Lithuania was one of the first countries to confirm its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025. The submission window would have been open until today, November 11, however just a while ago, LRT, the country’s public broadcaster, announced that an extension of time will be given to those interested.
Petras Gražulis is a Lithuanian member of the European Parliament, and he submitted a petition for the country’s withdrawal from the Contest, stating that the Contest does not promote music and talent, but it’s just a tool to promote LGBT propaganda.
The family show of the Eurovision 2024 First Semi-Final in Malmö at the Malmö Arena! We are just a couple of hours before the First Semifinal kicks in but, before we get to know the first results the artists competing in the First Semifinal will perform once again for the Family Show. The Family Show is more financially convenient, identical to the live one for families and takes place earlier on the same day of the Semifinal. EurovisionFun will be watching all the shows live both at the on-site press centre in Malmöä and at the online press centre and will be commenting on the full performances of the 15 participating countries and the United Kingdom, Germany, and Sweden. This year we will watch the automatic qualifiers perform their entire songs as part of the Semifinal
This article gets updated in real time, all you need to do is hit the refresh button on your browser!
So stay tuned to this article as we update it with all the details, preparing you for what you will see in the Semi-Final today May 7th, at 21:00 CEST.
The show opens with the iconic Cyprus representative Eleni Foureira singing her 2018 Eurovision song, Fuego! She is performing an oriental-inspired version of Fuego. After Eleni, Eric Saade comes to the stage to sing Popular in an explosive performance. Last but not least, Chanel rocks the stage. The 2022 Spanish representative sings SloMo with a different dance performance than what we saw in Turin two years ago. An amazing way to start this year’s Eurovision Season!
The host of the show is Petra Mede who is familiar to Eurofans as she has hosted the contest twice before in 2013 and 2016. She is joined by actress Malin Åkerman. The female duo are dressed in pink and orange neon suits that are suitable for the LED background.
Petra welcomes us back in Sweden and she made a joke about her voting for Finland last year. They also thank last year’s organizers for hosting an incredible show back in 2023. Malin praises Petra for hosting for a third time the contest and Petra said that she never tried to host with a woman and she was thrilled about this experience.
The hosts are explaining the voting process in English AND French this year. We’ve missed so much Petra speaking French!! Malmo are we ready? Let the Eurovision Song Contest begin!
Silia becomes the youngest artist to open a Eurovision Song Contest. With 17 years Silia opened the First Semi-final! She’s joined by 4 male dancers all in white t-shirts which they removed by the end of the song. The LED’s are mostly in neon turquoise colours. Silia has improved her vocals from her previous attempts. She danced in the whole performance. The dancebreak looks better than the second rehearsal, the camera shots are improved by a lot!! In the last 20 seconds, the colours of the LED turn red.
Following Teya Dora brings a Serbian ballad. Teya Dora is standing and sitting on a rock during the performance. The performance is introspective and very emotional. The LED screens show thunders and a flower by the end of the song and the atmosphere is dark throughout the performance. Will this be enough for Teya Dora to get to the Grand Final?
Lithuania is next with Luktelk! His performance has most of the elements from their national final one. The LED’s are based in red and blue colours. Silvester enjoys his performance and is very energetic. A sure qualifier!
Bambie Thug has grown in the weeks. The change from her national final to Malmö is incredible. Bambie really knows how to pull a live performance with their voice and their face expressions. They are accompanied by a shirtless dancer who seems that he is their lover in the performance. The dancer dresses off Bambie revealing a very thin suit. On the bridge of the song, the candles rise upwards, and the lighting turns red. At the end of the song they scream and the performance is finished with a LED phrase “Crown The Witch”. The crowd was clapping for a long time. Ireland is back in the game!
Break
Petra Mede interacts with the audience. She is tested on her Eurovision knowledge from previous songs but fails.
Olly is the first of the Big 5 plus Sweden to sing live in one of the Semifinals. He is performing in a Box that has a shower. He is accompanied by 4 male dancers in boxer shorts. The whole performance is very physical and sensual. The choreography increases this sexual tension. In the last chorus, he leaves the box with his dancers and he’s performing in the front part of the stage. Olly’s vocals were not the best.
