The Lithuanian national final is taking place this Saturday, 23rd of February, where the winner is going to be selected by a mix of televoting and jury votes. As we all know, Monika Marija qualified for the Final with two songs, and now she has decided to withdraw one of her entries – “Criminal”, and will face a fine for doing so.

Monika Marija qualified for the Final of Lithuania’s Eurovizijos with two songs – “Light On”, which won the first semi final, and with “Criminal” which qualified after finishing third in the second semi final. In order not to have the votes split between her two entries, and to have a higher chance of winning, Monika Marija decided that she should only perform one song in the Final, that one being “Light On” which won both the votes of the jury and of the public in semi final 1.

Gediminas Jaunius, Monika Marija’s producer, stated the following:

I am sure that Monika Marija is definitely the best possible choice for Lithuania this year. Her exceptional talent, which got our country fascinated, will not remain unnoticed throughout Europe. I have been working in the entertainment industry for many years and have had to work with many talented performers in our country, so I say boldly that this year we have a special opportunity to introduce a world-class performer to Europe.
We have experienced the magic of Monika Maija’s voice several times, listening to her songs. Therefore, together with the ELITAZ MUSIC team, we have considered all the arguments and, taking full responsibility for the possible consequences, we have decided to submit only one song by Monika Maria to the final of the selection.

LRT, Lithuania’s national broadcaster, stated that according to the rules of the national selection, Monika Marija will be fined for withdrawing an entry in the Final. This leaves us with seven songs in the Final. Which one of them is YOUR personal favorite? Let us know by voting in our poll here: