Labas vakaras Europa, labas rytas Australija!

Tonight Lithuania’s selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 continues with the first Semi-Final.

Eurovision Ireland’s own Bogdan is here behind the screen to give you his views on the show so stay tuned and refresh this page for updates!

A total of 10 acts will be competing during tonight’s show for five spots in the Grand Final. Only five of them will proceed to the next stage of the competition after a mixed professional jury/public televoting deliberation.

Running order for Semi-Final One:

1. Il Senso – “Sparnai”;
2. Alen Chicco – “Do You”;
3. Baiba – “When the Lights Go Out”;
4. Joseph June – „Vacuum”;
5. NOY – “Destiny’s Child“;
6. Petunija – “Love of My Life”;
7. Justė Kraujelytė – “Need More Fun”;
8. Gabrelius Vagelis – “Šauksmas”;
9. Rūta Mur – “So Low”;
10. Donata – “Dreamer”;

The 2023 Lithuanian national selection consists of five televised shows and will be hosted by Augustė Nombeko and Giedrius Masalskis.

The complete calendar for the selection is as follows:

• Semi-Final 1 –  February 4
• Semi-Final 2 – February 11
• Final – February 18

Watch the show live here but why not check our thoughts as well from 20:00 CET

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Labas vakaras Europa, labas rytas Australija!

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Il Senso – “Sparnai”

An opera ballad is what Il Senso is presenting as the first act of the Lithuanian Semi-Final and I can’t fault their voices. I can see an improvement since heat 1 but there is still a lack of connectivity with the camera and unfortunately, the song doesn’t have a powerful crescendo to take you places.

Alen Chicco – “Do You”

Alen is as confident as ever on the stage and his voice still reminds me of Bono from U2. You will definitely remember this performance by the end of the night. Excellent performance and he is a contender for one of the spots in the final. Two weeks ago he came second. Can he do it again? I think so.

Baiba – “When the Lights Go Out”

Baiba is singing a gospel-style ballad about love and peace. Even though we can never have enough peace in the world (especially now), the song feels a bit date. I am still bothered by the lyrics ‘get away from the pain. Can you get away from pain? I know what the lyricist meant but it just sounds a bit cringy.

Joseph June – „Vacuum”

And speaking about interesting lyrics, “sometimes I want to live in a vacuum where nobody touches me.” I can completely understand this considering the pandemic situation. I felt the same back in 2020 and some of 2021. I won’t deny, the chorus is infectious and I appreciate his enthusiasm on the stage. You can’t say it wasn’t entertaining.

NOY – “Destiny’s Child“

You can’t get any pink-er than this! NOY is channelling his inner Charlie’s Angel and giving it his all to entertain us tonight. The song itself is not challenging vocally and is quite repetitive with synth beats. Not bad, but not wow-ed either.

Petunija – “Love of My Life”

Petunija is singing a heartfelt ballad and I’m loving it. Please please connect with the camera we need to see your eyes singing to us. I didn’t understand why this song didn’t win its heat, but now I see how ill-advised was the singer to not look into the camera once. No matter how beautiful this song is, if you can’t connect with your audience and sing to them, you won’t get the votes. Such a shame because this is a song with huge potential. In case you get through to the finals, please look at the camera!

Justė Kraujelytė – “Need More Fun”

The housewives of Lithuania are dancing on the stage to an 80’s synth-pop-rock tune. I need more fun, I need more fun is heard on on on and it gets stuck in your brain. I still maintain that you need to see the singer to get lots of votes. Is it quirky? Yes! But need more ‘singer’ not more fun on the stage!

Gabrelius Vagelis – “Šauksmas”

Gabrelius was one of my favourites in the first heat and tonight he doesn’t disappoint. I’m enjoying his performance in a black-and-white-themed background. There is something about this performance that reminds me of Kristian Kostov. Could Gabrelius have the same success? I doubt it, but I like what he’s put together on the stage. Also, I love that this song is sung entirely in Lithuanian.

Rūta Mur – “So Low”

This sounds already like an 80’s classic. I love ‘So Low’ and I must admit I found myself singing this song a few days after hearing it in the first heat. Even now I’m singing and jamming along in front of my laptop. Can’t be a bad sign. I think Europe would love something like this as well. Well done Ruta!

Donata – “Dreamer”

Donata is giving us positive energy in this 90’s-style-ballad. If I had a lighter, I would wave it above my head like in a concert. This was a sweet performance but unfortunately not strong enough to make an impact. However, I did enjoy it as it made me feel a bit nostalgic.

Now it’s up to the televoters and the jury to decide which 5 acts will advance to the final.

My humble opinion would say the qualifiers should be (in the order of appearance): Allen Chicco, Joseph June, Petunija, Gabrelius Vagelis and Ruta Mur. What do you think? Who should qualify?

Now the jury points

Televotes

The finalists are

Thank you for joining us tonight. Good night and stay tuned for more Eurovision coverage!

Source: LRT