Ahead of the final of Eurovizija.LT 2024 taking place, Jazzi spoke with Žalvrinis about their experience in this year’s competition. During the national final Žalvrinis will be singing the song “Gaudė vėjai”
Let’s start with a quick icebreaker by just asking if there is one thing about yourself that not many people know about?
Sigita: I’m drowned into esotericism, yoga and meditation. I even have a Tarotologist certificate in my drawer. Spiritual development is my main activity, my lifestyle and music is my hobby.
Viltė: I am totally in love with the rain, water and I don’t really like the sun. So when people are depressed because of the lack of sunshine during the winter in Lithuania, I am always OK. Really. 🙂
You will be participating with the song “Gaudė Vėjai”, what is the song is about and what would you like the audience to feel when listening to it?
Viltė: Actually, everything started with Robertas’ guitar riffs. It was totally obvious what music was talking about when he composed it. That is why while talking about the lyrics and the essence of the meaning of this song, I always want to highlight the word ‘unity’. It is not written in Lithuanian there, but you can surely find it behind the lines. Recent years are a test for humanity. We have to stand together and support each other. This is the only way we can survive. What is more, it is important to maintain the significance of the natural world for Žalvarinis, as we can find a lot of nature symbols in Lithuanian folklore. It was strongly believed that nature can fulfil our everyday life. What is more, earth, water, fire and all other aspects of nature can help us in our routine, make us stronger.
When I am sending this, we are only a few days away from the final. How are the preparations going for that?
Viltė: We are ready to perform and I cannot wait for the final! We are all already there in our thoughts.
What would it mean for you to win Eurovizija.LT and represent your country at Eurovision?
Viltė: Of course, winning Eurovizija.LT and going to the Eurovision song contest would mean a lot. First of all, we all love our country so much and it would be an honour to represent it. What is more, we would be glad to sing there in Lithuanian. Our language is one of the oldest in the world, it is not so easy to learn, but is really beautiful. Finally, for all of us as musicians it would be a great opportunity to perform for all the people in Europe and all over the world. Who is not dreaming about this huge stage?
Moving onto Eurovision, what are your earliest memories of the contest, Do you have any favourite songs? Either from Lithuania or from any other country
Viltė: I have been watching the Eurovision Song Contest since I was a child. I can still remember all these evenings when we gathered with my family and were staring at the TV. Sometimes I was almost dying how I wanted to sleep, but the part with “12 points go to…” was one of the most interesting parts of this competition for me. I really loved Duncan Laurence and his song ‘Arcade’ and I will always remember Kalush Orchestra when they won the contest.
To get to the final, you had to first compete in the semi-final four weeks ago, how did it feel to reach the final?
Viltė: It was absolutely amazing and a surprise that so many people supported us. We are so thankful for all the messages we received. We hope that our performance during the final will reach even more hearts.
Viltė: It was absolutely amazing and a surprise that so many people supported us. We are so thankful for all the messages we received. We hope that our performance during the final will reach even more hearts.
Viltė: I would like to invite everybody to always remember that together we are strong. And only our unity can bring a light.
Who are Žalvrinis?
Žalvarinis are a band from Vilnius in Lithuania. As a music style they specialise in a combination of folk and rock music. The band have been together for over two decades. The band have had several line-ups over the years, however the current one is Robertas Semeniukas , Sigita Jonynaitė, Viltė Ambrazaitytė, Rytis Vasiliauskas and Martynas Lukoševičius. Over the last twenty years the band have released several albums the most recent being Cantabile back in 2022.
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.
In 2023, Monika Linkytė represented Lithuania, participating with the song “Stay”. Performing in the second semi-final, Monika qualified for the final in fourth place. In the Grand Final, Lithuania finished in 11th place overall, with 127 points – 81 points came from the juries, with another 46 points from the televote.
Will you be watching Eurovizija.LT? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2024!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: D Umbraso/LRT
Rory Gannon