Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Encyclopedia
Latvia
participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
, marking its tenth entrance to Eurovision. Originally, after budget cuts were made by the Latvian government on the Latvian broadcaster, Latvijas Televīzija
(LTV), announced plans to withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Russia
, but on 12 January 2009 it was announced by the European Broadcasting Union
(EBU) that Latvia will participate.
Eirodziesma 2009, the Latvian national final, was held on 27 and 28 February. The ultimate winner of the contest was Intars Busulis
with "Sastrēgums" (Traffic jam). The song was performed at Eurovision in Russian
as "Probka
".
in Georgia
, the Estonia
n Minister of Culture suggested a possible boycott of the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania
of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Russia
. However, a different opinion arose in Latvia, with many calling for Latvia's continued participation in the contest including Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls
. Latvian broadcaster Latvijas Televīzija
(LTV) eventually announced their participation in the contest.
(over €
3 million). Because of this LTV were forced to cancel many planned shows for 2009, including Eirodziesma. On 17 December 2008, LTV confirmed that they had requested to the European Broadcasting Union
(EBU), the organisers of Eurovision, their withdrawal from the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, due solely to the budget cuts that hindered the Latvian broadcaster from paying the participation fee for Eurovision. After their intent was given to the EBU, talks between the two parties began for a way that LTV could participate in the contest. However, their withdrawal request occurred 3 days after the deadline for participation, and it was rumoured that LTV would still have to pay the participation because the deadline had passed. On 20 December 2008, LTV confirmed their withdrawal from the contest, having no penalty for withdrawing past the deadline. However, on 12 January 2009 the final participants list for the 2009 contest was released, that confirmed Latvia will participate.
A deadline for entries for the contest was set at 30 November 2008. All songs entered could not have been made public before 1 October 2008, in line with Eurovision rules. Each songwriter could not have submitted more than two songs, and only a third of songs allowed to compete in the contest were to be by foreign authors. Songs submitted for preselection in other countries were also not allowed.
The format of Eirodziesma had changed since the 2008 contest. Three semi finals were to have taken place during January and February 2009. Three songs from each selection out of nine were to qualify for the final through a mixture of jury and televoting. A 10th song was to be chosen at a Second Chance heat during the last semi final, and the public would have decided the final song to qualify through 100% televote. The final of Eirodziesma 2009 was to have taken place on 28 February 2009. Due to financial difficulties, LTV were forced to cut down the number of semi-finals to be held from three to just one. The semi-final will take place on 27 February, with the final a day later on 28 February.
108 songs were received by LTV to compete in Eirodziesma. 78 songs entered were by Latvian composers, with 30 songs being from international songwriters. The 21 songs that were to have competed in the three semi-finals of Eirodziesma 2009 were announced on 9 December. Due to the cancellation of the show, followed by its reinstatement, LTV asked all participants to confirm their intent to participate in the semi-final. All of the initial 21 artists confirmed their intention to compete.
A number of changes were made to the line-up before the semi-final. Kristīna Zaharova, who was to perform two songs in the contest, withdrew her song "I Wish I Could Pretend", composed by Lauris Reiniks
and Gordon Pogoda
, from the contest after being accepted into the Irish national final, held on 20 February. Her remaining song, "Angel of Mine", composed by Martinš Freimanis, was then performed as a duet between her and Annija Putniņa.
Two more changes to the line-up were also made: the song "In Love In Trust", originally to be performed by Aisha, Ella, Olga, will now be performed by Policistas, while "Have To Say Goodbye" will now be performed by Astra, instead of its composer Madara Celma. The running order was announced on 13 January.
, hosted by Kristīne Virsnīte and Uģis Joksts. Ten songs from the 20 that competed qualified to final on 28 February, selected by a national televote.
Guests performing during the show included last year's Eirodziesma winner and Latvian Eurovision entry Pirates of the Sea
, Kristīna Zaharova with the runner-up song of the 2009 Irish national final "I Wish I Could Pretend", as well as Sasha Son
and Lidia Kopania
, the Lithuanian and Polish Eurovision entries respectively.
