Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 explained

Lithuanian: Eurovizija.LT was the national final format organised by LRT to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. It was held between 13 January and 17 February 2024 and was hosted by Gabrielė Martirosian and Nombeko Augustė Khotseng, with TikToker Nerijus Trilikauskas hosting segments from the green room.^{[4] [5]} The shows were broadcast on Lithuanian: [[LRT televizija]]|i=no and Lithuanian: [[LRT Lituanica]]|i=no as well as online via the broadcaster's website lrt.lt and official LRT YouTube channel.

Format

The competition saw 40 entries compete across five semi-finals, held between 13 January and 10 February 2024, and a final on 17 February 2024.^{[6] [7]} A 50/50 combination of jury and public vote determined the ranking in each phase, with the top two entries from each semi-final (out of the eight total) qualifying for the final; the top three entries from the final moved on to a final televoting round selecting the winner. In case of a tie in any of the previous stages, the jury ranking would take precedence.^{[3] [8] [9]} The score system is the same used at the Eurovision Song Contest: the top ten entries from each of the jury vote and the televote are assigned 1–8, 10 and 12 points.^[8]

Performances for the semi-finals were pre-recorded, while they were delivered live in the final.^{[3] [8]}

Competing entries

On 18 October 2023, LRT opened a submission platform for interested artists, lasting until 11 December 2023. Each applicant could only submit one entry. Performers were required to be Lithuanian citizens, while songwriters could be of any nationality.^{[3] [8]} At the end of the submission period, over sixty applications had been received.^[7] The selected artists were privately informed of their selection by 18 December 2023 and were able to withdraw until 31 December 2023.^[8]

On 19 December 2023, the list of the 40 participating artists and songs was released by LRT. Among the selected competing artists were Andrius Pojavis, Vilija and The Roop, who represented Lithuania in the 2013, 2014 and 2021 contests, respectively.^{[7] [9]} In January, withdrew from the competition and was replaced by Marius Petrauskas.^[10]

Key: Entry withdrawn Replacement entry

Jury members

Semi-finals

The five semi-finals of the competition were filmed on 9, 16, 17, 23 and 24 January 2024 at the LRT studios in Vilnius, and were aired on 13, 20, 27 January, 3 and 10 February 2024.^[7] In each semi-final, 8 of the 40 competing acts performed, with the top two entries progressing to the final.

Each semi-final opened with a performance of a dozen dancers, staged by choreographer Marijanas Staniulėnas.^[11] In addition to the performances of the competing entries, interval acts performed:

• Monika Liu performed "Lithuanian: [[Sentimentai]]|i=no" and "Kodėl tu čia?" in the first semi-final;
• Ieva Zasimauskaitė performed "Lithuanian: Kol Myliu|i=no" (Lithuanian version of "When We're Old",) and "Lithuanian: Aš galiu skrist|i=no" in the second semi-final;
• Ieva Narkutė performed "Lithuanian: Mano planeta|i=no" and "Lithuanian: Vienintelė moteris tavo|i=no" in the third semi-final;
• Giedrė Kilčiauskienė with Happyendless performed "Lithuanian: Aš normaliai|i=no" and "Lithuanian: Žemė slydo po kojom|i=no" in the fourth semi-final;
• performed "Lithuanian: Tu bloga|i=no" and "Lithuanian: Meilės man per daug|i=no" in the fifth semi-final.

Final

The live final of the competition took place on 17 February 2024 at the Švyturys Arena in Klaipėda.^[22] The final was opened by a performance of dancers staged by choreographer Marijanas Staniulėnas, followed by a parade of participants presenting all ten finalists. In addition to the performances of the competing entries, Monika Linkytė (2023 Lithuanian representative), Dons (2024 Latvian representative) and Mango performed as the interval acts. A combination of the votes of a jury (50%) and the public (50%) selected three songs for a superfinal, where a televoting round determined the winner.^[23]

Due to a technical error during the superfinal, most votes had not been counted at the time of reveal of the results. During the broadcast, it was stated that "Lithuanian: Luktelk|i=no" received 16,688 votes, that "Impossible" received 9,066, and that "Simple Joy" received 6,884 votes. Two days later, it was revealed that "Lithuanian: Luktelk|i=no" had received 34,691, "Impossible" had received 20,307, and "Simple Joy" had received 15,046 votes. Upon counting all the votes, the results of the superfinal remained the same.^[24]