The folk duo is next to perform. In the first chorus the shots are from above with the LED floor being in grey and blue colours making a hurricane. Aliona comes to the stage for her rap part and she is vocally perfect. After that, we can see Jerry in the LED wall being as mother Teresa. The images on the LED screens and the light work elevates this song. At the end of the performance, Jerry and alyona are lying on the floor and the LED is full of women. A very moving performance that could give Ukraine another victory!
Luna honors the name of her song with a floor that resembles a chessboard and two towers onstage. Luna is surrounded by two dancers dressed in black and white as chess pieces. Then, a red figure appears forming the shadow of the singer. At the final point of the song, the two towers come together and change color to red, while we also have fireworks. Overall it is not a very impressive performance. It seems to me that Poland risks not qualifying this year.
The fan and bookers favourite is next on the stage. We start with smoke and a setup resembling a rock concert. There are fireworks, and the lights are in various colors with alternations. At the last chorus we can see many smoke and many fireworks also. In general, the dancers and the choreography is an upgraded version of the national final. The crowd went crazy with Croatia’s performance you can listen them joining the chorus.
Eurovision legend Hera Björk, started her performance with her standing at the top of some stairs. The LED backdrop is in golden colours and it suits her iconic dress of the same color. Vocally Hera never disappoints. At the middle of her performance, the colours are transformed in red colours. Up until the second chorus, she is alone on stage, and then her backing singers joined her. The platform rises, and we see fireworks as well. It seems that she enjoyed the performance by 100%!
Break
Malin Åkerman shares her love for Swedish cinema as well as Eurovision music. A segment that mixes classic Swedish movies such as “The Seventh Deal” and “Fanny Alexander” with Eurovision songs entries.
The performance starts in an apartment with a fire in a barrel. In the chorus, the whole living room catches on fire, and Isaak stands in the middle. In the end, we see the backing vocalists on stage, while the fires go out. Isaak’s vocals are impeccable but he risks going unnoticed by the audience in the final.
After Germany, next on stage is Raiven. She is dressed in a transparent bodysuit, at the beginning of the performance she is laid on the floor by herself, and then in the chorus, she is accompanied by her dancers wearing light beige underwear. The choreography is good but the whole work is not as impactful. At the end of the song, the LED floor is in blue colours like they are floating in the sea.
Windows95man takes his UMK concept including the jean egg for Malmö. Windows95Man emerges from the egg. The dancers have a 1990-2000s style, and the shots are framed to create an illusion of nudity. In the end, he wears denim shorts with fireworks. A novelty act that could go either way. You either love it or hate it. Windows95man and Henri Piispanen vocals did not sound as good as in UMK.
The Malmö version of In The Middle is a much polished one from Natalia’s national final. Natalia’s vocals are really good but the stage feels empty during most of the performance which plays against her. There are images of flowers, a tree, bubbles and butterflies. When Natalia plays the violin the angel wings are displayed.
Twins Marcus & Martinus represent the host country. The performance does not change the concept from Melodifestivalen but expands it. It feels like the inside of a club with flashing lights and dancers. A very professional presentation that will surely do well in the Final.
Next act on the stage is the male duo from Azerbaijan, the LED wall displays an unknown character in silver waving his hands and performing some movements. In the middle of the performance, two huge hand props were revealed on the stage. Overall, the performance is not very memorable. Azerbaijan may not qualify for a second year.
Electric Fields is the next onstage. The camera shots are good but there is nothing particularly impressive. “On the LED screens, we see scenes from the video. Then three dancers-vocalists appear, and in the second chorus, the didgeridoo appears, and the title of the song is written on the wall. In fact the second half of the performance is more eye-catching and colourful. Will this be enough for Australia to qualify?
Portugal is bringing art to the stage! A classy performance with an impressive, minimalistic choreography. The vocals of Iolanda are on point and the camera frames and shots are perfect. One of the floating cubes is lower the whole performance based on the other three. The performance is based on white colours as we already saw at Festival da Canao.
