We now have less than a week to go until the final of Supernova, the Latvian selection process for the 65th Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam in May

Nine performers will take to the stage in Riga for this one shot final, and here at ESCBubble we have been lucky enough to chat with each and every one of them about their songs, their careers, and what we can expect on February 8th!

Today, we speak with 24 year old Katrīna Bindere, from Ventspils, Latvia who will be singing her co-written song “I Will Break Your Heart”

Katrīna it’s so good to see you back in the Latvian selection process! What has prompted this return in 2020?
Thank you so much! I’m really happy to take a part in Supernova again after 5 years. I felt like I am ready to go through the process again, I have grown as a person and as an artist too, so it felt right.

We can’t help but notice that 4 of this year’s artists also appeared in the Dziesma 2014 Final (Yourself, Jānis Driksna, Katrina Dimanta and Samanta Tina). It remains one of my favourite shows ever – what do you remember about the experience?
It was a great experience, I was only 18 years old and it was my first appearance on such a big stage. Back then I didn’t really know what my future goals in music were, I was just taking the opportunity and making the best of it.

Between your follow-up Supernova appearance in 2015 and now, you have released some beautiful ballads, including the amazing Tev Līdzās (With You), the video of which has reached almost half a million views on YouTube! Do you see yourself as mainly a singer of love songs or do enjoy switching genres of music?
Thank you, the song “Tev līdzās” will always take a special place in my heart. I love singing about love. My stage character has always been very romantic, and I really like it. But at this point in my life I feel that there is more in me, I would like to feel and play with some other characters through my music. There are so many emotions that I feel every day and I like to use them when I write music.

Researching your musical history, you are linked with so many familiar names from the Latvian music scene, including a concert and album celebrating the life of the late great Mārtiņš Freimanis. How was that experience?
Yes, I’m really lucky that I’ve had the opportunity to share the stage and work with so many great Latvian musicians. It has been such a great experience, I have learned from them so much, and that has helped me to improve myself as an artist. So I’m very grateful.

Let’s talk about “I Will Break Your Heart” which you co-wrote with Jānis Driksna and Niklāvs Sekačs. What’s the story behind this collaboration?
Last October I attended a songwriting camp called “RIGaLIVE”, there I was put in one team with singer and songwriter Jānis Driksna and producer and beat maker Niklāvs Sekačs, we had one day to write a song and through a very exciting process we did it. After the camp we thought that we have to finish it, so we did that with the help of producer Kaspars Ansons.

Supernova has a very different format this year from previous ones, there’s just one chance to perform live in front of an audience live, on the TV and via the internet all around the world! How are you preparing for it?
It is very challenging, in only three minutes we have to give everything that we have, there is no second chance. But I am ready for that. I think that one of the most important things to my song is the atmosphere and the feeling that I am giving with my performance, voice and image. I want to create a little bit of a mysterious feeling on the stage.

Obviously, the winner of Supernova 2020 gets to represent Latvia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam in May. Is this your ultimate goal?
I have dreamed about performing on the big Eurovision stage since I was a little girl, but the ultimate goal for me now is to give the best performance in Supernova with the song “I Will Break Your Heart” that I can, so later I can be proud of it. In any way this is a big chance for me to show myself as an artist to a large audience. I don’t want to waste it! I want to go to the Eurovision Song Contest at the right time, with the right song. Let’s see if it will be this year.

Thank you Katrīna for your time, and we cannot wait to see you perform, and see that “mysterious feeling” you told us about!

Watch Katrīna ‘s audition video for “I Will Break Your Heart” here or listen to the studio version via this Spotify link.

Who is your favourite to win Supernova next weekend? Vote in our Poll below. Stick with us here at ESCBubble as we will bring you all the news and exclusive interviews, direct from Riga!