Lullaby)" | Agnese Rakovska (m & l) | 3 | 8 | 11 | 6 |
| 3 | Aisha Aija Andrejeva Aija Andrejeva Aija Andrejeva Aija Andrejeva (born 16 January 1986, Ogre, Latvia, better known by her stage name Aisha is a Latvian singer.-Eurovision Song Contest 2010:... |
"What For? (Only Mr God Knows Why)" | Jānis Lūsēns (m), Guntars Račs (l) | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 4 | Lauris Reiniks Lauris Reiniks Lauris Reiniks is Latvian pop music singer, songwriter, television host and actor. Lauris was educated at the Jelgava Music college in Latvia and the University of Latvia, but acting skills have been honed in Los Angeles, California. He has released 7 solo albums... |
"Your Morning Lullaby" | Lauris Reiniks Lauris Reiniks Lauris Reiniks is Latvian pop music singer, songwriter, television host and actor. Lauris was educated at the Jelgava Music college in Latvia and the University of Latvia, but acting skills have been honed in Los Angeles, California. He has released 7 solo albums... (m & l) |
7 | 4 | 11 | 4 |
| 5 | Dons | "My Religion is Freedom" | Zigmārs Liepiņš Zigmars Liepinš Zigmārs Liepiņš is a Latvian composer.-Works:*Lāčplēsis, rock opera*Adata, musical drama-References:... (m & l), Jānis Liepiņš Janis Liepinš Jānis Liepiņš was a Latvian painter from Riga. He studied at J Madernieks Studio in Riga between 1909-1910, in Kazan 1911-1913 and M Bernstein's Studio in St Petersburg 1913-1917. He was a member of the Riga Artists' Group and Professor of painting at the Art Academy of Latvia 1940-1950... (m), Nikita Kellermans (l) |
1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | Konike | "Digi digi dong" | Edijs Šnipke (m & l), Andris Konters (l) | 6 | 5 | 11 | 5 |
| 7 | h2o | "When I Close My Eyes" | Staņislavs Judins (m), Jānis Strapcāns (l) | 8 | 9 | 17 | 9 |
| 8 | Kristīne Kārkla-Puriņa | "Rišti räšti" | Raimonds Tiguls (m), Valts Ernštreits (l) | 5 | 7 | 12 | 8 |
| 9 | Ivo Grīsniņš-Grīslis | "Because I Love You" | Ingars Viļums (m & l) | 4 | 6 | 10 | 3 |
| 10 | Kristīna Zaharova | "Snow in July" | Jānis Strazds (m), Guntars Račs (l) | 9 | 3 | 12 | 7 |
| Draw | Artist | Song | Lyrics (l) / Music (m) | Jury | Televoting | Total | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dons | "My Religion is Freedom" | Zigmars Liepiņš (m & l), Jānis Liepiņš (m), Nikita Kellermans (l) |
1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 2 | Ivo Grīsniņš-Grīslis | "Because I Love You" | Ingars Viļums (m & l) | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| 3 | Aisha | "What For? (Only Mr.God Knows Why)" | Jānis Lūsēns (m), Guntars Račs (l) | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
At Eurovision
Latvia competed in the first semi-final of the contest, on 25 May. However it was eliminated at the semi final stage. Ending up last with 11 points.External links
- Official LTV Eurovision site (in Latvian)
- Eirodziesma 2010 songs