The three songs that qualified to the Super Final were Intars Busulis with "Sastrēgums", Natālija Tumševica with "Dynamite" and Kristīna Zaharova & Annija Putniņa with "Angel of Mine".
In the Super Final, the three qualifiers performed their songs once more. televoting selected the winner to be Intars Busulis
with "Sastrēgums", beating Kristīna Zaharova & Annija Putniņa to second place.
", the Russian
version of "Sastrēgums". He failed to qualify to the final, relegating Latvia for the first time since 2004.
The postcard for Latvia contained the word "Borsch"(beetroot soup) at the end. However, another version, with the word "Ura!"(hurray!), can be found on the Internet.
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...
participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 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....
, marking its tenth entrance to Eurovision. Originally, after budget cuts were made by the Latvian government on the Latvian broadcaster, 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), announced plans to withdraw from the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 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...
, but on 12 January 2009 it was announced by the European Broadcasting Union
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union is a confederation of 74 broadcasting organisations from 56 countries, and 49 associate broadcasters from a further 25...
(EBU) that Latvia will participate.
Eirodziesma 2009, the Latvian national final, was held on 27 and 28 February. The ultimate winner of the contest was 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 :* *...
with "Sastrēgums" (Traffic jam). The song was performed at Eurovision 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...
".
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 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...
n Minister of Culture suggested a possible boycott of the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and 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...
of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, 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...
. However, a different opinion arose in Latvia, with many calling for Latvia's continued participation in the contest including Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls
Raimonds Pauls
Raimonds Pauls is a Latvian and Soviet composer and piano player who is well-known and respected in Latvia and the former Soviet Union.-Music:...
. Latvian broadcaster 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) eventually announced their participation in the contest.
Possible withdrawal
In December 2008 the Latvian government imposed budget cuts on LTV of over 2 million LatsLatvian lats
The lats is the currency of Latvia. It is abbreviated as Ls. The lats is sub-divided into 100 santīmi ....
(over €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
3 million). Because of this LTV were forced to cancel many planned shows for 2009, including Eirodziesma. On 17 December 2008, LTV confirmed that they had requested to the European Broadcasting Union
European Broadcasting Union
The European Broadcasting Union is a confederation of 74 broadcasting organisations from 56 countries, and 49 associate broadcasters from a further 25...
(EBU), the organisers of Eurovision, their withdrawal from the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest, due solely to the budget cuts that hindered the Latvian broadcaster from paying the participation fee for Eurovision. After their intent was given to the EBU, talks between the two parties began for a way that LTV could participate in the contest. However, their withdrawal request occurred 3 days after the deadline for participation, and it was rumoured that LTV would still have to pay the participation because the deadline had passed. On 20 December 2008, LTV confirmed their withdrawal from the contest, having no penalty for withdrawing past the deadline. However, on 12 January 2009 the final participants list for the 2009 contest was released, that confirmed Latvia will participate.
Eirodziesma 2009
The Latvian selection for the 2009 contest will be Eirodziesma 2009. Changes had been made to the Eirodziesma format since the 2008 contest for the 2009 edition.A deadline for entries for the contest was set at 30 November 2008. All songs entered could not have been made public before 1 October 2008, in line with Eurovision rules. Each songwriter could not have submitted more than two songs, and only a third of songs allowed to compete in the contest were to be by foreign authors. Songs submitted for preselection in other countries were also not allowed.
The format of Eirodziesma had changed since the 2008 contest. Three semi finals were to have taken place during January and February 2009. Three songs from each selection out of nine were to qualify for the final through a mixture of jury and televoting. A 10th song was to be chosen at a Second Chance heat during the last semi final, and the public would have decided the final song to qualify through 100% televote. The final of Eirodziesma 2009 was to have taken place on 28 February 2009. Due to financial difficulties, LTV were forced to cut down the number of semi-finals to be held from three to just one. The semi-final will take place on 27 February, with the final a day later on 28 February.
