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Latvia: Dons is considering adding Latvian to the Eurovision final!

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Dons is considering changing a part of “Hollow” to Latvian for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.

Latvia qualified for the Eurovision Grand Final for the first time since 2016 thanks to Dons and the participation of “Hollow” . The singer, speaking this morning to the Latvian TV station, said:

Well, we have nothing to lose. We’ve already come this far, let’s show what we can do! Go and just enjoy!

While discussing the final with LTV , he explained that he is considering performing part of his entry in Latvian. The singer will review the competition rules to see if adjustments can be made between the semi-final and final.

He also added about his appearance in the semi-final that:

I tried really hard to control my emotions, I would cry even more – this is how I am, what can I do.

Latvia with Dons and Hollow  will appear in the 11th place Grand Final on Saturday 11th of May.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1YvDgwszn8

Source: LSM

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Eurovision 2024: Which rehearsal has the most views on TikTok?

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Two days ago, the first rehearsals for all 37 entries officially concluded, and today the second rehearsals are expected to be completed, with the Big 5 and the host country Sweden taking the stage at the Malmö Arena for the second time! This means that we are getting closer to the Eurovision week, with the Dress and Jury Rehearsals for the first semi-final starting on Monday.

However, as we know on TikTok, all the first rehearsals are uploaded. Apart from their performances, we’ll also get a sneak peek backstage before they take the stage for the first time in a video of about one minute.

One of the many features of TikTok is the ability to add songs to each user’s video creation. However, the TikTok algorithm is usually able to detect the song used in the video, assign it to the correct track, and then include it in the total number of videos where that sound has been used. Based on this capability, the most popular songs before rehearsals were from the Netherlands and Italy. Will they receive the same promotion as before?

The ranking with all the entries (in brackets will be the day of the rehearsal) based on the increasing number of views after one week from the start of the first rehearsals on TikTok is as follows:

  1. Netherlands: Joost (fourth day) – Europapa – 3.2 milion views
  2. Greece: Marina Satti (third day) – ZARI – 2.7 million views
  3. Poland: LUNA (first day)– The Tower –1.5 million views
  4. Switzerland: Nemo (third day) – The Code – 1.2 million views
  5. Serbia: Teya Dora (first day) – Ramonda – 980.1 thousand views
  6. Ukraine: alyona alyona & Jerry Heil (first day) – Teressa & Maria – 971.2 thousand views
  7. Croatia: Baby Lasagna (first day) – Rim Tim Tagi Dim – 812.3 thousand views
  8. Georgia: Nutsa (fourth day) – FireFighter – 637.4 thousand views
  9. Israel: Eden Golan (fourth day) – Hurricane – 607.1 thousand views
  10. Belgium: Mustii (fourth day) – Before The Party Is Over – 585.7 thousand views
  11. United Kingdom: Olly Alexander (sixth day) – Dizzy – 567.4 thousand views
  12. Armenia: LADANIVA (third day)  – Jako – 528.6 thousand views
  13. Sweden: Marcus & Martinus (sixth day) – Unforgettable – 515.6 thousand views
  14. Spain: Nebulossa (sixth day)– Zorra – 448.5 thousand views
  15. Albania: Besa (third day) – TiTan – 413.5 thousand views
  16. France: Slimane (sixth day) – Mon Amour – 412.5 thousand views
  17. Ireland: Bambie Thug (first day) – Doomsday Blue – 388.2 thousand views
  18. Latvia: Dons (fourth day) – Hollow – 383.2 thousand viewsc
  19. Austria: Kaleen (third day)  – We Will Rave – 366.2 thousand views
  20. Azerbaijan: FAHREE feat. Ilkin Dovlatov (second day) – Özünlə Apar – 363.5 thousand views
  21. Cyrpus: Silia Kapsis (first day) – Liar – 324.8 thousand views
  22. Lithuania: Silvester Belt (first day) – Luktelk – 306.2 thousand views
  23. Luxembourg: TALI (second day) – Fighter – 304.3 thousand views
  24. Estonia: 5MIINUST x Puuluup (fourth day) – (Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi – 292.0 thousand views
  25. Malta: Sarah Bonnici (third day) – Loop –  291.7 thousand views
  26. Czechia: Aiko (third day) – Pedestal – 284.9 thousand views
  27. Denmark: SABA (third day) – SAND – 262.0 thousand views
  28. Norway: Gåte (fourth day) – Ulveham – 255.4 thousand views
  29. San Marino: Megara (fourth day) – 11:11 – 238.2 thousand views
  30. Australia: Electric Fields (sexond day) – One Milkali (One Blood) – 229.9 thousand views
  31. Moldova: Natalia Barbu (second day) – In The Middle – 211.0 thousand views
  32. Germany: Isaak (sixth day) – Always On The Run – 210.2 thousand views
  33. Portugal: iolanda (second day) – Grito – 192.3 thousand views
  34. Italy: Angelina Mango (sixth day)– La Noia – 186.0 thousand views
  35. Iceland: Hera Bjork (second day) – Scared of Heights –  180.3 thousand views
  36. Finland: Windows95man (second day) – No Rules – 172.2 thousand views
  37. Slovenia: Raiven (second day) – Veronika – 162.4 thousand views

The views were counted at 17:45 CET.