Ratings

Promotion

As part of the promotion of his participation in the contest, Silvester Belt attended the Melfest WKND event in Stockholm on 8 March 2024, the PrePartyES in Madrid on 30 March 2024, the Barcelona Eurovision Party on 6 April 2024, the London Eurovision Party on 7 April 2024, the Eurovision in Concert event in Amsterdam on 13 April 2024 and the Copenhagen Eurovision Party (Malmöhagen) on 4 May 2024.^{[26] [27]} In this period, he met with Lithuanian communities in Stockholm, Amsterdam, London, Copenhagen and Malmö.^[28] In addition, he performed at the Eurovision Village in Malmö on 9 May 2024.^[29]

On 16 April 2024, LRT launched the social media campaign Lithuanian: Mums reikia šokt! ("We need to dance!"), during which Lithuanian residents were invited to film themselves dancing to the song "Lithuanian: [[Luktelk]]|i=no" and upload it to social networks. The selected material would be used by LRT during the Eurovision week.^{[30] [31]}

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 took place at the Malmö Arena in Malmö, Sweden, and consisted of two semi-finals held on the respective dates of 7 and 9 May and the final on 11 May 2024. All nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) were required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete in the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progressed to the final. On 30 January 2024, an allocation draw was held to determine which of the two semi-finals, as well as which half of the show, each country would perform in; the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split up the competing countries into different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot.^[32] Lithuania was scheduled for the first half of the first semi-final.^[33] The shows' producers then decided the running order for the semi-finals; Lithuania was set to perform in position 3.^[34]

In Lithuania, all the shows were broadcast on Lithuanian: [[LRT televizija]]|i=no and on Lithuanian: [[LRT Radijas|LRT radijas]]|i=no as well as online via the broadcaster's website lrt.lt, with commentary provided by .^[35] Each semi-final was preceded by a half-hour preview show hosted by Zilnys,^[36] and before the final there will also be a special 25-minute documentary by Rolandas Masiulis about Silvester Belt's road to Eurovision.^[37] In addition, as part of the Eurovision programming, LRT is airing a documentary titled ABBAAgainst the Odds, produced by DR, SVT and several other EBU members on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of with "Waterloo" by ABBA.^{[38] [39] [40]} During the Eurovision week, a special radio show is broadcast, hosted by former Eurovision commentators and Gerūta Griniūtė.^[41] In March and April, Lithuanian: [[LRT Radijas|LRT radijas]]|i=no also presented the podcast Lithuanian: Suvienyti Eurovizijos ("United by Eurovision"), hosted by Justas Buivydas, it was available on the portal lrt.lt.^[42] Also, since March 29, during the Lithuanian: [[LRT televizija]]|i=no morning show Lithuanian: Labas rytas, Lietuva ("Good morning, Lithuania"), one song of this year's contest was presented every day.^[43]

Performance

Silvester Belt took part in technical rehearsals on 27 April and 1 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 6 and 7 May.^[44] The staging of his performance of "Lithuanian: Luktelk|i=no" at the contest is directed by Povilas Varvuolis, who had been responsible for all Lithuanian performances since 2017, and Norvydas Genys, who is responsible for the content of the LED screens and lighting.^[26] He is joined by four dancers: Arnas Ginevičius, Nerijus Trilikauskas, Eivydas Katkauskas and Andrius Vrubliauskas; while Monika Švilpaitė serves as an off-stage backing vocalist.^{[45] [46]} His clothing was designed by Vainotas Jakštas and created by Marija Petraitytė (costume), Kamilė Peleckytė (shoes) and Gintarė Pečkytė (accessories).^[47]

Semi-final

Lithuania performed in position 3, following the entry from and before the entry from .^[34] At the end of the show, the country was announced as a qualifier for the final. It was later revealed that Lithuania placed fourth out of the fifteen participating countries in the first semi-final with 119 points.

Final

Following the semi-final, Lithuania was drawn to perform in the first half of the final.^[48] Lithuania will perform in position 7, following the entry from and before the entry from .^[49] Silvester Belt once again took part in dress rehearsals on 10 and 11 May before the final, including the jury final where the professional juries cast their final votes before the live show on 11 May. He performed a repeat of his semi-final performance during the final on 11 May. Lithuania placed fourteenth in the final, scoring 90 points; 58 points from the public televoting and 32 points from the juries.