108 songs were received by LTV to compete in Eirodziesma. 78 songs entered were by Latvian composers, with 30 songs being from international songwriters. The 21 songs that were to have competed in the three semi-finals of Eirodziesma 2009 were announced on 9 December. Due to the cancellation of the show, followed by its reinstatement, LTV asked all participants to confirm their intent to participate in the semi-final. All of the initial 21 artists confirmed their intention to compete.
A number of changes were made to the line-up before the semi-final. Kristīna Zaharova, who was to perform two songs in the contest, withdrew her song "I Wish I Could Pretend", composed by 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...
and Gordon Pogoda
Gordon Pogoda
Gordon Pogoda is an American composer, lyricist, and producer based in Los Angeles. In the past five years, he has signed publishing deals with EMI Music, Universal Music and Warner Chappell Music.- Biography :...
, from the contest after being accepted into the Irish national final, held on 20 February. Her remaining song, "Angel of Mine", composed by Martinš Freimanis, was then performed as a duet between her and Annija Putniņa.
Two more changes to the line-up were also made: the song "In Love In Trust", originally to be performed by Aisha, Ella, Olga, will now be performed by Policistas, while "Have To Say Goodbye" will now be performed by Astra, instead of its composer Madara Celma. The running order was announced on 13 January.
Semi-final
The semi-final of Eirodziesma 2009 was held on 27 February at the Olympic Center 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...
, hosted by Kristīne Virsnīte and Uģis Joksts. Ten songs from the 20 that competed qualified to final on 28 February, selected by a national televote.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Composer - Lyricist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Camillas | "Time Goes" | Romāns Falkenšteins, Ņina Kovaiko |
| 2 | Dace and Frīdis | "Running Around" | 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... |
| 3 | Girts Zebuliņš | "Place To Be" | Andris Barons, Brita Barone, Diāna Dubrovska |
| 4 | Johnny Salamander | "Party" | Johnny Salamander (Jānis Gūža), Meldra Gūža |
| 5 | Miks Dukurs | "Aizejot" | Edijs Dukurs, Miks Dukurs |
| 6 | Iveta Baumane & Ivo Grīsniņš-Grīslis | "Tic Tac" | Ingars Viļums |
| 7 | Ginta Ēķe | "Be Yourself" | Kristaps Krievkalns, Ginta Ēķe |
| 8 | Natālija Tumševica | "Dynamite" | Mikael Erlandsson Mikael Erlandsson Mikael Erlandsson is a singer, songwriter and keyboardist born in Gothenburg, Sweden. He recorded four solo albums which has also been released in Japan and the Far East... |
| 9 | Triānas parks | "Call Me Any Time You Need A Problem" | Aivars Rakovskis, Agnese Rakovska |
| 10 | Intars Busulis | "Sastrēgums" | Kārlis Lācis, Jānis Elsbergs |
| 11 | Kristīna Zaharova and Annija Putniņa | "Angel of Mine" | Mārtiņš Freimanis |
| 12 | Astra Dreimane | "Have To Say Goodbye" | Madara Celma |
| 13 | Edijs Šnipke | "Make My Day" | Edijs Šnipke |
| 14 | Ketta | "Without You" | Pavel Murashov |
| 15 | Policistas | "In Love We Trust" | Tomass Kleins, Guntars Račs |
| 16 | Fidji | "Don't Want To Say Goodbye" | Katrina Tene, Tarmo Keranens |
| 17 | Aisha feat. G-Point | "Hey Hey Hey Hey" | Kjell Jennstig, Leif Golkuhl |
| 18 | Simply 4 | "When The Sun Is Going Down" | Artūrs Palkevičs, Leonīds Jevsejevs, Sergejs Ivanovs |
| 19 | Sabīne Berezina feat. PeR | "Bye, Bye" | Markus Riva |
| 20 | Valters Frīdenbergs Valters & Kaža Valters and Kaža, sometimes spelt Walters and Kazha is a Latvian duo who represented their homeland in the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest. The slow ballad-like song, "The War Is Not Over", finished in 5th place despite having a considerably large lead at some point during the voting... |
"For A Better Tomorrow" | Valters Frīdenbergs |
Final
The final of Eirodziesma 2009 was held on 28 February, and feature the 10 qualifiers from the semi-final, held the previous day. Three songs were chosen by televoting and the votes of a jury to qualify to a "Super Final", where televoting alone decided the winner of the contest.Guests performing during the show included last year's Eirodziesma winner and Latvian Eurovision entry 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...
