Lithuania: The disappointment of The Roop for having to go through the national final!

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On an interview at the Euro Trip Podcast last month, the members of the Roop Band, Vaidotas Valiukevičius, Mantas Banišauskas and Robertas Baranauskas, who represented the Baltic nation in Rotterdam last year, revealed their disappointment for having to compete again at the national final of Lithuania Pabandom iš Naujo! 

The Roop Band had also won the national final in 2020, but due to the cancelation of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, the national public broadcaster, LRT, invited them to compete again at the following national final of 2021.

The lead singer of the band, Vaidotas Valiukevičius, commented :

“As I remember national television [LRT] said ‘give us three weeks and we’ll decide what we’re going to do’. It was very strange for us.”

“I was mad, I remember I was mad. I thought ‘f*** off’. Then I remembered it’s a new situation for everyone, and we just have to get on with it.”

Additionally, the band’s guitarist, Mantas Banišauskas, mentioned:

“We thought that a better decision could have been made [about the selection process].”

“When we went through the selection… we didn’t think we would win that easily, so that was a stressful period; that whole selection thing.”

Eventually the Roop didn’t only achieved a landslide victory at the national final, but also the best result for Lithuania, 8th place in the Grand Final, the second best placing after the 6th place of LT United back in Athens in 2006.

As far as a Eurovision comeback is concerned, Banišauskas, said:

“We still have unfinished business I guess, we still have to win.”

“The last two times we went to Eurovision [it was about whether we had the right song] so maybe if the time is right.”

Below you can listen again to the two Eurovision entries of the Roop Band for 2020 and 2021.

https://youtu.be/1EAUxuuu1w8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNweec5olYw

Would you like to see the Roop returning on the Eurovision stage in the coming years? Let us know on the comments below.

Source: Eurotrippodcast.com

 

Lithuania: The running order of the first heat

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The running order for the first quorter final of Pabandom iš naujo! (Let’s Try Again!) was announced today by Lithuania’s public broadcaster (LRT)!

Here are the 11 artists who will compete in this quorter final:

  1. Elonas Pokanevič – “Someday”
  2. Joseph June – “Deadly”
  3. Urtė Šilagalytė – “Running Chords”
  4. Gabrielė Goštautaitė – “Over”
  5. Mary Mo – “Get Up”
  6. Augustė Vedrickaitė ft. Under – “Before You’re 6”
  7. Sun Francisco – “Dream Again”
  8. Voldemars Petersons & the Break Hearters – “Up”
  9. Aldegunda – “Holiday”
  10. Viktorija Faith – “Walk Through the Water”
  11. Erica Jennings – “Back To Myself” 

The first quarter final will take place on Saturday, January 8th (20.00 CET)!

Pabandom iš naujo 2022 will consist of six shows. Three quarter finals, two semi finals and eventually the big final! The winner will be decided by a 50% jury vote and a 50% public vote. For the first time the jury members will not be revealed and their results will be shown at the end of the show, so that the audience won’t be influenced in any way!

Last year Lithuania chose for the second consecutive time the pop-rock group, The Roop as their representative in the 2021 contest, which got them the 8th place in the Grand Final!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNweec5olYw

Stay tuned in Eurovision Fun for all the latest news and information about Lithuania in Eurovision 2022!

Source: LRT

 

Eurovision 2022: Semi Final Allocation Draw to take place on January 25!

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One of the most important dates of the 66th Eurovision Song Contest was revealed a few hours ago, as the draw for the Eurovision 2022 semi-finals will take place on January 25th.

As revealed by the Montenegrin state radio, RTCG, in the context of the announcement of Vladana Vučinić as the representative of the Balkan country in Turin, the draw of the semi-finals will take place in exactly three weeks from today.

During the ceremony, the emblem of the event will be handed over from the city of Rotterdam to the Mayor of Turin. The draw will take place either at the Mole Antonelliana, the tallest building in Turin, or at the Palazzo Madama, which housed the first Senate of the Italian Kingdom.

The draw

The first part of the draw will determine the semi-final that will be broadcasted and voted by each of the five countries that are directly in the final (Italy, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom).

The second part of the draw will determine in which semi-final and in which half the other 36 participating countries will compete. As in recent years, the exact order of appearance will be determined by the producers of the event at a later time.

The 36 countries will be distributed in five or six pots, based on historical voting patterns as calculated by the official television partner Digame. This separation is done in order to avoid the gathering of many neighboring countries in a semifinal that would significantly affect the final result.

