Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002
Encyclopedia
Latvia was represented by Marie N
, with the song '"I Wanna", at the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 25 May in Tallinn
, Estonia
. "I Wanna" was chosen as the Latvian entry at the national final, Eirodziesma
, on 2 March and went on to bring Latvia victory in only their third Eurovision participation. This was at the time the shortest time lapse between first participation and first victory of any country not present at the inaugural contest of 1956; however it was bettered in 2004 when Ukraine
won the contest at their second attempt. Latvia had originally been relegated from the 2002 contest following a bad result in 2001, but were reprieved when Portugal
opted out.
"I Wanna" is generally classed as one of Eurovision's weakest winners, with consensus being that the 2002 contest was won by an outstanding stage presentation rather than an outstanding song.
and held at the Olympic Centre in Ventspils
, hosted by Ija Circene and Eriks Niedra. Fifteen songs took part with the winner chosen by televoting. All songs were presented in English. The winning song was billed on the night as "I Wonna", but was changed to the more aesthetic "I Wanna" before going to Tallinn.
and preceding Lithuania
. Rather than the song itself, the exceptionally slick and memorable stage presentation and choreography of Marie N and her backers, combined with the advantageous late performance draw, is largely credited for the victory. When voting started the contest quickly turned into a two-horse race between Latvia and Malta
with voting always very tight between the two. Malta held a marginal lead over the first half before Latvia gradually edged ahead, finally claiming victory with 176 points to Malta's 164. "I Wanna" picked up maximum 12s from Estonia, Germany
, Israel
, Lithuania and Spain
, with only Romania
failing to award the song any points at all. The 12 points from the Latvian televote were awarded to Estonia.
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...
, with the song '"I Wanna", at the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 25 May in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Estonia
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...
. "I Wanna" was chosen as the Latvian entry at the national final, Eirodziesma
Eirodziesma
Eirodziesma is Latvia's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. The show is produced by Latvijas Televīzija.-Eirodziesma Top 3:-See also:*Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest*2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004...
, on 2 March and went on to bring Latvia victory in only their third Eurovision participation. This was at the time the shortest time lapse between first participation and first victory of any country not present at the inaugural contest of 1956; however it was bettered in 2004 when Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
won the contest at their second attempt. Latvia had originally been relegated from the 2002 contest following a bad result in 2001, but were reprieved when Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
opted out.
"I Wanna" is generally classed as one of Eurovision's weakest winners, with consensus being that the 2002 contest was won by an outstanding stage presentation rather than an outstanding song.
Final
Eirodziesma was organised by broadcaster LTVLatvijas 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...
and held at the Olympic Centre 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...
, hosted by Ija Circene and Eriks Niedra. Fifteen songs took part with the winner chosen by televoting. All songs were presented in English. The winning song was billed on the night as "I Wonna", but was changed to the more aesthetic "I Wanna" before going to Tallinn.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Votes | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marina Voitjuka | "Wait (for Love)" | 744 | 14 |
| 2 | Diana & Olga Pirags | "My Town" | 1661 | 9 |
| 3 | 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... |
"My Memory Tape" | 3215 | 5 |
| 4 | Caffe | "Amberland" | 766 | 12 |
| 5 | 4.elements | "Remember" | 1987 | 8 |
| 6 | Hameleoni | "My Only Dream" | 502 | 15 |
| 7 | Tumsa | "This Is Not Paradise" | 8003 | 3 |
| 8 | Linda Leen & Horens Stalbe | "Stop the War" | 18103 | 2 |
| 9 | Sea Stones | "My Love Is for You" | 753 | 13 |
| 10 | Jānis Stibelis | "Let's Sing the Song" | 3102 | 7 |
| 11 | Marie N | "I Wonna" | 26561 | 1 |
| 12 | Madāra Celma | "A Girl from a Sunset Town" | 1258 | 11 |
| 13 | Andris Abelite | "Be Alive" | 4864 | 4 |
| 14 | Džulians | "A Place to Call Home" | 1328 | 10 |
| 15 | Gunars Kalninš | "Tell Me Why" | 3148 | 6 |
At Eurovision
On the night of the final Marie N performed 23rd in the running order, following SloveniaSlovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
and preceding Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. Rather than the song itself, the exceptionally slick and memorable stage presentation and choreography of Marie N and her backers, combined with the advantageous late performance draw, is largely credited for the victory. When voting started the contest quickly turned into a two-horse race between Latvia and 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...
with voting always very tight between the two. Malta held a marginal lead over the first half before Latvia gradually edged ahead, finally claiming victory with 176 points to Malta's 164. "I Wanna" picked up maximum 12s from Estonia, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Lithuania and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, with only Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
failing to award the song any points at all. The 12 points from the Latvian televote were awarded to Estonia.