Ten acts have been chosen from the Latvian semi-final of Supernova 2024 last weekend to compete in the final taking place this weekend to find the song that will represent Latvia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. The entry will be chosen by a 50/50 jury/televote split.
Ten Aussievision contributors have ranked the Latvian songs in the usual Eurovision points system, plus with a bonus question at the end ... read on below to see who was our pick!
10. Edvards Strazdiņš - 'Rock n' Roll Supernova' (25 points)
Highs: 7 points from Kyriakos, 5 points from Sam
Lows: 1 point from Fleur, Mike, Hayley, Laura and Craig
9. ECTO - 'Outsider' (32 points)
Highs: 8 points from Mark, 7 points from Mike
Lows: 1 point from Sam, Kyriakos and Emma
8. Funkinbiz - 'Na Chystu Vodu' (39 points)
Highs: 7 points from Mark, 6 points from Laura
Lows: 1 point from Dale, 2 points from Hayley and Sam
=7. Papīra Lidmašīnas - 'Mind Breaker' (52 points)
Highs: 10 points from Hayley, 7 points from Fleur, Emma, Dale and Laura
Lows: 1 point from Mark, 2 points from Kyriakos
"I feel this song has gone under the radar a little bit - I find it so catchy and that guitar riff is great! The singer has charisma on stage even though the staging itself is a little odd. The only thing about this song that I am not keen on is the lady on the "phone" with the Bugs Bunny voice!" ~Hayley
=7. Saint Levića - 'Tick Tock' (52 points)
Highs: 10 points from Laura, 7 points from Craig and Sam
Lows: 2 points from Mike, 3 points from Emma and Mark
"This whole performance is very eye catching! There’s three costume changes, massive switch ups in styles of music, and interesting lyrics to boot. I think the package as a whole is designed to make the viewer ask questions rather than having a more instant appeal, but this feels deliberate. Is it audiovisual whiplash? At times yes, but it definitely makes you sit up and take notice, and half the battle in Eurovision is gaining viewers’ attention!" ~Laura
5. Vēstulēs - 'kur?' (56 points)
Highs: 12 points from Hayley, 10 points from Craig
Lows: 2 points from Fleur and Mark, 3 points from Mike and Laura
"I so enjoy this song and I do love the Latvian language, it is really beautiful. The song transitions between almost Jazzy and quiet but then all of a sudden it kicks ups notch almost sounding a little Beatles-esque in places. Not sure this would be the right choice for Eurovision, but I do really like it and love listening to it!" ~Hayley
"I don't know how competitive this is, but this is really gentle and lovely, and the staging is impeccable. The moment where they switch places between verses? So simple, but so impactful! Quietly very wonderful, but I don't think it's quite the song for Eurovision." ~Craig
4. AVÉI - 'Mine' (69 points)
Highs: 12 points from Mike, 10 points from Fleur and Kyriakos
Lows: 3 points from Hayley, 4 points from Emma and Craig
"I quite like her and her vibe! The vocal is good, and she sells it. I think the chorus really works here. I like the National Final interpretation and I feel it definitely has some potential to find another gear and offer something memorable. Best of the bunch." ~Mike
"I like this one, as an overall package with choreo and staging it is there. Thought I don't know how well it will do at Eurovision. Regardless it's a catchy song!" ~Kyriakos
"Pretty decent banger that could do well. Thinking about it a bit more, it's not the sort of song that Latvia sends. Might be the right time to do so now. There's a lot of potential here. The staging is good, it's almost Eurovision ready." ~Fleur
3. Alekss Silvers - 'For The Show' (75 points)
Highs: 12 points from Sam, 10 points from Dale
Lows: 5 points from Laura
"A bombastic banger that grabs your attention. This is catchy and addictive to listen to – unlike some of the other entries in this Latvian line-up that I feel are loud just for the sake of it. I think this is the Baltic nation’s best chance to end their epic non-qualification streak." ~Sam
"This is such a cracking Eastern European dark beat bop. He delivers it well and it's an all-round good performance." ~Dale
2. Katrīna Gupalo - 'The Cat's Song' (77 points)
Highs: 12 points from Laura, 10 points from Emma and Mark
Lows: 3 points from Kyriakos