Luxembourg had not competed in Eurovision since the 90s and is closing the First Semifinal with a French/English pop song, which is unusual based on the previous representatives. Tali is good vocaly but the camera shots are weak. The performance is based on purple and golden colours as well as images of tigers roaring. She has changed her braids from the first rehearsal. There is fog on the stage and shots towards the audience. In the last chorus, we also have fireworks, and the word ‘Fighter’ appears on the LED screens.
A recap of all the entries follows.
Petra Mede present us in a really special interval act the double Irish winner Johnny Logan! Johnny sings Loreen’s Euphoria with a live orchestra. A beautiful performance!
We are now watching a video with the turquoise carpet. Petra jokes that according to social media, “it was the best turquoise carpet ever”.
A recap of all the entries follows.
We go from lighthearted humor to a sad moment. In addition to reminding the audience that Nicole and Hugo were the first performers to dance and sing together for Eurovision, Malin also briefly remembers that Nicole who passed away the previous year. A compilation of Eurovision dance acts as a tribute to the Belgium representatives in 1973 follows.
Second Interval act for the semi-final one is Benjamin Ingrosso in an amazing medley of three songs.
The hosts highlight the several nations and languages that have participated in the show right before the results are announced, and another video compilation is presented.
Cyprus
Lithuania
Ireland
Ukraine
Croatia
Finland
Portugal
Luxembourg
Serbia
Poland
Slovenia
Australia
Iceland
Moldova
Azerbaijan
The green room is behind the stage and the LED wall opens so we can see the contestants behind it. Martin Osterdahl executive producer of Eurovision Song Contest 2024, declares that he is happy to see that we now have a valid result!
Here we have a big change, as the 15 competing acts stand on stage, without their delegations, waiting for the result. The camera shows them one by one, as the presenters announce the qualifiers. After the first 5 qualifiers are announced, Alesha interviews them backstage and then we learn the 5 remaining qualifiers.
The ten countries that (virtually) qualified for the finals for rehearsal purposes only were the following:
Closing the televised show, we will get to watch a recap of the ten finalist songs.
You can watch our live reaction from the Family Show of the First Semi-Final on our YouTube channel:
Follow us on all social media, so you do not miss a thing of what will happen in Malmö:
Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun for all the latest news regarding the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, which is held in Malmö!
Audrius Giržadas, head of the Lithuanian delegation for the Eurovision Song Contest, discussed what would happen if Lithuania won the contest.
In an interview during LRT Radio’s “Unite Eurovision” program, the LRT producer and head of the Lithuanian delegation to the Eurovision Song Contest talked about what would happen if Lithuania won the Eurovision Song Contest.
Giržadas stated that the first Lithuanian Eurovision entry approached the song contest with two goals: not to come last, but also not to win, because then the country would have to face the costs of hosting the event.
“One of those goals – not to be last – remained. Sometimes I think that yes, winning is scary. Such an event costs a lot – just crazy! What’s more, you never know how much the city municipality will contribute to the budget, how much the country itself.”
According to Giržadas, the Lithuanian representatives and the heads of delegations accompanying them really want to bring victory to their country one day. He also refuted claims by skeptics that Lithuania does not have the right arena to host the Eurovision Song Contest.
“In the same Copenhagen “Eurovision” was held in such a rusty garage – a former shipyard, which was later turned into a warehouse for cinema decorations. The holes were just plugged, black acoustic balloons were placed on the roof and – please! This is a televised event. It can also take place in a cardboard box if it looks good. Because of that, we definitely have a place to do this kind of event and would fit perfectly in one of the available arenas. The bigger headache here would be the budget.”
According to the producer, a more convenient place for such an event is the Žalgiris arena, located in Kaunas.
“Kaunas Arena is more comfortable. Of course, that one entry – the bridge – would be a problem in terms of all safety requirements. However, we could also fit in Vilnius. Especially since there are satellite halls around the reconstructed arena, which can be used, as is often done, to house press centers.”
Finally, Giržadas also talked about his feeling regarding how well Sylvester Belt will do. He said he was afraid to predict how this year’s Lithuanian representative in Malmö would fare. However, he has never been so calm when it comes to qualifying for the final.
“With a few exceptions, we keep getting to the final. And we are not last in the final. Here you know – is the glass half empty or half full? I am very happy that we are doing so well. […] But one day, maybe they will get that winner’s trophy. I really hope.”
