Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Encyclopedia
Lithuania confirmed its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow
, Russia
. Lithuania were represented by Sasha Son
at the contest, singing "Pasiklydęs žmogus" in its English version, "Love", after he won the Lithuanian national final, Lietuvos Dainų Daina.
in Georgia
, the Estonian
Minister of Culture suggested a possible boycott of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia
and Lithuania from the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Russia
. A similar feeling was felt at the Lithuanian public broadcaster, Lietuvos radijas ir televizija (LRT)
, who supported Georgia in the conflict and believed that "Russia continues to showcase power and ignores international rules." In the end, no Lithuanian boycott occurred.
.
After the semi-final, the voting method used during the show was commented upon, with the non-qualifying artists finding the results "weird and not right". The voting method saw the televotes of 10 regions of Lithuania being converted into points, 1 point for the least favoured and 12 for the most preferred. Alanas
, who failed to qualify to the final, said that she found the voting "very bizarre", and that she would like to know how many people voted for her. Augustė, who also failed to qualify, called it "nonsense", commentating on the difference in the amount of votes cast in Vilnius in comparison to smaller towns in Lithuania: "I don't understand how can we compare points of Vilnius and of some small city in Lithuania. In Vilnius we need thousands of votes to get 12 points. Meanwhile in a small city a hundred votes can be enough".
Jonas Vilimas, executive producer of Lietuvos Dainų Daina, said that every city has a right to express their opinion, and that this method is more objective. As such the voting method will remain for the rest of the shows.
After the show, the winner of the semi-final, "Lietuva" (Lithuania) by Deivis, was disqualified after it was revealed that the song was partly a plagiarism of the song "There She Goes
" by The La's
. As such, it will not qualify to the semi-finals. This was announced during the first semi-final show. As such Urtė Šilagalytė's song "The Elegant Blues" automatically qualified to the semi-finals. The wildcard entry also chosen to progress to the semi-finals was 8th placed Soliaris, Greta & SEL with "Noriu žinot".
The winner was of the contest was Sasha Son
with "Pasiklydęs žmogus" (The lost man), receiving the maximum number of points from all regions. Second-place went to Donatas Montvydas, with 69 danguje coming third. Sasha Son will now represent Lithuania at Eurovision in Moscow.
came 16th in the semi-final of the 2008 contest
.
During the second semi-final, which took place on 14 May 2009, Lithuania successfully qualified for the final and eventually finished 23rd place with 23 points.
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Lithuania were represented by Sasha Son
Sasha Son
Sasha Son is a Lithuanian singer who represented Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. His nickname Sasha Son means "Sasha Dream" in Russian, with Sasha being a Russian diminutive form of the name Alexander.-Early life:...
at the contest, singing "Pasiklydęs žmogus" in its English version, "Love", after he won the Lithuanian national final, Lietuvos Dainų Daina.
Possible boycott
Shortly after the 2008 South Ossetia war2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
in Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, the Estonian
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
Minister of Culture suggested a possible boycott of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
and Lithuania from the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, to be held in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. A similar feeling was felt at the Lithuanian public broadcaster, Lietuvos radijas ir televizija (LRT)
Lithuanian National Radio and Television
Lithuanian National Radio and Television is the national public broadcasting company of Lithuania. The company operates the two national public television channels LTV, LTV2 and LTV World . LRT also broadcasts three national public radio stations...
, who supported Georgia in the conflict and believed that "Russia continues to showcase power and ignores international rules." In the end, no Lithuanian boycott occurred.
Lietuvos Dainų Daina
Lietuvos Dainų Daina is the new Lithuanian national selection for Eurovision. It will feature well established and local artists, and will not include foreign composers. Songs are encouraged to be in LithuanianLithuanian language
Lithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
.
