The rehearsals for the 2023 contest in Liverpool begin very soon. In the run-up to coverage of the rehearsals, we are continuing to preview this year’s participants, and getting to know more about them, their discography, and their Eurovision journey so far. The next act we will be previewing is Lithuania’s Monika Linkytė.
Monika’s Eurovision journey so far
Monika Linkytė was chosen to represent Lithuania through national final Pabandom iš naujo. She was one of 36 artists competing in the contest. In the final, she placed first with the juries and second with the public televote, tying with Rūta Mur in overall points. However, due to the tie-break rules in Pabandom iš naujo, she was awarded the ticket to Liverpool.
During the pre-party season, Monika performed at the Barcelona Eurovision Party, Polish Eurovision Party, PrePartyES in Madrid, Eurovision in Concert and London Eurovision Party. While in Barcelona, Tim got a chance to discuss her Eurovision experience so far.
What do we think of “Stay”
The team at That Eurovision Site has been doing their reviews for this year’s contest. Angus and Janek gave their thoughts on “Stay”, which you can see here.
Who is Monika Linkytė
Monika Linkytė’s road to Eurovision began in 2007, when she participated in Lithuania’s national selection for Junior Eurovision. Following this, she competed in the Eurovizija national selections in 2010, 2011 and 2012. She also participated in Lietuvos Balsas, the Lithuanian edition of The Voice, where she placed second.
In 2013, Linkytė returned to Lithuania’s Eurovision selection, now retitled Eurovizijos Atranka. She performed “Baby Boy”, written by Sasha Son, but was unfortunately forced to withdraw after the semi-finals after being diagnosed with laryngitis. She returned the following year and placed fourth. In 2014, she also represented Lithuania in the international New Wave competition, where she achieved fourth place.
Linkytė achieved her dream of going to Eurovision in 2015, after winning the national final alongside Vaidas Baumila with the song “This Time”. They achieved 18th place at the contest in Vienna. Following this, she released “Po dangum”, which was certified platinum in Lithuania. This was followed by her debut album, Walk With Me. She was later awarded the M.A.M.A. Award for Best Song, Best Album and Best Female Act. In 2016, she moved to study in London at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute.
She was due to return to the Lithuanian national selection once again in 2022, but had to drop out due to illness. In an interview with Eurovision World, she said that her participation in the 2023 edition of the selection was a last-minute decision, which began with a joke from a friend!
Talking about her entry, “Stay”, she said:
“The song is about healing yourself, about learning about yourself a little bit more, and it asks you to stay: To stay with yourself and when we’re connected with ourselves, then we can be connected with the whole world, and that’s part of the healing.”
Monika Linkytė
“Stay” is written by Linkytė, alongside Krists Indrišonoks.
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 “Stay”? Can Monika Linkytė give Lithuania their first win? Let us know your thoughts! Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok as we prepare for Eurovision 2023!
News Source: That Eurovision Site/Monika Linkytė
Image Credit: Reda Mickeviciute
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