Latvia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 12 times, for unknown reasons only debuting at the 2000 contest

Eurovision Song Contest 2000

The Eurovision Song Contest 2000 was the 45th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 13 May 2000 at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden, following Charlotte Nilsson's victory in Jerusalem the previous year. It was the first time since 1996 that the contest was held on mainland Europe. The...

, where Brainstorm

Brainstorm (Latvian band)

Brainstorm is a Latvian pop/rock band. The band became popular internationally in 2000, when they finished third in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with the song "My Star"....

 came 3rd with the song "My Star". The country's first, and so far, only win came in 2002

Eurovision Song Contest 2002

The Eurovision Song Contest 2002 was the 47th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place on 25 May 2002 at the Saku Suurhall Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....

 when Marie N

Marija Naumova

Marija Naumova is a Latvian singer. Under the stage name Marie N, she sings a broad range of music ranging from pop to musical theatre and jazz, and has recorded several albums, with songs in Latvian, French, English, Russian and Portuguese...

 and her song "I Wanna

I Wanna

"I Wanna" is the opening track from The All-American Rejects' 2008 album, When the World Comes Down. It was released as their second single in international markets, and was released as their third single in the United States on July 27, 2009...

" beat favourite's Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

 by 12 points, receiving 176 points. Because of her win, the 2003 contest

Eurovision Song Contest 2003

The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the forty-eighth Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Skonto Hall in Riga, Latvia on 24 May 2003. The hosts were Marie N and Renārs Kaupers. Sertab Erener, the Turkish entrant, won the contest with "Everyway That I Can", scoring 167 points. The winning...

 was held in the Latvian capital Riga

Riga

Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...

.

Latvia initially planned to withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 2009

Eurovision Song Contest 2009

The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....

. Latvijas Televīzija

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), the Latvian broadcaster, originally announced its withdrawal from the contest after the Latvian government imposed budget cuts on the broadcaster that hindered it from paying the participation fee. At the time LTV said, however, that they hoped to compete in the 2010 contest.

In the event, Latvia decided to compete, and the EBU confirmed that 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...

 would indeed participate in 2009. Latvia has since 2009 and forward not qualified to the Eurovision final with a best result of 17th in the semifinal.

Contestants

Latvia has had twelve Eurovision entries since its debut. All of Latvia's entries have been performed in English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, except for three entries: in 2004, Fomins & Kleins

Fomins & Kleins

The Latvian rock band Fomins & Kleins was founded at the end of 2002.Its members Ivo Fomins and Tomass Kleins were already accomplished and recognized rock musicians. Both are from the western Latvian port city of Liepāja, which is famous for its rock music traditions - many famous Latvian rock...

 performed "Dziesma par laimi

Dziesma Par Laimi

"Dziesma par laimi" was the Latvian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, performed in Latvian by Fomins & Kleins....

" for Latvia in Latvian

Latvian language

Latvian is the official state language of Latvia. It is also sometimes referred to as Lettish. There are about 1.4 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and about 150,000 abroad. The Latvian language has a relatively large number of non-native speakers, atypical for a small language...

; In 2007 when Bonaparti.lv

Bonaparti.lv

Bonaparti.lv is a sextet consisting of Latvian tenors, that participated in Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with their song "Questa Notte".In 2006 Swedish composer Kjell Jennstig composed a song named "Tonight", which he handed in to Eirodziesma 2007 - the Latvian national qualification for the...

 performed Questa Notte

Questa Notte

"Questa Notte" was the Latvian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, sung in Italian by Bonaparti.lv.Bonaparti.lv, a sextet of classically-trained tenors, performed in Italian, the first time the language was performed by Latvia...

 in Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

 and in 2009, Intars Busulis

Intars Busulis

Intars Busulis is a Latvian singer represented Latvia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia with the song Probka . It competed in the second semi-final on May 14 but finished last with seven points and failed to win a place in the final.- External links :* *...

, having won Eirodzeisma 2009 with "Sastrēgums" in Latvian, performed the song in Russian

Russian language

Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...

 as "Probka

Probka

"Probka" is a song by Latvian singer Intars Busulis, and was the Latvian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia. The song competed in the second semi-final of the contest on 14 May 2009 but failed to reach the final, having finished last with 7 points...

" (Пробка).