Voting

See also: Voting at the Eurovision Song Contest. Below is a breakdown of points awarded by and to Lithuania in the first semi-final and in the final. Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting in the final vote, while the semi-final vote was based entirely on the vote of the public.^[50] The Lithuanian jury consisted of Agneta Gabalytė, Jievaras Jasinskis, who represented as member of the group InCulto, Povilas Meškėla, Kristupas Naraškevičius, and Monika Marija Paulauskaitė.^[51] In the first semi-final, Lithuania placed 4th with 119 points, receiving maximum twelve points from and the, and marking a fourth consecutive qualification to the final for the country. In the final, Lithuania placed 14th with 90 points. Over the course of the contest, Lithuania awarded its 12 points to in the first semi-final, and (jury) and Ukraine (televote) in the final.^{[52] [53]}

LRT appointed Monika Linkytė, who represented Lithuania in the and contests, as its spokesperson to announce the Lithuanian jury's votes in the final.^[54]

Detailed voting results

Each participating broadcaster assembles a five-member jury panel consisting of music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent. Each jury, and individual jury member, is required to meet a strict set of criteria regarding professional background, as well as diversity in gender and age. No member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently.^[55] The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.

The following members comprised the Lithuanian jury:^[51]

• Agneta Gabalytė
• Jievaras Jasinskis
• Povilas Meškėla
• Kristupas Naraškevičius
• Monika Marija Paulauskaitė

