Eurovision in Malmö is now less than two month away. In the lead-up to the start of rehearsals, we will get to know a bit more about this year’s artists, their discography, and their Eurovision 2024 journey so far. Next up, we will preview Armenia’s 2024 representatives, Ladaniva.
Ladaniva’s Eurovision Journey So Far…
Ladaniva were internally selected to represent Armenia in March, and will be competing in Malmö with the song “Jako”. The pair were drawn into the second semi-final and following the running order draw it was announced that they would perform in 8th spot on May 9th.
Ahead of the contest they attended Pre-Party ES in Madrid in late March.
What do we think of “Jako”
The team at That Eurovision Site have reacted to Armenia’s entry for Malmö. Tim gave his thoughts on “Jako”, which you can check out below, you can also check out our written review here:
Who are Ladaniva?
Ladaniva are a world music duo consisting of singer Jaklin Baghdasaryan, who was born in Armenia and grew up in Belarus, perfore moving to France in 2014, and French instrumentalist Louis Thomas.
The pair met by chance at a music bar in Lille in 2019, and quickly hit it off. Their musical style is inspired by the traditional songs from Armenia, Russia & the Balkan countries, as well as from Latin America, Africa and the French island of Réunion.
Ladaniva (a reference to the off-road SUV Lada Niva) started to gain traction in the COVID lockdowns of 2020, with videos such as “Vay Aman” and “Zepyuri Aman” being received particularly well by the Armenian communuty, Their 2020 video “Kef Chilini” has reached over 29 million views on YouTube.
The pair’s self titled debut album, which features their Eurovision entry, Jako (a nickname for Jaklin) was released in September of last year.
Armenia’s Eurovision Journey
In 2006, Armenia made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest, where André represented the nation with his entry “Without Your Love”, placing 8th overall. Since their debut, Armenia has participated 15 times, 12 of which saw them make the Grand Final. Their best result was both in 2008 and 2014, achieving 4th place with Sirusho and “Qélé Qélé” and Aram MP3 with “Not Alone”.
Armenia took part in the 2023 edition of the Contest with Brunette and her song “Future Lover”. She qualified from the second semi-final of the Contest in Liverpool, making it to the final on Saturday. The final result saw Armenia finish in 14th place with 122 points. The juries gave Brunette 69 points, whilst the televoters awarded her 53 points.
What do you think about Ladaniva? How do you think they will do in Malmö? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all things Eurovision 2024!
News Source – Ladaniva / That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Ladaniva
Giwrgos Oiko