Year	Artist	Title	Final	Points	Semi	Points
2000 Eurovision Song Contest 2000 The Eurovision Song Contest 2000 was the 45th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 13 May 2000 at the Ericsson Globe in Stockholm, Sweden, following Charlotte Nilsson's victory in Jerusalem the previous year. It was the first time since 1996 that the contest was held on mainland Europe. The...	Brainstorm Brainstorm (Latvian band) Brainstorm is a Latvian pop/rock band. The band became popular internationally in 2000, when they finished third in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with the song "My Star"....	"My Star"	3	136
2001 Eurovision Song Contest 2001 The Eurovision Song Contest 2001 was the 46th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 12 May 2001 in the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was the first time in 36 years that Denmark hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, thanks to the Olsen Brothers' win the previous year in Stockholm...	Arnis Mednis	"Too Much"	18	16
2002 Eurovision Song Contest 2002 The Eurovision Song Contest 2002 was the 47th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place on 25 May 2002 at the Saku Suurhall Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....	Marie N Marija Naumova Marija Naumova is a Latvian singer. Under the stage name Marie N, she sings a broad range of music ranging from pop to musical theatre and jazz, and has recorded several albums, with songs in Latvian, French, English, Russian and Portuguese...	"I Wanna I Wanna "I Wanna" is the opening track from The All-American Rejects' 2008 album, When the World Comes Down. It was released as their second single in international markets, and was released as their third single in the United States on July 27, 2009... "	1	176
2003 Eurovision Song Contest 2003 The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the forty-eighth Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Skonto Hall in Riga, Latvia on 24 May 2003. The hosts were Marie N and Renārs Kaupers. Sertab Erener, the Turkish entrant, won the contest with "Everyway That I Can", scoring 167 points. The winning...	F.L.Y. F.L.Y. F.L.Y. was a Latvian band, created with purpose to participate in Eurovision Song Contest.At a party following the national finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2002, Mārtiņš Freimanis came up with an idea for the following year’s contest....	"Hello From Mars Hello From Mars "Hello From Mars" was the Latvian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, performed in English by F.L.Y.The lyrics are notably obscure, however the song appears to be a love song in which a pair of lovers reminisce about the way in which they met... "	24	5
2004 Eurovision Song Contest 2004 The Eurovision Song Contest 2004, was the 49th Contest and it was held in the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. This was the first occasion in which the contest was held in Turkey after they had won the competition in 2003 with Sertab Erener singing "Everyway That I Can"...	Fomins and Kleins	"Dziesma par laimi Dziesma Par Laimi "Dziesma par laimi" was the Latvian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, performed in Latvian by Fomins & Kleins.... "	X	X	17	23
2005 Eurovision Song Contest 2005 The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at the Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine. The winner was Greece's My Number One, written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou and performed by Swedish-born Greek singer Elena Paparizou, who scored 230 points,...	Walters and Kazha	"The War Is Not Over The War Is Not Over "The War Is Not Over" was the Latvian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, performed in English by Walters & Kazha.The song is a gentle ballad with somewhat elliptical lyrics... "	5	153	10	85
2006 Eurovision Song Contest 2006 The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...	Vocal Group Cosmos Cosmos (band) Cosmos is a Latvian a cappella band that formed in Riga in 2002. Since its inception, the band has comprised singers Jānis Šipkēvics, Andris Sējāns , Juris Lisenko , Jānis Ozols , Jānis Strazdiņš and Reinis Sējāns .Cosmos gained national and international recognition after they were chosen to...	"I Hear Your Heart I Hear Your Heart "I Hear Your Heart" was the Latvian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, performed in English by Vocal Group Cosmos.The song is entirely a cappella, in line with the group's usual musical style. Lyrically, the group sings about the sound of their lovers' hearts, which can cut through the... "	16	30	X	X
2007 Eurovision Song Contest 2007 The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...	Bonaparti.lv Bonaparti.lv Bonaparti.lv is a sextet consisting of Latvian tenors, that participated in Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with their song "Questa Notte".In 2006 Swedish composer Kjell Jennstig composed a song named "Tonight", which he handed in to Eirodziesma 2007 - the Latvian national qualification for the...	"Questa notte Questa Notte "Questa Notte" was the Latvian entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, sung in Italian by Bonaparti.lv.Bonaparti.lv, a sextet of classically-trained tenors, performed in Italian, the first time the language was performed by Latvia... "	16	54	5	168
2008 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...	Pirates of the Sea Pirates of the Sea Pirates of the Sea is a musical project that represented Latvia in Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with their song "Wolves of the Sea". It consists of three members: Italian singer Roberto Meloni who is living in Latvia, dancer Aleksandra Kurusova as well as the TV and radio person Jānis Vaišļa...	"Wolves of the Sea Wolves of the Sea "Wolves of the Sea" is a song performed by the Latvian musical project Pirates of the Sea. Written by four Swedish composers, the song was chosen to represent Latvia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia. It was very popular with the audience in the UK, receiving 10 points from... "	12	83	6	86
2009 Eurovision Song Contest 2009 The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....	Intars Busulis Intars Busulis Intars Busulis is a Latvian singer represented Latvia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia with the song Probka . It competed in the second semi-final on May 14 but finished last with seven points and failed to win a place in the final.- External links :* *...	"Probka Probka "Probka" is a song by Latvian singer Intars Busulis, and was the Latvian entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia. The song competed in the second semi-final of the contest on 14 May 2009 but failed to reach the final, having finished last with 7 points... " (Пробка)	X	X	19	7
2010 Eurovision Song Contest 2010 The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th annual Eurovision Song Contest, broadcast from the Telenor Arena in Bærum, Greater Oslo, Norway. It was the third time Norway had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1986 and 1996. The 2010 winner was Germany with Lena singing "Satellite",...	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? What For? "What For?" is a song performed by Latvian singer Aisha, written by Jānis Lūsēns and Guntars Račs. The song represented Latvia in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo, Norway, and competed against sixteen other Eurovision entries in the first semi-final on May 25... "	X	X	17	11
2011 Eurovision Song Contest 2011 The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th annual Eurovision Song Contest and was won by Eldar & Nigar performing "Running Scared" for Azerbaijan. The event took place in the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, following Germany's win in the previous year...	Musiqq Musiqq Musiqq are an Latvian duo which formed in 2009. On February 23, 2011 they won the Latvian national selection for Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Germany with song "Angel in Disguise"....	"Angel in Disguise Angel in Disguise (Musiqq song) -Charts:... "	X	X	17	25
2012 Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 will be the 57th annual Eurovision Song Contest. It will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, following Azerbaijan's win in the 2011 Contest with Ell & Nikki's song "Running Scared". The two semi-finals will be held on 22 May and 24 May 2012, with the final on 26 May 2012,...