Notes and References

1. Web site: Lithuania. Eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 2023-08-09.
2. Web site: Jiandani . Sanjay . 2023-07-17 . Lithuania: LRT confirms participation at Eurovision 2024 . 2023-07-17 . ESCToday . en.
3. Web site: Ilias . Timos . 2023-10-18 . Lithuania: The 'Eurovizija.LT' submission platform has been launched! . 2023-10-18 . Eurovisionfun . en.
4. Web site: 'EUROVIZIJA.LT' 2024 . tv24.lt . 2024-01-02 . lt.
5. Web site: Carabaña Menéndez. Hugo. 2024-01-03. Eurovizija.LT 2024: Gabrielė Martirosian y Nombeko Augustė presentarán la preselección lituana de la que ya conocemos las primeras canciones. Eurovizija.LT 2024: Gabrielė Martirosian and Nombeko Augustė will host the Lithuanian preselection, whose first songs are already known. 2024-01-03. ESCplus España. es-ES.
6. Web site: 2023-10-18 . Prasideda registracija į nacionalinę 'Eurovizijos' atranką: šįkart galutinis sprendimas bus priimtas žiūrovų . Registration for the national Eurovision selection begins: this time the final decision will be made by the audience . 2023-10-18 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt-LT.
7. Web site: Skelbiami nacionalinės 'Eurovizijos' atrankos dalyviai: prie starto linijos – 40 dainų. The participants of the national Eurovision selection have been announced: at the starting line, 40 songs. lt-LT. lrt.lt. LRT. 2023-12-19. 2023-12-19.
8. Web site: Eurovizija. Eurovision. lt-LT. lrt.lt. LRT. 2023-10-18. 2023-10-18.
9. Web site: Lithuania 2024: 'EUROVIZIJA.LT' participants and details released. Eurovision.tv. EBU. 2023-12-19. 2023-12-19.
10. Web site: Papadopoulos. Giorgos. 2024-01-08. Lithuania: Marius Petrauskas has taken Kotryna Juodzevičiūtė's place on Eurovizija.lt after she withdrew!. 2024-01-08. Eurovisionfun.
11. Web site: Juršėnaitė . Eimantė . 2024-02-15 . Didžiausiuose šou projektuose dirbantis Marijanas Staniulėnas: kuo labiau užsiėmęs esu, tuo daugiau noriu . Marijanas Staniulėnas, who works in the biggest show projects: the busier I am, the more I want . 2024-05-23 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt.
12. Web site: Juršėnaitė . Eimantė . 2024-01-09 . Filmuojama pirmoji eurovizinės atrankos laida: sceną išbando pirmasis dalyvių aštuonetas . The first Eurovision selection show is filmed: the first eight contestants test the stage . 2024-01-09 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt.
13. Web site: Juršėnaitė . Eimantė . 2024-01-13 . Du EUROVIZIJA.LT dalyviai jau užsitikrino vietą atrankos finale: vakaro favoritas – Silvester Belt . Two EUROVIZIJA.LT participants have already secured a place in the selection final: the favourite of the evening – Silvester Belt . 2024-01-14 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt.
14. Web site: Špokaitė . Donata . 2024-01-16 . Tęsiasi 'EUROVIZIJA.LT' atranka – vyksta antros laidos filmavimas . "EUROVIZIJA.LT selection continues – filming of the second show is underway . 2024-01-16 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt.
15. Web site: Špokaitė . Donata . 2024-01-20 . Dar du EUROVIZIJA.LT dalyviai užsitikrino vietą atrankos finale: vakaro favoritė – Aistè . Two more EUROVIZIJA.LT participants secured a place in the selection final: the favourite of the evening – Aistè . 2024-01-20 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt.
16. Web site: Juršėnaitė . Eimantė . 2024-01-17 . Filmuojama trečioji EUROVIZIJA.LT laida: ką joje išvys žiūrovai? . The third EUROVIZIJA.LT show is being filmed: what will the audience see? . 2024-01-17 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt.
17. Web site: Juršėnaitė . Eimantė . 2024-01-27 . Dar du EUROVIZIJA.LT dalyviai užsitikrino vietą atrankos finale: tvirčiausiai žengė grupė 'Shower' . Two more EUROVIZIJA.LT participants secured a place in the selection final: the band "Shower" made the strongest move . 2024-01-27 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt.
18. Web site: Špokaitė . Donata . 2024-01-23 . Filmuojama 4-oji EUROVIZIJA.LT laida: kas laukia šįkart? . The 4th EUROVIZIJA.LT show is being filmed: what awaits this time? . 2024-01-23 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt.
19. Web site: Špokaitė . Donata . 2024-02-03 . EUROVIZIJA.LT finale dar du dalyviai: favoritai grupė 'Il Senso' . Two more participants in the EUROVIZIJA.LT final: favourites group "Il Senso". 2024-02-11 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt.
20. Web site: Mustafinaitė . Lina . 2024-01-24 . Paskutinėje EUROVIZIJA.LT atrankos laidoje – ir didžiąją 'Eurovizijos' sceną išbandžiusieji, ir nauji veidai . In the last selection show of EUROVIZIJA.LT, both those who have tried the big stage of Eurovision and new faces . 2024-01-24 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt.
21. Web site: Mustafinaitė . Lina . 2024-02-10 . Paskutiniai du EUROVIZIJA.LT dalyviai užsitikrino vietą finale: daugiausia simpatijų pelnė 'The Roop' . The last two participants of EUROVIZIJA.LT secured a place in the final: "The Roop" got the most likes. 2024-02-11 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt.
22. Web site: Buivydas. Justas. 2024-01-08. Lietuvos 'Eurovizijos' atrankos finalas – Klaipėdos 'Švyturio' arenoje?. Lithuanian national selection final for Eurovision - in Klaipėda Švyturys arena?. lt-LT. 2024-01-08. Eurodiena.
23. Web site: 2024-02-17 . Į 'Euroviziją' Lietuva siunčia Silvester Belt . Lithuania sends Silvester Belt to Eurovision . 2024-02-19 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt.
24. Web site: Suskaičiavus vėlavusius EUROVIZIJA.LT žiūrovų balsus, nugalėtojai nesikeičia . After counting the delayed votes of EUROVIZIJA.LT viewers, the winners do not change . 2024-02-19 . lrt.lt . 19 February 2024 . LRT . lt.