"Everything about this is iconic. It SCREAMS televote catnip (pun intended) and the chorus is so catchy, it regularly gets stuck in my head! It’s a work of art and I can’t help but love it!" ~Laura
"I defy any cat lover not to love this song...it makes me so happy! I love its playful nature and Katrīna's voice is so endearing that I feel nothing but joy when I listen to it. I do get 'Playschool' vibes from the live performance and I don't know whether people will take it seriously enough to vote for it but it will surely be popular amongst all the cat loving Eurovision fans!" ~Emma
"Hmmm I played this to my cats and they didn't like it (but who cares what they think). It's really quite clever and I really do believe it would qualify through to the Grand Final at Malmo! It is harmless and fun and that staging is adorable. It has been stuck in my head for days!" ~Hayley
"Yes it's a novelty song about cats but I tell you what, it's catchy AF. It has such a great hook, and the rest of the song works" ~Dale
1. Dons - 'Hollow' (104 points)
Highs: 12 points from Fleur, Kyriakos, Emma, Mark, Craig and Dale, 10 points from Mike and Sam
Lows: 4 points from Laura
"This is fantastic. He can sing, the song is memorable and it has a great hook. I honestly think if Latvia chooses this it can go to the left hand side of the scoreboard- if they can nail the staging. Come on Latvia, you have one job." ~Fleur
"Cleary the best quality song in this contest. Yes, it's a Hozier via Riga, but it's a cut above the rest. His vocal ability and quality of the song has enough for people to pick up their phones." ~Dale
"In one of the worst national final line-ups in recent memory, Hollow stands apart from the other entries for not being an assault on music itself. It’s melodic, brooding and wonderfully sung. It’s also dated and derivative. Did I like it? No. Would I vote for it at Eurovision? No. Does Latvia have another choice? No." ~Mark
"What struck me most about 'Hollow' was Dons vocals. He has a really current sound - very similar to Hozier or David Kushner. I love the gospel backing vocals in the latter half of the song and would like to see them introduced a little earlier. This is a solid entry that with some slight tweaks would be a worthy Eurovision entry for Latvia." ~Emma
"I don't know if this sort of serious, earnest man-ballad is representative of where music is at in 2024, but I really love Dons' vocal tone through this. He has a fragility to him which also lends this credibility and saves it becoming too dull. I think this is the song that is most likely to finally bring Latvia back to the final this year - it's not reinventing the wheel, but what it does, it does well." ~Craig
"Dons has unique vocals, which delivers the song in such a beautiful way when it elevates. I can see why this is the favourite. There's no dubstep but it reminds me of 'Not Alone' by Aram Mp3 from Eurovision 2014. This is the best performance out of the lot by MILES! I will be shocked if this didn't win Supernova!" ~Kyriakos
"By far the most unique vocal timbre in this national selection. Reminds me a little of Freddie who represented Hungary in 2016 with ‘Pioneer’. A solid entry that is radio friendly but still might be a little too safe for Latvia – a country renowned for “out there” Eurovision entries." ~Sam
"I feel like there is a quality here that others don’t have. Perhaps it’s because it’s quite derivative and we're all quite familiar with this type of song. He has a good vocal and can definitely sing it. It feels very "Eurovision" and rather dated but with the right staging that could work if it makes it to Malmo." ~Mike
BONUS QUESTION
We also asked our Aussievision contributors what song did they think would have the best chance of Latvia qualifying to the Grand Final:
70% said Dons with 'Hollow'
20% said Katrīna Gupalo - 'The Cat's Song'
10% said Alekss Silvers - 'For The Show'
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Supernova 2024 will be streamed live at the following times:
Central European Time: Saturday 10 February - 8:10pm Melbourne, Sydney, ACT and Tasmania: Sunday 11 February - 6.10am Brisbane: Sunday 11 February - 5.10am
Adelaide: Sunday 11 February - 5.40am
Darwin: Sunday 11 February - 4.40am
Perth: Sunday 11 February - 3.10am
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