Based on the views from the first semi-final, the following countries will qualify (in ascending order): Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, Croatia, Ireland, Azerbaijan, Cyprus (seventh), Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Australia.

Similarly, from the second semi-final, the following countries will qualify: Netherlands, Greece, Switzerland, Georgia, Israel, Belgium, Armenia, Albania, Latvia, and Austria.

TikTok has played a significant role in the success of Eurovision songs in recent years. For example, Duncan Laurence’s winning entry “Arcade” became a global hit a year after winning the competition when it was used in over a million videos on TikTok. One of the earliest TikTok successes from Eurovision was Getter Jaani’s “Rockefeller Street”, which went viral on the platform in 2018 and has since been used in over two million videos. Let’s not forget that Armenia’s entry in 2022 by Rosa Linn with “Snap” gained over a billion views on the platform. Finally, Norway’s entry last year gained significant worldwide publicity months before the competition week, where it secured fifth place.

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Eurovision 2024: Latvia’s Second Rehearsal!

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Next artist to step on the cross-like stage of Malmö Arena and try to win one of the ten tickets for the Final is Dons from Latvia, who is performing his song, “Hollow“.

Who is Dons?

Dons is one of Latvia’s most famous singers and songwriters. His real name is Artūrs Šingirejs, and he was born in 1984, the year when Sweden marked its second win in the Contest. Dons has also won Latvian Music Recording Awards’ “Top Hit” not once, but eight times for the most played song on the radio. However, the records for him do not stop there.

He has also released eight solo albums, he has won “Best Pop Album” twice and “Best Rock Album” once, while he has also won numerous awards, including Latvijas Radio’s Muzikālās Banka “Song of the Year” five times.

Moreover, Dons began his carrer back in 2003 through the Latvian reality show “Talantu Fabrika“. Since then, he has also released a duet album, while his debut album, “Lights On” (2006), was mostly in English.

Let’s remember here that although Dons won the National Final of Latvia, Supernova 2024, hence he is a member of our Eurovision 2024 community, he had also tried to represent Latvia twice in the past, in 2010 with his song “My Religion Is Freedom“, and in 2014 with “Pēdējā Vēstule“, both finishing in second place.

The rehearsal:

The staging for this features a huge circular prop (maybe three or four metres in diameter), that Dons stands in at the start of the song. It doesn’t move or spin or light up, but it does create a really powerful focal point on stage.

Latvia second rehearsal Eurovision 2024. Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU

Dons is wearing his trademark royal blue sleeveless pantsuit , and he’s backed by an LED wall of gently pulsing lights and circles. The lighting effects are actually really clever – lots of slow-moving blue spotlights in the verses that kick into much brighter, whiter lights in the chorus. They feel like searchlights, and it gives this whole performance a MOOD.

Latvia second rehearsal Eurovision 2024. Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett/EBU

After today’s second rehearsals a recap video will be published on the official Youtube channel! Stay tuned!

The Dress Rehearsal for Latvia and the rest of Semi Final 2 is scheduled for Wednesday the 8th of May!

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Source: eurovision.tv

Eurovision 2024: Which rehearsal had the most views on the fourth day?

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Yesterday, first rehearsals continued dynamically, with the Malmö Arena hosting the last eight countries of the second semifinal! Be sure to also read our article from yesterday regarding the views of the eight countries that completed their rehearsals on Monday.

However, as we know on TikTok, all the first rehearsals are uploaded. Apart from their performances, we’ll also get a sneak peek backstage before they take the stage for the first time in a video of about one minute.

One of the many features of TikTok is the ability to add songs to each user’s video creation. However, the TikTok algorithm is usually able to detect the song used in the video, assign it to the correct track, and then include it in the total number of videos where that sound has been used. Based on this capability, the most popular songs before rehearsals were from the Netherlands and Italy. Will they receive the same promotion as before?

In less than 24 hours (May 1, 2024, time 16:35 CET), since the first clip from the rehearsals was uploaded, we have a indicative sample of which rehearsal was favored by the audience (here it should be noted that the videos were uploaded one after the other with a one and a half hour interval and there was a significant delay in their publication).