25. Web site: Buivydas. Justas. 2024-02-15. EUROVIZIJA.LT finalą atidarys Aistè, paskutiniai pasirodys 'The Roop'. Aistè will open the EUROVIZIJA.LT final, The Roop will perform last. lt-LT. 2024-02-15. Eurodiena.
26. Web site: Buivydas. Justas. 2024-02-22. Silvester Belt pasirodys bent penkiuose 'Eurovizijos' vakarėliuose. Silvester Belt will perform in at least five Eurovision parties. lt-LT. 2024-03-02. Eurodiena.
27. C5QyxSYN8eu . malmohagen_eurovision_party . 2024-04-02 . Peeking West from Malmö's Øresund Bridge to Copenhagen we are delighted to welcome Lithuania's pick for Malmö. After its release, 'LUKTELK' remained a number 1 hit on Lithuania's Spotify chart and has over 3.8M downloads as at early April. The aspiring singer-songwriter first rose to fame after winning a TV reality talent show in his native country. At the age of 19, he released his debut single, which garnered nearly 6 million streams. After completing his studies at a university in London, Silvester returned to Lithuania to work on new electronic/pop material. His latest tracks feature innovative electronic sounds and showcase his smooth vocals and infectious beats, making him a stylish performer who is sure to impress with pulsating beats and vibrating bass. . 2024-04-02.
28. Web site: 2024-04-25. Silvester Belt baigė vakarėlių sezoną: susibičiuliavo su kitais favoritais. Silvester Belt wraps up the pre-party season by hooking up with other favorites. lt-LT. 2024-05-05. Eurodiena.
29. Web site: 26 April 2024 . Andersson . Rafaell . Eurovision 2024: Competing Acts to Perform at the Eurovision Village. 26 April 2024 . Eurovoix.
30. Web site: 2024-04-16 . Mums reikia šokt: LRT kviečia palaikyti Silvester Belt taip, kad prisijungtų visa Europa . 2024-04-16 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt . We need to dance: LRT invites you to support Silvester Belt so that the whole of Europe joins.
31. Web site: Lithuania: Dance Campaign Launched to Support Silvester Belt. Van Waarden. Franciska. Eurovoix. 16 April 2024. 17 April 2024.
32. Web site: Van Dijk. Sem Anne. Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Allocation Draw on January 30. Eurovoix. 2023-12-13. 2023-12-13.
33. Web site: 2024-01-30 . Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Draw results . 2024-01-30 . Eurovision.tv . EBU . en.
34. Web site: 2024-03-26 . Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final Running Orders revealed! . 2024-04-16 . Eurovision.tv . EBU . en-gb .
35. Web site: Juršėnaitė . Eimantė . Silvester Belt susitiko su lietuviais Malmėje: 'Luktelk' dainavo švediškai . Silvester Belt met Lithuanians in Malmö: he sang "Luktelk" in Swedish . 2024-05-05 . lrt.lt . 5 May 2024 . LRT . lt.
36. Web site: Įžanga į 'Euroviziją 2024' Malmėje su Ramūnu Zilniu . Introduction to Eurovision 2024 in Malmö with Ramūnas Zilnys . 2024-05-28 . lrt.lt . 7 May 2024 . LRT . lt.
37. Web site: Silvester Belt – kelias iki 'Eurovizijos' . Silvester Belt – the road to Eurovision . tv24.lt . 2024-04-29 . lt.
38. Web site: BBC One and iPlayer commission feature documentary ABBA: Against The Odds to celebrate 50 years since ABBA's Eurovision win. BBC Media Centre. BBC. 2024-02-14. 2024-02-15.
39. Web site: Record number of EBU Members unite for new ABBA documentary. ebu.ch. EBU. 2024-03-15. 2024-03-18.
40. Web site: Abba. Nepaisant visko . ABBA. Against the Odds . tv24.lt . 2024-04-29 . lt.
41. Web site: Eurovizijos savaitė . The Eurovision week . 2024-05-05 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt.
42. Web site: Suvienyti Eurovizijos . United by Eurovision . 2024-05-05 . lrt.lt . LRT . lt.
43. Web site: Eurovizijos dalyviai: Albanija į konkursą siunčia drąsiu įvaizdžiu šurmulį sukėlusią artistę . Eurovision participants: Albania sends to the contest the artist who caused a stir with a bold image . 2024-05-05 . lrt.lt . 29 March 2024 . LRT . lt.
44. Web site: Eurovision 2024: Rehearsal Schedule . Eurovisionworld . 25 April 2024 . 25 April 2024.
45. Web site: Juršėnaitė . Eimantė . Nacionalinės atrankos vedėjas Nerijus pasirodys didžiojoje 'Eurovizijos' scenoje . Nerijus, the presenter of the national selection, will appear on the big stage of Eurovision . 2024-04-23 . lrt.lt . 23 April 2024 . LRT . lt.
46. Web site: Eurovision 2024 Lithuania: Silvester Belt - Luktelk . 2024-04-27 . Eurovisionworld.
47. Web site: Juršėnaitė . Eimantė . Silvester Belt pasirodė su atnaujintu scenos įvaizdžiu: batus papuošė ypatinga detalė . Silvester Belt appeared with an updated stage image: the shoes were decorated with a special detail . 2024-04-27 . lrt.lt . 27 April 2024 . LRT . lt.
48. Web site: Farren . Neil . Eurovision 2024: Semi-Final One Qualifiers Final Running Order Allocation . Eurovoix . 7 May 2024 . 8 May 2024.
49. Web site: Eurovision 2024: The Grand Final running order. Eurovoix . 9 May 2024.
50. Web site: Voting Procedures 2024 . . 22 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240520034246/https://eurovision.tv/about/voting-malmo-2024 . 20 May 2024 . live.
51. Web site: Grand Final of Malmö 2024 – Jurors. eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. 12 May 2024.
52. Web site: Results of the First Semi-Final of Malmö 2024 – Lithuania. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 12 May 2024.
53. Web site: Results of the Final of Malmö 2024 – Lithuania. European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 12 May 2024.
54. Web site: Lombardini . Emanuele . 11 May 2024 . Spokesperson Eurovision 2024: Italia in posizione 26, Alessandra Mele rinuncia . Spokespersons Eurovision 2024: Italy in position 26, Alessandra Mele gives up . 12 May 2024 . Eurofestival News . it-IT . 11 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240511182730/https://www.eurofestivalnews.com/2024/05/11/spokeperson-eurovision-2024-italia-26-mele-rinuncia/ . live .
55. Web site: How the Eurovision Song Contest works . . 22 May 2024.