Ahead of Pabandom iš naujo 2023’s Grand Final, Janek caught up with Rūta MUR for an interview. Rūta will compete on the 18th of February in the Grand Final of Pabandom iš naujo, trying to represent Lithuania at Eurovision 2023.
Hi Rūta, I would just like to start things off by asking how you are doing today?
Hello, thank you I am doing well. Feeling fully ready for anything that awaits. Hopefully something very good!
Before we continue, let’s start with a quick icebreaker by just asking if there is one thing about yourself that not many people know about.
I have no professional music background. Everything I create and sing comes purely from what nature gave me.
For the Eurovision fans, this would be the first time that they discover you as an artist, could you please tell us a bit more about yourself?
I have a big passion for the 80’s sound. Though I was born after 1990, something in me gets really excited whenever I hear that music. I songwrite and produce music on my own. It’s something that I’ve been doing from the start. And the start was in 2016, when I finally broke out of my shyness and started singing. I’ll tell the whole story one day.
Moving on to Eurovision, what made you decide to participate in the Lithuanian national selection this year?
It’s a challenge for me and I love to shake up things from time to time. Also I feel the urge to expand circle of my listeners to the whole world. Hopefully that happens soon.
You are participating with your entry “So Low, can you tell us more about the song, the creative process of it?
So Low is about being alone in your own head. Sadly I have created a pure nightmare in my mind and this song was how I got out of it. All of this happened because I fell in love with a person who didn’t want me back the way I wanted them.
We are a few days away from the final of this year’s selection, how are you feeling about this?
I’m feeling happy and content. My personal growth during this competition was immense. I’ve dealt with my inner demons and now I will go on stage open hearted.
Can you tell us more about the staging for your entry? The fans are a bit curious on the creative process of the performance.
Director of performance is Simas Lindešis. He also directed So Low music video. We wanted to create an image where a person feels the loneliest. Empty city, neon lights and a telephone booth. No one to call, no one to meet. It’s such a futuristic sad view that I’ve dealt with in the past when I was writing this song. So everything that you see has a very deep symbolic meaning.
You have been successfully finishing first in the shows you have been on, does it add to the stress or do you try to not look into the result that much?
I stressed a bit at the start, when I saw how well I was taken by the Lithuanian audience. But the pressure of perfection was created only by me. So now I feel free from it and all I do is want to give my best and to represent my country in the big Eurovision.
Looking at Eurovision, what is your earliest memory of the contest, and do you have any favourite Eurovision songs? It can be from Lithuania or from another country.
It was the year when Lordi won. I was crazy about them. At that time I was 14 years old and they were the very first band that I got to see live in my hometown Klaipėda.
Finally, what is the thing that you learned from taking part in the Lithuanian selection that you will take forward?
Listen to your heart and lean on supporters. Haters are just unhappy people. Now I will move forward calmly knowing I am doing best when I am being myself. This is my power.
Thank You for taking the time to speak with us, have you got a message to the international readers who are reading this interview and is a fan of “So Low”?
We will meet sooner or later. That is my dream. <3
We thank Rūta for taking the time to speak to us. We wish her the best for the final tomorrow.
Lithuania’s Eurovision Journey
The Baltic nation made its debut at the Eurovision Song contest in 1994, where Ovidijus Vyšniauskas represented them with the song “Lopšinė mylimai”, which placed 25th. Since then, Lithuania has participated 21 times and made the Grand Final 14 times. LT United gave Lithuania their best ever Eurovision result back in 2006, where the country placed 6th.
Lithuania’s latest Eurovision participation, saw them being represented by Monika Liu, participated with the song “Sentimentai”. Qualifying for the final, Lithuania finished in 14th place overall, with 128 points.
What do you think of ‘So Low’? Is the song among your favorites? Do you think it could represent Eurovision? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow ‘THAT Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok in the lead up to Eurovision 2023.
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: @daliamikonyte