, Kristīna Zaharova with the runner-up song of the 2009 Irish national final "I Wish I Could Pretend", as well as 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:...
and Lidia Kopania
Lidia Kopania
Lidia Kopania is the frontwoman of Kind of Blue. Kopania represented her nation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia.-Biography:...
, the Lithuanian and Polish Eurovision entries respectively.
The three songs that qualified to the Super Final were Intars Busulis with "Sastrēgums", Natālija Tumševica with "Dynamite" and Kristīna Zaharova & Annija Putniņa with "Angel of Mine".
| Draw | Artist | Song | Composer - Lyricist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simply 4 | "When The Sun Is Going Down" | Artūrs Palkevičs, Leonīds Jevsejevs, Sergejs Ivanovs |
| 2 | Aisha feat. G-Point | "Hey Hey Hey Hey" | Kjell Jennstig, Leif Golkuhl |
| 3 | Kristīna Zaharova & Annija Putniņa | "Angel of Mine" | 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... |
| 4 | Sabīne Berezina feat. PeR | "Bye, Bye" | Markus Riva |
| 5 | Iveta Baumane & Ivo Grīsniņš-Grīslis | "Tic Tac" | Ingars Viļums |
| 6 | Intars Busulis | "Sastrēgums" | Kārlis Lācis, Jānis Elsbergs |
| 7 | Natālija Tumševica | "Dynamite" | Mikael Erlandsson Mikael Erlandsson Mikael Erlandsson is a singer, songwriter and keyboardist born in Gothenburg, Sweden. He recorded four solo albums which has also been released in Japan and the Far East... |
| 8 | Camillas | "Time Goes" | Romāns Falkenšteins, Ņina Kovaiko |
| 9 | Triānas parks | "Call Me Any Time You Need A Problem" | Aivars Rakovskis, Agnese Rakovska |
| 10 | Ketta | "Without You" | Pavel Murashov |
In the Super Final, the three qualifiers performed their songs once more. televoting selected the winner to be Intars Busulis
with "Sastrēgums", beating Kristīna Zaharova & Annija Putniņa to second place.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Composer - Lyricist | Televote | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 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 :* *... |
"Sastrēgums" | Kārlis Lācis, Jānis Elsbergs | 21027 | 1st |
| 2 | Natālija Tumševica | "Dynamite" | Mikael Erlandsson Mikael Erlandsson Mikael Erlandsson is a singer, songwriter and keyboardist born in Gothenburg, Sweden. He recorded four solo albums which has also been released in Japan and the Far East... |
5662 | 3rd |
| 3 | Kristīna Zaharova & Annija Putniņa | "Angel of Mine" | 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... |
19679 | 2nd |
At Eurovision
Being neither part of the "Big Four" nor the host of the 2009 contest Latvia were obliged to compete in one of the two semi-final on 12 and 14 May. Latvia competed in the second semi-final on 14 May where Intars performed "ProbkaProbka
"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...
", the 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...
version of "Sastrēgums". He failed to qualify to the final, relegating Latvia for the first time since 2004.
The postcard for Latvia contained the word "Borsch"(beetroot soup) at the end. However, another version, with the word "Ura!"(hurray!), can be found on the Internet.