Tomorrow night is the final of the Latvian selection process “Supernova” where the representative for the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv in May will be chosen.
Once again, ESCBubble have given you unrivaled coverage of Supernova, from auditions through the semi finals, to the culmination of the whole process, the Grand Final.
Over recent weeks, we have brought you interviews from Markus Riva, Edgars Kreilis, Aivo Oskis, Laime Pilniga, Double Faced Eels, and Samanta Tina along with live blogs of all the shows and breaking news. We are pleased to announce that Anne & Joe are, for the third year running, at the Grand Final in Riga and will live blog the show direct from the studio.
As the Grand Final approaches, we caught up with 4 of the contenders for their reactions to the show so far
Were you happy with your semi final performance?
Markus Riva: I really enjoyed my performance and being on the stage with my song and my team (also behind the scenes). There is always a space for perfection and you can always do better, but since it was first live performance on TV with this song and staging, I am happy that people loved the concept. Of course, I watch it critically as well and over these 2 weeks we are working on lot of sides to make it better – vocals, dance, lights…
Samanta Tina:Yes, thank you. Everything was all right, a lot of energy and power, but it must not be forgotten that it can always be better! I always teach that to my back up vocalists, not to relax.
Aivo Oskis: Overall I was happy with my performance and it was great to find out that I got into the Supernova final.
Edgars Kreilis: As some might say, it can always be better. But for me, the semi final was like a warm up to understand how we sound and how we look like in comparison to our competitors.I’m looking forward to making the best 3 minutes out of Supernova.
How was it to get the comments from the panel?
Markus: I think I have a pretty big skin now since I have competed in every Supernova season. I respect their opinions with all my heart but you can not be liked by everyone. I understand that maybe this music style is not someones cup of tea, but I strongly believe in what I do, what kind of music I do and what kind of performance I do. Artistry is very diverse and I wanted to be in this position and style this time.
Samanta: I can say big thanks for the comments! I always listen to it and then decide whether to accept them or not. It’s all about hearing and weighing – about and against! But on the basis of everything, I’m pretty immune to it,because I know exactly what I am doing and why!
Aivo: The judges gave me some constructive criticism about my performance. They thought that I could have done more on the stage to make my performance fuller. I agreed with their critique! I’m kinda happy that now I have an opportunity to improve my performance for the final so there’s that element of surprise.
Edgars: It’s always kind of exciting. But all the suggestions are very valuable. To be honest, comments are a never ending story and who knows what they will bring, but I need to focus more on my performance than what the jury might say.
Will you be making any changes for the final?
Markus: Oh yes! In general – nothing serious but we will upgrade the staging, choreography and camera work. I think, it should look even more dynamic, exciting and take viewers to the future world where everyone is a superhero. I think Eurovision need finally a show from Latvia! I don’t want to give much away because I want to surprise you all.
Samanta: We’ll change our visual image – with wolf lady-worthy long dresses because the jury didn’t like jeans! I’m kidding! The jeans will definitely stay! I am just going to change some nuances in look and choreography.
Aivo: Sure! I’ll be taking judges’ advice and have more people on the stage and I’ll have a different look!
Edgars: Yes. Every day we work hard to develop and become better. I have also taken recommendations from judges and my main goal is to work on my feelings, which is undoubtedly one of the most important ways to reach the audience. All I want is to open up as much as possible – from the heart and with real emotions. I am not worried about the other things because as God decides, it will be!
Did you see the other semi final?
Markus: I was not watching it live but I checked the performances and I am happy to say that everyone is a hero because it is not easy to stand on that stage.
Samanta: Yes!
Aivo: Yes, I watched it! In both semi finals I had some favourites. I enjoyed Edgars Kreilis, Samanta Tina and and Double Faced Eels performances. I like them all for different reasons! I think they are some of the strongest this year!
Edgars: Yes, I was watching Supernova on TV because I wanted to see the other participants. You always have to follow your competitors to know what you have to prepare yourself for.
Did you have a favourite from any of the non-qualifiers, either in your semi-final or the other one?
Markus: I like that the songs are so diverse, in different style – sometimes I have Samanta’s song stuck in my head, sometimes Aivo’s, Adriana was good too.. I love them all! They are my friends, colleagues and great musicians!
Samanta: There are all those participants in the finals I think! In the final is the 8 best songs of all! I know who my greatest competitors are, but it should only remain my secret
Aivo: I really liked “Scared of Love” by Adriana Miglane. She’s awesome! I’m sure that that she’ll come back stronger next year!
Edgars: From non-qualifiers I think the most beautiful song is Adriana Miglane’s “Scared of Love”
We agree that Adriana will be missed from the final, and she also came top of our poll at the semi-final stage so we were shocked that she didn’t also make it through. So let’s have a reminder of her performance from the semi-final.
And there is still time to vote in our poll for the final – who would you like to see win Supernova and represent Latvia in Tel Aviv?]