We remind you that Eurovision 2022 will be held on May 10, 12 and 14 at the PalaOlimpico in the capital of Piedmont. Thus, Turin will become the third city in Italy where the Eurovision Song Contest will be held. The previous two were Naples in 1965 and Rome in 1991.

We remind you that the 66th Eurovision Song Contest will take place at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, on 10, 12 and 14 May 2022, with 41 participating countries.Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the news related to the 66th Eurovision Song Contest!

Lithuania: The Roop will not participate in Eurovision 2022!

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After playing for a while with the anguish of their fans, The Roop in their statements today, dispel the gossip (which they themselves started) and wanted them to try another participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, next year.

Ever since the Eurovision final took place in Rotterdam in May, we have been receiving requests to return to the national final and participate again and again. We do not say no and we do not burn bridges or close the door on this idea. However, this may not happen this year (we are talking about 2022).

Eurovision has taught us a lot. There must be fun in an international context. As a result, we had to take a broader look when we got there.

We also want to share some experiences with new participants. Here, it is not only the song that matters, but also how you present it – the image has to match the song… Just feel what you want to say and follow it… Eurovision is not a goal, but a great start. So do not give up, no matter how successful you are.

We are very happy that Eurovision fans all over the world have us in their hearts. It is a united family full of good feelings, where we feel comfortable!

We remind you that these rumors started last week, when on the occasion of the release of their new song, which lasts exactly three minutes and was accompanied on YouTube by the description: Eurovision 2022, the well-known band avoided giving a clear answer to the question, whether they will participate again in the “Pabandom iš naujo”, through which the selection of Lithuania will be made this year as well.

Lithuania finished 8th at Eurovision 2021, with The Roop and Discoteque, which is the second best place the country has won in the history of the competition, after LT United 6th in 2006 with We Are The Winners .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNweec5olYw

Source: LRT

Lithuania: The Roop back at Eurovision?

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The possibility is left open for The Roop to participate again in the Eurovision song contest, in its upcoming edition, next May in Turin. The band, which reached the eighth place in Rotterdam, in today’s interview on the country’s public television turned a blind eye to a new participation.

Earlier they released a new song, putting in the title and description Eurovision 2022. The Roop did not answer if this is joke or if it will be their participation in the national final.

Lithuania for another year will choose its participation and its representative through the national final, which it calls “Pabandom iš naujo” (“Let’s try again”). The deadline for applications was November 25.

Up to 36 contestants, who will be selected to participate, will be given financial support (up to 54,000 euros in total), for the production of the songs and the stage appearance of their participation.

Pabandom iš naujo will start at the beginning of January and depending on the number of participants will consist of up to 6 shows (3 preliminary stages, 2 semifinals and a grand final). It is not yet known whether an audience will be allowed to attend.

Lithuania finished 8th at Eurovision 2021, with The Roop and Discoteque, which is the second best place the country has won in competition history, after LT United 6th in 2006 with We Are The Winners .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNweec5olYw

Would you like to see The Roop represent Lithuania with Ohmygodable?

Eurovision 2022: 41 countries joining the 66th contest in Turin!

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Public broadcasters from 41 countries will take part in the Eurovision Song Contest when it returns to our screens next May.

Fans of the Contest will welcome back ARMTV from Armenia and RTCG from Montenegro, both taking to the stage for the first time since Tel Aviv in 2019.

It’s also a special year for Norwegian broadcaster NRK as they will be celebrating the selection of their 60th Eurovision entry during the Melodi Grand Prix grand final on Saturday 19 February.

We will also witness the 300th ‘Big Five’ performance – that’s a song from one of either France, Germany, Italy, Spain or United Kingdom.

Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, shared his thoughts on the line-up:

‘We are so excited that we once again have over 40 broadcasters competing to win the iconic Eurovision trophy in Turin next May.

The team from Rai are working hard on preparations to welcome all the delegations to a new Host City and ensuring the Eurovision Song Contest will provide the excitement and state-of-the-art spectacle expected by nearly 200 million viewers.’

On the announcement of the 41 participants, Simona Martorelli and Claudio Fasulo from Italian broadcaster Rai added:

‘After 31 years, Italy is proud to host the Eurovision Song Contest again! As Executive Producers, we are incredibly excited to set up this amazing event and welcome delegations from 41 nations to Turin next year.