The rehearsals that had the most views are:

  1. Netherlands: Joost – Europapa – 1.8 million views
  2. Belgium: Mustii – Before The Party Is Over – 450 thousand views
  3. Georgia: Nutsa – FireFighter – 426 thousand views
  4. Israel: Eden Golan – Hurricane – 415.9 thousand views
  5. Latvia: Dons – Hollow – 297 thousand views
  6. Estonia: 5MIINUST x Puuluup – (Nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi – 206 thousand views
  7. San Marino: Megara – 11:11 – 183.5 thousand views
  8. Norway: Gåte – Ulveham – 178.2 thousand views

With this small sample, we can infer that:

  • The Netherlands is indeed one of the major contenders for victory, hence rightfully gathering so many views. As it has made a huge leap, leaving Belgium behind by four times in views. Joost is expected to soon surpass Greece in views, but for now Marina Satti holds the lead.
  • There is a significant gap between the fourth and fifth positions, indicating that the last four countries did not impress much with their stage presence.
  • It’s surprising that Norway ranks last in views, considering it has the most unique song and vocals of the competition. There is a possibility of a recovery in views since their rehearsal was delayed in being published.

The top five countries with the most views from the four days are as follows:

  1. Greece: Marina Satti – ZARI – 2.3 million views
  2. Netherlands: Joost – Europapa – 1.8 million views
  3. Poland: LUNA – The Tower –1.3 million views
  4. Serbia: Teya Dora – Ramonda – 929.1 thousand views
  5. Ukraine: alyona alyona & Jerry Heil – Teressa & Maria – 876.6 thousand views

TikTok has played a significant role in the success of Eurovision songs in recent years. For example, Duncan Laurence’s winning entry “Arcade” became a global hit a year after winning the competition when it was used in over a million videos on TikTok. One of the earliest TikTok successes from Eurovision was Getter Jaani’s “Rockefeller Street”, which went viral on the platform in 2018 and has since been used in over two million videos. Let’s not forget that Armenia’s entry in 2022 by Rosa Linn with “Snap” gained over a billion views on the platform. Finally, Norway’s entry last year gained significant worldwide publicity months before the competition week, where it secured fifth place.

For detailed information about the rehearsals, you can check out our related articles:

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Eurovision 2024: Latvia’s First Rehearsal!

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Welcome back Eurovision fans! It is the fourth day of the very first rehearsals of Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, in Sweden and all of the artists are trying to give the best of themselves, once they step on the stage. Today, the rest entries of the Second Semi-Final staged their performances and gave audience a hint of what is going to be presented in Sweden. The very first artist who stepped on the cross-like stage was Dons from Latvia, who performed his song, “Hollow“.

Who is Dons?

Dons is one of Latvia’s most famous singers and songwriters. His real name is Artūrs Šingirejs, and he was born in 1984, the year when Sweden marked its second win in the Contest. Dons has also won Latvian Music Recording Awards’ “Top Hit” not once, but eight times for the most played song on the radio. However, the records for him do not stop there.

He has also released eight solo albums, he has won “Best Pop Album” twice and “Best Rock Album” once, while he has also won numerous awards, including Latvijas Radio’s Muzikālās Banka “Song of the Year” five times.

Moreover, Dons began his carrer back in 2003 through the Latvian reality show “Talantu Fabrika“. Since then, he has also released a duet album, while his debut album, “Lights On” (2006), was mostly in English.

Let’s remember here that although Dons won the National Final of Latvia, Supernova 2024, hence he is a member of our Eurovision 2024 community, he had also tried to represent Latvia twice in the past, in 2010 with his song “My Religion Is Freedom“, and in 2014 with “Pēdējā Vēstule“, both finishing in second place.

The rehearsal:

First up today is Latvia’s Dons – he’s a musical icon in his home country, so he’s no stranger to a big stage. His soulful power-ballad Hollow swept up both jury and public votes at Supernova, and its position in the running order (sandwiched between an Armenian folkbop and a San Marino rock anthem) feels like a soul-stirring vocal masterclass.

The staging for this features a huge circular prop (maybe three or four metres in diameter), that Dons stands in at the start of the song. It doesn’t move or spin or light up, but it does create a really powerful focal point on stage.

Dons is wearing his trademark royal blue sleeveless pantsuit , and he’s backed by an LED wall of gently pulsing lights and circles. The lighting effects are actually really clever – lots of slow-moving blue spotlights in the verses that kick into much brighter, whiter lights in the chorus. They feel like searchlights, and it gives this whole performance a MOOD.

Below you can take a look on a snippet from Dons’ first rehearsal for Latvia on TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@eurovision/video/7363634790756551968?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7345954161927734816

Latvia’s second rehearsal has been set to take place on Thursday the 2nd of May, when we will get an even better idea of what Dons, along with his team, have in mind to stage in Malmö.