Quarter-finals
Three quarter-finals were held for Lietuvos Dainų Daina, held on 10, 17 and 24 January. From the 12 songs that competed in each semi-final, a total of 36 songs competing, six songs qualified to the semi-finals. Two more songs joined the 18 qualfiers, selected by a jury from the remaining songs.Quarter-final 1
The first quarter-final of Lietuvos Dainų Daina were held on 10 January 2009, with the songs revealed on 7 January. Six songs were voted by the public to go on to one of the two semi-finals. Ruslanas Kirilkinas was to take part in the contest, however withdrew from the competition, and was replaced by Vita Rusaitytė.After the semi-final, the voting method used during the show was commented upon, with the non-qualifying artists finding the results "weird and not right". The voting method saw the televotes of 10 regions of Lithuania being converted into points, 1 point for the least favoured and 12 for the most preferred. Alanas
Alanas Chošnau
Alanas Ibrahimas Chošnau is a Lithuanian singer and songwriter of Kurdish origin. He was a member of the former music group Naktinės personos. In 2003 and 2005 he won the Radiocentras Award as Male Performer of the Year...
, who failed to qualify to the final, said that she found the voting "very bizarre", and that she would like to know how many people voted for her. Augustė, who also failed to qualify, called it "nonsense", commentating on the difference in the amount of votes cast in Vilnius in comparison to smaller towns in Lithuania: "I don't understand how can we compare points of Vilnius and of some small city in Lithuania. In Vilnius we need thousands of votes to get 12 points. Meanwhile in a small city a hundred votes can be enough".
Jonas Vilimas, executive producer of Lietuvos Dainų Daina, said that every city has a right to express their opinion, and that this method is more objective. As such the voting method will remain for the rest of the shows.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonas Čepulis and Skirmantė | "Uosilėli žaliasai" | 49 | 7 |
| 2 | Alanas Alanas Chošnau Alanas Ibrahimas Chošnau is a Lithuanian singer and songwriter of Kurdish origin. He was a member of the former music group Naktinės personos. In 2003 and 2005 he won the Radiocentras Award as Male Performer of the Year... |
"Geras jausmas" | 35 | 9 |
| 3 | Violeta Tarasovienė Violeta Riaubiškyte Violeta Riaubiškytė-Tarasovienė is a famous Lithuanian singer and show host. She used to be the co-host of a Lithuanian music show "Penktadienio muzikos šou" alongside Edmundas Kučinskas and also, and the co-host of a music show "Padainuokim!" alongside her husband Vilius Tarasovas.She was... |
"Aš būsiu šalia" | 74 | 3 |
| 4 | Milana | "Ar tu mane matei" | 30 | 12 |
| 5 | Vilius Tarasovas | "Aš tik tavim tikiu" | 64 | 4 |
| 6 | Augustė | "Not The Best Time" | 41 | 8 |
| 7 | Darius Pranckevičius and Violeta Valskytė | "Nelytėta viltis" | 78 | 2 |
| 8 | Kamilė | "No Way to Run" | 33 | 10 |
| 9 | Sasha Son Sasha Son Sasha Son is a Lithuanian singer who represented Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. His nickname Sasha Son means "Sasha Dream" in Russian, with Sasha being a Russian diminutive form of the name Alexander.-Early life:... |
"Pasiklydęs žmogus" | 92 | 1 |
| 10 | Vita Rusaitytė | "Dar pabūkim drauge" | 33 | 10 |
| 11 | 69 danguje | "Meilės simfonija" | 62 | 5 |
| 12 | Egidijus Sipavičius | "Per mažai" | 56 | 6 |
Quarter-final 2
The second quarter-final of the contest was held on 17 January 2009, with the songs of this semi-final revealed on 12 January. Six songs will be voted by the public to go on to one of the two semi-finals.After the show, the winner of the semi-final, "Lietuva" (Lithuania) by Deivis, was disqualified after it was revealed that the song was partly a plagiarism of the song "There She Goes
There She Goes
"There She Goes" is a song written by British singer/guitarist Lee Mavers and recorded first by Mavers' band, The La's.In May 2007, the NME magazine placed the song at number 45 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.-Lyrics and meaning:...
" by The La's
The La's
The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from the mid-1980s to early 1990s. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group is most famous for their hit single "There She Goes". The band was formed by Mike Badger in 1984 and Mavers joined soon after...
. As such, it will not qualify to the semi-finals. This was announced during the first semi-final show. As such Urtė Šilagalytė's song "The Elegant Blues" automatically qualified to the semi-finals. The wildcard entry also chosen to progress to the semi-finals was 8th placed Soliaris, Greta & SEL with "Noriu žinot".
