It is almost time for Latvia to decide who will get their nation's ticket to Turin!
The final of Supernova 2022 will take place on Saturday 12 February (Sunday 13 February in Australia) and will be presented by Ketija Šēnberga and Lauris Reiniks.
Ten acts will be competing for the honour of representing Latvia at Eurovision with the winner decided by a split of 50% public vote and 50% a professional jury of music industry experts from Latvia and abroad.
Read on to find out more about the artists competing in the Supernova 2022 Final, as well as some special guests, and how you can watch the show.
The artists
Raum - 'Plans'
Reinis Straume, also known as RAUM, has been a member of the band Double Faced Eels since 2017. In 2018, RAUM competed as a solo artist on the second season of 'X Factor Latvia', coming 8th in the final. RAUM has competed in 'Supernova' in 2019 as part of Double Faced Eels, with the band’s song ‘Fire’ placing 4th in the final. This year is the 33-year-old singer’s first time competing in Supernova as a solo artist.
Linda Rušeniece - 'Pay My Own Bills'
A singer and vocal coach based in Riga, 'Pay My Own Bills' is Linda’s first single. She has been in The Netherlands for the last six years composing music and honing her skills as an artist, and is currently in the process of writing songs for her debut album. Linda’s musical influences, Joss Stone and Beyoncé, can be clearly heard in 'Pay My Own Bills', with the song’s soul soundscape drawing on Joss’ back catalogue while the lyrical theme of female empowerment recalls Beyoncé’s iconic career.
Bermudu Divstūris - 'Bad'
Formed in 2011, Bermudu Divstūris are a comedic rap duo consisting of Marats Ogļezņevs and Emīls Balceris, who go by the pseudonyms Biceps and Triceps. Marats and Emīls are no strangers to Eurovision, having competed on the Contest's stage in 2011 under the name Musiqq with the the song 'Angel In Disguise' - an entry which came 17th in the semi-final.
Bermudu Divstūris roughly translates to 'Bermuda biangle (sic)', and the band has won the Golden Microphone of the Year award for 'Best Hip-Hop or Dance Album' in 2014 for their debut album 'Ballējam neguļam' ('We don't sleep'). Their discography contains many party songs with rap and dance music influences, often with a comic flavour, and their Supernova 2022 entry 'Bad' continues that theme.
Miks Galvanovskis - 'I'm Just A Sinner'
Bringing strong rock vocals to the competition is Miks Galvanovskis. Miks learnt to play piano and saxophone at school, launching a lifelong passion for music which led him to release his debut single 'Wake Up Alone' in 2016. He has an ongoing collaborative partnership with producer Reinis Briģis, who produced his debut album and is credited on 'I’m Just a Sinner.' Miks has already beaten out nine other acts to win the wild card slot for Supernova this year, which was determined by an online vote. This is his third attempt to represent Latvia, after he placed eighth in his semifinal during Supernova 2017 with the song 'Runaway' and his two entries in Supernova 2019 - ‘Fake’ and ‘Shattered’ - both failed to make it past the second preselection round.
Bujāns - 'He, She, You & Me'
Describing themselves as “a world-class duet that sounds almost like a band”, Bujāns are bringing retro Eurodance vibes to Supernova 2022 with a hint of knowing silliness – a little like Denmark’s 2021 Eurovision entry, Fyr og Flamme. While the duo is new, Intars in particular has had a long career in music, winning the Eastern European New Wave festival in 2005 and coming in third place on the Russian edition of The Voice.
Both members of Bujāns have also previously represented Latvia at Eurovision, but not as a duo. Intars performed in Moscow at Eurovision 2009 with the song 'Probka', unfortunately coming last in the semi-final with 7 points. Meanwhile, Reinis was part of Vocal Group Cosmos, which achieved 16th place for Latvia at Eurovision 2006 in Athens with the song 'I Hear Your Heart.'
Elīna Gluzunova - 'Es pabiju tur'
Elīna Gluzunova became a household name around Latvia by winning 'The X Factor Latvia' in 2019. In the summer of 2020, she released her debut single ‘Holiday’. She makes her Supernova debut with ‘Es pabiju tur’ (‘I Was There’).
7. Citi Zēni - 'Eat Your Salad'
With their band name translating as “Other Boys”, Citi Zēni love to push the boundaries of music and good *ahem* taste. Meeting as part of a songwriting camp in 2020, the six members bring diverse musical influences to their work including funk, hip-hop and soul, while simultaneously tackling topical issues with just a dash of humour and irony. Their song for Supernova, 'Eat Your Salad' has generated much discussion on social media due to its deliberately shocking opening lyric – watch out to see how this one translates to the stage!
Inspo - 'A Happy Place'
Inspo is a musical project founded in 2020 by Aivars Lietaunieks, who had been in the Latvian music scene for around 15 years. In 2021, when Aivars heard Nadina Stirniniece’s vocals at a concert she was performing at, he knew he had to get her involved with Inspo. When Nadina joined the project, Inspo found their true form. Their sound crosses musical genres with the intention of creating an atmospheric mood, influenced by indie and modern rock. The duo released an EP ‘Space Between’ in November 2021 and are making their Supernova debut this year with a track from the EP titled ‘A Happy Place’.
Mēs Jūs Mīlam - 'Rich Itch'
Mēs Jūs Mīlam ("We Love You") is a musical group based on the friendship between Kaspars Breidaks and Ralfs Eilands.
Kaspars Breidaks is famous for his work in improvisational theatre, rising to fame through the TV show 'Spiediens'. Ralfs Eilands has been performing from a very young age, placing third in the Latvian preselection for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2004. In 2013, Ralfs performed on the Eurovision stage as part of the band PeR, whose song 'Here We Go' placed 17th in the semi-final, scoring 13 points. In 2019, Ralfs was named 'European of the Year in Latvia'.
Aminata - 'I'm Letting You Go'
No stranger to Eurovision fans, Aminata Savadogo is well-remembered for winning Latvia’s best result at Eurovision since 2005, with her electro number 'Love Injected' reaching sixth place in 2015. Since then, she has released two albums, an EP and numerous singles, becoming one of the best-known Latvian artists on the scene. While 'I’m Letting You Go' is her first attempt at going to Eurovision since 2015, she also penned Latvia’s 2016 entry 'Heartbeat', which came 15th in the grand final. On her website, Aminata describes her music as a blend of diverse singing and artistic traditions, with her mother originating from Russia and her father from Burkina Faso. A red-hot favourite to get the ticket for Latvia this year, Aminata also topped the Aussievision team’s rankings for Supernova 2022.
Baltic Special Guests
In honour of all three Baltic nations selecting their Eurovision entrants on the same night, special guests from neighbouring Estonia and Lithuania are joining the Supernova celebrations. 2021 Eurovision contestants The Roop from Lithuania and Uku Suviste from Estonia will take to the Supernova stage to perform.
How you can watch the Supernova final
The Supernova final will be available to watch on the LTV website or LTV REplay at the following times in Australia:
Sunday 13 February
3:05am (WA)
4:35am (NT)
5:05am AEST (QLD)
5:35am (SA)
6:05am AEDT (ACT, NSW, TAS, VIC)
Contributions by Laura Smith and Craig Land