Above all, we strongly believe the Eurovision Song Contest will allow us to showcase and share the beauty of Italy with a global audience via the elements that unite us all: music and harmony.’

The Italian city of Turin won the race to become the Host City of the 66th Eurovision Song Contest, setting Saturday 14 May as the date of the Grand Final, which will be held in PalaOlimpico along with two Semi-Finals on 10 and 12 May.

Source: Eurovision.tv

Philipp Kirkorov appeals to the European Court of Human Rights!

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Philipp Kirkorov has decided to react strongly after the announcement of the Lithuanian Immigration Department a few days ago, that his name was added to a list of unwanted citizens who were banned from entering the Baltic country for the next five years. According to what was conveyed to us from the environment of the biggest pop star of Russia, he has already started the proceedings with his lawyers, to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. Read more

Lithuania: Listen to The Roop’s “Discotheque”!

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The big day for all The Roop fans has arrived. The long-awaited “Discoteque”, with which the band will participate in Pabandom Iš Naujo! 2021, released.

The big winners of last year’s Lithuanian national final and one of the big favorites to win the canceled Eurovision 2020 are back in order to get a ticket to Rotterdam for the second year in a row.

As the singer of the band, Vaidotas Valiukevičius mentioned, everyone in The Roop believes that they can win Pabandom Iom Naujo! and claim whatever chances they have of winning Eurovision 2021 in May.

The famous band has secured a direct place for the grand finale of Pabandom Iš Naujo! on February 6, while they will appear in tomorrow’s second qualifying round as a guest presenting their participation.

You can listen it below:

 

In a few hours the videoclip will be available also:

 

What do you think about The Roop’s new effort for Eurovision?

 

Lithuania: The goverment blacklists Philipp Kirkorov | He will not be able to visit the country for 5 years!

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The Russian pop singer Philipp Kirkorov will not be able to perform or come to Lithuania for five years after the country adds him to its blacklist for supporting Moscow’s policies in Crimea.

On Tuesday, Lithuania’s Migration Department, acting on a request from the Foreign Ministry, added the Russian performer to the national blacklist of foreigners banned from coming to Lithuania, the Interior Ministry said in a press release.

The Foreign Ministry previously said that Kirkorov had been performing in Crimea, thus justifying Russia’s illegal anexation of the peninsula from Ukraine.

Performers publicly justifying Crimea’s occupation should not be tolerated in any democratic country. We have an unambiguous stance as regards such public figures, hence there were no doubts about adding Kirkorov to the blacklist of people unwelcome in Lithuania.

Interior Minister Agne Bilotaitė

On Monday, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis asked the Interior Ministry and the Migration Department to add Kirkorov, who is a dual Russian-Bulgarian national, to Lithuania’s blacklist of foreigners banned from coming to the country.

The minister then said that the well-known performer, who has a considerable fan base in Lithuania, made multiple visits to the annexed Crimean Peninsula and “deliberately denied the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and thus indirectly justified the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation”.

“We will systematically assess all the figures that Russia seeks to exploit to further its foreign policy [goals] and influence Lithuanian people,” Landsbergis said.

Philipp Kirkorov has represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995. He has also been the composer, along with the Greek musician Dimitris Kontopoulos, in many Eurovision entries. This year he signs the entry with which Natalia Gordiengo will compete in Eurovision Song Contest.

Source: LRT NEWS

Lithuania: Listen to a snippet of The Roop’s “Discoteque”! (Video)

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On Friday, Roop’s song for Eurovision, Discoteque, will be released on all electronic platforms, while the next day they will perform it live in the second qualifying round of Pabandom iš Naujo. A while ago, however, they published a small teaser of it!

 

Δείτε αυτή τη δημοσίευση στο Instagram.

 

Η δημοσίευση κοινοποιήθηκε από το χρήστη THE ROOP (@theroopband)

This year, Lithuania Public Broadcaster decided to reduce its national final for Eurovision to just 4 shows. Two qualifying rounds, a semifinal and a final. Roop are guaranteed a place in the final of Pabandom iš Naujo 2021, which will take place on February 6.

Below are photos from the rehearsals they performed for their appearance next Saturday:

Roop after their victory last year at Pabandom iš Naujo 2020, would represent Lithuania with On Fire, a song that was among the big favorites for the victory.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EAUxuuu1w8

What is your first impression of Discoteque?