Introduction

• Participant(s): Samanta Tīna
• Song: Still Breathing
  
• Writer(s): Aminata Savadogo
• Composer(s): Samanta Tīna
• Broadcaster: LTV
  
• Social media:      
  
• Team review: 

 The Latvian national final is called “Supernova” and this year there have been more submission than ever. One of the Latvian singing veterans Samanta Tīna could make her dream come true to represent her country at Eurovision. Unfortunately, she got the ticket to Rotterdam, but the Corona crisis destroyed everything.

Samanta Tīna, whose real name is Samanta Poļakova was born in Tukums, close to Riga. She took part in several contests and urgently wanted to go to the Eurovision Song Contest. She took part almost every year in the national final in Latvia, altogether six times and sometimes even with two songs, furthermore two times even in Lithuania! Respect!

Have a look at Samantas songs:

• 2012 “I Want You Back" together with Dāvids Kalandija – in the final
• 2012 “For Father” – second song, not in the final
• 2013 “I Need a Hero” (2nd place)
• 2013 “Hey Chiki – Mama” in Lithuania, but not in the final
• 2014 “Stay” - third place
• 2016 “We Live for Love” – not in the final
• 2016 “The Love is forever” – in the final, but withdrawn
• 2017 “Tavo oda” – in Lithuania not in the final 

The song “Still Breathing” is about female empowerment, as nowadays women must be perfect in everything and the standard level is unfairly high. The video clip is made in a funny way, but the song is very provocative and strenuous. There is too much dub step for normal ears and the song can live with almost no melody to sing along. Furthermore dub step is really outdated in 2020. Optically this is something to watch, but it’s nothing to listen a second time. Once she said that her voice is god-given and that such a talent should be heard on a big stage. We leave this without a comment.

Let’s hope that Latvia will send a great song next year.

History

• Debut: 2000
• Participations: 21
• Victories: 1
• Finals: 10 (6 since 2004)
• Top 10: 4
• Chances for Top 10: 19%
• Chances for Final: 35%

In the short history of Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest, the biggest success came in the third year after the debut in the year 2000. In 2002 Marie N. could win with her sexy dance performance „I wanna“, this was also a little surprise as nobody expected this entry to win. The following ESC 2003 took place in the wonderful capital of Latvia: Riga. Latvia describes itself as “the land that sings” which origins in the long singing tradition which takes place in singing festivals all over the country. This can also be said from the neighbour countries Estonia and Lithuania. Which does not mean that there is always high quality.

From 2009 until 2014 Latvia could not reach the Grand Final anymore, even if the Latvian songs seem to be contemporary, but a lovely young girl named Aminata could impress everybody with her self-composed song “Love Injected” and brought back a lot of Eurovision enthusiasm to Latvia. She made a wonderful 6th place. The year after Aminata acted as a composer for “Heartbeat” which was sung by Justs, which came 15th in the Stockholm. After that the stroke of luck ended, no Latvian song from that on made into the Grand Final anymore. For Latvia the chance to reach the Grand Final is about 35%.The chances to reach a Top10 position is slightly decreasing as well and is now at 19%.

Biggest successes

• 1x 1st place
  “Wanna” I Marie N (Tallinn 2002)
• 1x 3rd place
  ”My Star” |BrainStorm (Stockholm 2000)

Video Nostalgia

• “Hello From Mars” | F.L.Y.
  Rank 24, Riga 2003
  
  
• “Dziesma Par Laimi” | Fomins & Kleins
  Rank 17 (Semi Final), Istanbul 2004
  
  
• “Questa Notte” | Bonaparti.lv
  Rank 16, Helsinki 2007