Voting history (2000-2011)

Latvia has given the most points to...

Rank	Country	Points
1		85
2		52
3		51
4		48
5		45

Latvia has received the most points from...

Rank	Country	Points
1		67
2		60
3		46
4		37
5		26

NOTE: The totals in the above tables include only points awarded in Eurovision finals, and not the semi-finals since 2004.

Since introducing the semi-finals in 2004

Latvia has given the most points to...

Rank	Country	Points
1		75
2		67
3		62
4		53
5		37
6		30
7		29
8		22
9		19
		19

Latvia has received the most points from...

Rank	Country	Points
1		56
2		52
3		51
4		31
5		26
6		24
7		21
8		19
9		18
10		17

NOTE: The tables with points from 2004 include points awarded in both finals and semi-finals where the highest point from the final/semi-final is picked.

Hostings

Year	Location	Venue	Presenter
2003 Eurovision Song Contest 2003 The Eurovision Song Contest 2003 was the forty-eighth Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Skonto Hall in Riga, Latvia on 24 May 2003. The hosts were Marie N and Renārs Kaupers. Sertab Erener, the Turkish entrant, won the contest with "Everyway That I Can", scoring 167 points. The winning...	Riga Riga Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...	Skonto Hall Skonto Hall Skonto Hall is an arena in Riga, Latvia. It is primarily used for different exhibitions. Skonto Hall holds 6,500 people and was renovated in 2006, so that it could be used as one of the venues for the 2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. The hall also played host to the 2003 Eurovision...	Marija Naumova Marija Naumova Marija Naumova is a Latvian singer. Under the stage name Marie N, she sings a broad range of music ranging from pop to musical theatre and jazz, and has recorded several albums, with songs in Latvian, French, English, Russian and Portuguese...  and Renārs Kaupers Renars Kaupers Renārs Kaupers, artistic name Reynard Cowper is a Latvian pop singer and songwriter.He is the lead singer of the Latvian pop/rock band Brainstorm, which came third at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with their song "My Star"...

External links

• Points to and from Latvia eurovisioncovers.co.uk