Following the first semifinal of Eurovizija.LT, Shiloh had the opportunity to interview Anyanya, who qualified to the final with his song “Running Out of Time”.
Watch our interview with Anyanya here!
Shiloh and Anyanya discussed his favorite things about living in Lithuania, his long involvement behind the scenes in the Eurovision world, the inspiration behind his song, and more!
About Anyanya
Full name Ananya Udongwo, Anyanya was born in Nigeria and comes to Lithuania by way of Ukraine. He originally went to Europe to attend medical school but later pivoted to pursue music full-time. While in Ukraine, he provided backing vocals for other singers, most notably Jamala, and fell in love with Eurovision following her win with “1944” in 2016. He later provided backing vocals at Ukraine’s national selections. After war broke out in Ukraine, Anyanya moved to Lithuania, where he won their edition of The Voice, Lietuvos Balsas, in 2023.
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 22 times and made the Grand Final 15 times. LT United gave Lithuania their best ever Eurovision result back in 2006, where the country placed 6th.
In 2024, Silvester Belt represented Lithuania, participating with the song “Luktelk”. Performing in the first semi-final, Silvester qualified for the final in fourth place. In the Grand Final, Lithuania finished in 14th place overall, with 90 points – 32 points from the juries, and 58 from the televote.
Lithuania has used a national final to select its Eurovision representative for all of its entries bar its debut in 1994. The national final itself has undergone frequent name changes and small format changes. Since 2024, they have used the branding Eurovizija.LT. 44 initial participants are competing across 5 semifinals, with two from each qualifying to the final on February 15th.
How will Anyanya fare in his first year in the Eurovision world? What do you think of his song “Running out of Time”? 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 as we prepare for Eurovision 2025!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: E. Blažio / LRT
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