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Source: Eurovision.tv

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun, because even more news regarding the rehearsals are coming up next!

Watch the performances of Ukraine, Austria, Latvia and Estonia in “A Little Bit More”!

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Just like last year, some time before the first rehearsals of the countries, the show called “A Little Bit More” aired on the official Eurovision YouTube channel.Advertisement

So, for all this time before the rehearsals, Eurovision TV will upload different performances of the artists, like different versions of their songs, or covers of songs from other artists.

In today’s videos, we have three covers of songs representing the countries this year:

  • Estonia’s 5MIINUST x Puuluup, singing an acoustic version of their song “(nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi”

  • Austria’s Kaleen, singing an acoustic version of her song “We Will Rave”
  • Ukraine’s alyona alyona & Jerry Heil, singing their song “Teresa & Maria” live accompanied by a Choir

Last video of the day, is the Latvian representative, Dons, singing a cover of “Over the Rainbow”, by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole:

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!

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Listen to Latvia’s Hollow (Live from the Basement) in A Little Bit More!

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Just like last year, some time before the first rehearsals of the countries, the show called “A Little Bit More” aired on the official Eurovision YouTube channel.

So, for all this time before the rehearsals, Eurovision TV will upload different performances of the artists, like different versions of their songs, or covers of songs from other artists.

In the video below, you can listen Dons sing Hollow live from the basement:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLSCSQwxvfg&t=61s

You can also watch the Eurovisionfun team reacting and commenting to the Latvian entry in Eurovision 2024:

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!

Latvia: With Dons and “Hollow” in Malmö!

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Supernova 2024, the process through which Latvia selected its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, was completed tonight. The grand final was broadcast on the country’s national broadcaster LTV with a total of 10 songs competing to represent the Baltic country in Malmö.

The hosts

For the third consecutive year, Supernova was hosted by the duo of Ketija Šēnberga and Lauris Reiniks.

The competing entries

The 10 entries competing in Supernova’s Grand Final tonight were the following:

The results

The final result was a combination of the Latvian Televote and the votes of the Jury appointed by the Latvian public broadcaster.

These are the full combined results:

  1. Dons
  2. Vēstulēs
  3. Katrīna Gupalo
  4. Alekss Silvers
  5. St Levića
  6. Edvards Strazdiņš
  7. Ecto
  8. Avéi
  9. Funkinbiz
  10. Papīra Lidmašīnas

Below you can watch Dons’ winning performace:

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the latest news regarding Latvia’s participation in Eurovision 2024!

Latvia: “Hollow” by Dons voted as Best Song for 2023!

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A few days ago, LTV, the public broasdcaster of Latvia, announced the artists and the songs that will take part in Supernova 2024, the national final through which the country’s representative for Eurovision 2024 will emerge.

Among the names of the artists, Dons (Artūrs Šingirejs) is the one to stand out, as he is the biggest Latvian pop star right now, who takes part with his song “Hollow”, which is his first English song since 2006.

After the song’s release, there have been a great amount of positive comments, with most of them saying that he will be the one to represent Latvia in Eurovision 2024.

In an event that took place yesterday, Dons won the “Best Latvian Radio Song” award for 2023, with his song “Lauzto šķēpu karaļvalsts”, which is the Latvian version of his song “Hollow”, released four months ago.

Dons has previously tried to represent Latvia two times, but he ended up as the runner-up of the national selection, both of them. As of now, he is in the first place of the betting odds, making him the favourite to represent the country in Eurovision 2024.

Supernova 2024 program:

  • Semi-Final– February 3
  • Final– February 10

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Latvian participation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!

Latvia: Will country’s pop star Dons compete in Supernova 2024 with “Hollow”?

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Dons is Latvia’s biggest pop star right now, and his first English-language single release in ages has many believing we’ll see him avenge the country’s insult at Eurovision 2024.

Hollow is the first English-language song by Dons (Artūrs Šingirejs) since 2006. The comments accompanying this release on social media have been very positive, with most speculating and hoping that Dons’ participation in Supernova 2024 will be, the country’s national final for the selection of Latvia’s participation in Eurovision 2024.

Dons attempted to represent Latvia twice in the past and both times came second in the national selection.

The participants of Supernova 2024 will be revealed in January. In February we will be able to see the live performances of the artists in TV shows. The public who can vote for their favorite artists together with the jury in the final. The number of shows and the exact format of Supernova 2024 have yet to be announced.

Sudden Lights represented Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with their song “Aija” and finished 11th in the semi-final.

Stay tuned at Eurovision Fun for all the latest news about Latvia’s participation in Eurovision 2024!