Source: LRT
Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the updates around the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest!
Follow us on all our social media, so that you’ll not lose a thing of what’s happening Eurovision:
The fifth day of technical rehearsals for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö is now over, and the preparations are heating up. Following their first technical rehearsals, the 15 countries competing in the first semi-final took the stage of Malmö Arena for their second round of rehearsals.
The second rehearsals allowed the delegations to iron out any issues from the first round of rehearsals and gave the artists a greater sense of security and comfort on the Eurovision main stage.
We know very little about what this year’s artists have prepared for the Eurovision stage because accredited journalists are not permitted to watch both the first and second rehearsals. The EBU has just posted a recap of today’s rehearsals on YouTube via the official Eurovision channel. More precisely, we’ll get to see the exclusive TV footage of today’s rehearsals.
The countries that had their second rehearsals today were the following:
You can watch the recap of today’s rehearsals below:
Follow us on all social media, so you do not miss a moment of what is happening in Malmö:
Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news about the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, in Malmö!
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.
Last Saturday, the Lithuanian national final, came to a conclusion and the winner was Silvester Belt, with his song ““Luktelk“. Earlier today, the country’s public broadcaster, announced the detailed voting results of the jury and the tele vote of Eurovizija.LT.
On this Saturday, the 17th of February, the Grand Final of Eurovizija.lt 2024 will take place in Lithuania and the winner will earn the opportunity to represent the country in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, in Malmö. Thus, a few hours ago, the national broadcaster of Lithuania, LRT, revealed the official running order of all the ten (10) candidate entries, which is the following:
(You can listen to all the ten songs by clicking on the songs’ titles)
In this year’s “Eurovizija.lt” multiple artists are expected to make a guest appearence in the show, including last year’s representative, Monika Linkytė, who will perform for once more her song “Stay“, the Lithuanian entry for Eurovision 2023. Moreover, the guest list includes also the famous Lithuanian girl trio Mango, who are going to perform a medley including all of their greatest hit songs.
It is of great importance though to remember that this year’s “Eurovizija.lt” has a different format from all the previous years. More specifically, in total five (5) different semi finals were conducted this year, while from each one only two songs qualified for the Grand Final through a split voting system between the public’s vote and a jury’s vote. However, only the top three entries of the Final will qualify to one more final stage, the so called “Super Final” on Saturday night, from which the winner will be determined only by the public’s vote.
Until we find out who is going to be Monika’s successor on the stage of Malmö, take a look at her performance on Liverpool’s stage in May of 2023:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsgouAEd34U
Source: LRT
Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for even more news regarding Lithuania’s participation in Eurovision Song Contest 2024!
As we’ve previously informed you, THE ROOP, former Eurovision participants of Lithuania in 2020 and 2021, announced that they are going to once again take part in the Lithuanian national final, for Eurovision 2024. Read more
After two heats, Lithuania continues the search for its representative and entry, that will fly the Lithuanian flag for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö. Lithuania comes back to the contest with a new national final format called “Eurovizija.LT”. The national final consists of six shows – five heats and a grand final –. Few minutes ago, the third heat was completed, with two new contestants being advanced to the Grand Final of the show.
The presenters of the show are Gabrielė Martirosian and Nombeko Augustė Khotseng. At the Green Room, the presenter is Nerijus Trilikauskas.
The hosts of Eurovizija.LT
For the record, two artists from Heat 3 were advance to the final, following the vote from the public audience and a specially formed jury.
This Heat’s members of the jury were:
The Judges for the third heat of Eurovizija.LT 2024
Eight artists competed to this Heat for the two Golden Tickets for the Grand Final of Eurovizija.LT, these were:
With the panel already voting, tonight the Lithuanian audience had the chance to see the live performances for the first time and vote for their favourites. The result was determined 50% by the jury and 50% by the television audience
The two artists who qualified for the Grand Final are:
Jury Vote of Heat 3
Public vote of Heat 3
Overall Results of Heat 3
Until now, six (out of ten) artists were qualified for the Grand Final and these are:
Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the lastest developments regarding Lithuania’s participation to Eurovision 2024!
