#BIRTHDAY: Evelina Sašenko from Lithuania is 33 today

Can you cast your mind back to nine years ago? What were you doing? Were you at school? Were you celebrating one of those ‘big’ birthdays that ends in a zero? Were you even a fan of our favourite TV show?

If you were an executive at a certain Lithuanian broadcaster, you might have been puzzling how to consistently make the Grand Final. Success had been patchy and you might not be sure what to do. Anyway, you’d have a national final, that was won by today’s birthday girl Evelina Sašenko (also known as Evelina Sašenko-Statulevičienė, Ewelina Saszenko and Евеліна Сашенко, phew). She takes her little English-language ballad with a French title (just for that air of confusion) and what happens? It only fifth in its semi-final and 19th in the Grand Final. That’s a result. It just goes to show that anyone – yes, even Lithuania – can have a bit of success with a song the fans aren’t keen on. The Lithuanian broadcasters must have been so pleased.

Authors: Riigi Ametnik, John Stanton

Source: OnEurope.biz