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biplan | "Ar lauksi manęs?" | 44 | 9 |
| 2 | Rūta Ščiogolevaitė Rūta Ščiogolevaitė Rūta Ščiogolevaitė is a Lithuanian singer. She took 2nd place in the national selection for Eurovision in 2004 and in 2007. She also judged music talent competitions on LNK and TV3.- Biography :... |
"Redemption" | 81 | 3 |
| 3 | Linas Adomaitis | "Tavo spalvos" | 71 | 4 |
| 4 | Soliaris, Greta & SEL | "Noriu žinot" | 53 | 8 |
| 5 | YVA | "Į dangų" | 54 | 6 |
| 6 | BIX | "Gyvenimo valsas" | 56 | 5' |
| 7 | Kastaneda | "Aš tik šoumenas" | 35 | 12 |
| |
|
|
|
|
| 9 | Urtė Šilagalytė | "The Elegant Blues" | 54 | 7 |
| 10 | Taja | "Vėjai keturi" | 44 | 10 |
| 11 | Siela | "Euforija" | 38 | 11 |
| 12 | Rosita Čivilytė and Donatas Montvydas | "Dainų daina" | 95 | 2 |
Quarter-final 3
The third quarter-final of the contest was held on 24 January 2009, with the songs of this semi-final revealed on 18 January. Six songs were voted by the public and passed to the semi-finals of the contest. During the first semi-final, it was revealed that Rūta Lukoševičiūtė's song "Trapus žmogus" was disqualified due to plagiarism. She was replaced by Saulės kliošas with "Saulė", who came 7th in the televote.| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saulės Kliošas | "Saulė" | 46 | 7 |
| 2 | Donatas Montvydas | "From The Distance" | 106 | 1 |
| 3 | Širdelės | "Visko per mažai" | 43 | 8 |
| 4 | Indraya | "Svetima" | 20 | 12 |
| 5 | Natalija & Deivydas Zvonkai | "Mes gyvenam gerai" | 40 | 9 |
| 6 | Milanno and Karina Krysko | "Kelias pas tave" | 55 | 6 |
| 7 | Fuego | "Žvaigždžių milijonai" | 90 | 2 |
| 8 | Stano | "Viskas pasakyta" | 35 | 10 |
| 9 | Asta Pilypaitė and Onsa | "Labas" | 75 | 4 |
| 10 | Aurelija Slavinskaitė | "Part of Me" | 59 | 5 |
| 11 | ŠokoLedas | "Plastmasinė širdis" | 29 | 11 |
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Semi-finals
The two semi-finals of Lietuvos Dainų Daina was held on 31 January and 7 February 2009. 10 songs competed in each semi-final, 20 in total, which included the top 6 songs in each quarter-final through the televote, as well as two wildcard entries selected by a jury. The two wildcard entries were Soliaris, Greta & SEL with "Noriu žinot", who came 8th in second quarter-final, and Jonas Čepulis and Skirmantė with "Uosilėli žaliasai", the 7th placed entry from the first quarter-final. It was announced during the second semi-final that Deivis and Ruta Lukoševiciute were disqualified from competing in the next selection round. They were replaced by Urtė Šilagalytė with "The Elegant Blues", 7th in the second quarter-final, and Saulės kliošas with "Saulė", 7th in the third quarter-final.Semi-final 1
The first semi-final was held on 31 January, with 10 of the 20 quarter-final qualifiers competing. Five acts qualified to the final on 14 February.| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rosita Čivilytė & Donatas Montvydas | "Dainų daina" | 53 | 7 |
| 2 | Vilius Tarasovas | "Aš tik tavim tikiu" | 20 | 10 |
| 3 | Darius Pranckevičius & Violeta Valskytė | "Nelytėta viltis" | 100 | 2 |
| 4 | Egidijus Sipavičius | "Per mažai" | 32 | 9 |
| 5 | Linas Adomaitis | "Tavo spalvos" | 82 | 3 |
| 6 | Milanno & Karina Krysko | "Kelias pas tave" | 58 | 5 |
| 7 | Sasha Son | "Pasiklydęs žmogus" | 109 | 1 |
| 8 | Violeta Tarasovienė Violeta Riaubiškyte Violeta Riaubiškytė-Tarasovienė is a famous Lithuanian singer and show host. She used to be the co-host of a Lithuanian music show "Penktadienio muzikos šou" alongside Edmundas Kučinskas and also, and the co-host of a music show "Padainuokim!" alongside her husband Vilius Tarasovas.She was... |
"Aš būsiu šalia" | 39 | 8 |
| 9 | BIX | "Gyvenimo valsas" | 57 | 6 |
| 10 | Aurelija Slavinskaite | "Part of Me" | 59 | 4 |
Semi-final 2
The second and final semi-final was held on 7 February. 10 songs in total competed, with five songs again qualifying to the final.| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soliaris, Greta & SEL | "Noriu žinot" | 30 | 9 |
| 2 | YVA | "Į dangų" | 16 | 10 |
| 3 | Asta Pilypaite & Onsa | "Labas" | 40 | 8 |
| 4 | Rūta Ščiogolevaitė | "Redemption" | 88 | 3 |
| 5 | Donatas Montvydas | "From The Distance" | 95 | 2 |
| 6 | 69 danguje | "Meilės simfonija" | 110 | 1 |
| 7 | Urtė Šilagalytė | "The Elegant Blues" | 42 | 7 |
| 8 | El Fuego | "Žvaigždžiu milijonai" | 53 | 6 |
| 9 | Jonas Čepulis and Skirmantė | "Uosilėli žaliasai" | 68 | 5 |
| 10 | Saulės Kliošas | "Saulė" | 75 | 4 |
Final
The final of Lietuvos Dainų Daina was held on 14 February. 10 songs, five qualifiers from each semi-final competed in the final, with the winner representing Lithuania at the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 on 14 February.The winner was of the contest was Sasha Son
Sasha Son
Sasha Son is a Lithuanian singer who represented Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. His nickname Sasha Son means "Sasha Dream" in Russian, with Sasha being a Russian diminutive form of the name Alexander.-Early life:...
with "Pasiklydęs žmogus" (The lost man), receiving the maximum number of points from all regions. Second-place went to Donatas Montvydas, with 69 danguje coming third. Sasha Son will now represent Lithuania at Eurovision in Moscow.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Points | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saules kliošas | "Saulė" | 19 | 9 |
| 2 | 69 Danguje | "Meilės simfonija" | 76 | 3 |
| 3 | Rūta Ščiogolevaitė Rūta Ščiogolevaitė Rūta Ščiogolevaitė is a Lithuanian singer. She took 2nd place in the national selection for Eurovision in 2004 and in 2007. She also judged music talent competitions on LNK and TV3.- Biography :... |
"Redemption" | 72 | 4 |
| 4 | Donatas Montvydas | "From The Distance" | 100 | 2 |
| 5 | Jonas Čepulis & Skirmantė | "Uosilėli žaliasai" | 31 | 8 |
| 6 | Darius Pranckevičius & Violeta Valskytė | "Nelytėta viltis" | 39 | 7 |
| 7 | Milanno & Karina Krysko | "Kelias pas tave" | 48 | 6 |
| 8 | Sasha Son Sasha Son Sasha Son is a Lithuanian singer who represented Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. His nickname Sasha Son means "Sasha Dream" in Russian, with Sasha being a Russian diminutive form of the name Alexander.-Early life:... |
"Pasiklydęs žmogus" | 120 | 1 |
| 9 | Linas Adomaitis | "Tavo spalvos" | 62 | 5 |
| 10 | Aurelija Slavinskaitė | "Part of Me" | 13 | 10 |
At Eurovision
Lithuania had compete in one of the two semi-finals after Jeronimas MiliusJeronimas Milius
Jeronimas Milius is a Lithuanian singer. Since 2003 he's the leader of the heavy/power metal band Soul Stealer ....
came 16th in the semi-final of the 2008 contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
.
During the second semi-final, which took place on 14 May 2009, Lithuania successfully qualified for the final and eventually finished 23rd place with 23 points.