When We're Old / Ieva Zasimauskaitė / Lithuania | Review

Ieva Zasimauskaitė

Thus far, Lithuania has only managed two Top 10 finishes out of eighteen attempts, so it’s easy to make light of their chances amid the hoopla of Eurovision selections. Of course, it would be bonkers to reject them out of hand as they have a tendency to edge their way into the Grand Final at the expense of some other highly favoured entries. Their odds are pretty lengthy this time around as well, but can Ieva Zasimauskaitė's When We're Old continue the country's sequence of qualifiers?

A few Eurovision experts attribute Lithuania’s regular appearance in the Grand Final as a consequence of diaspora voting. This is certainly undeniable – they constantly chalk up a respectable points tally from the UK and Ireland where there is quite a sizable Lithuanian presence.

The UK and Ireland will vote in Lithuania’s semi-final once again this year - so no change there - but I wonder if When We're Old will have enough clout to really make an impression? It's not that it is a weak song; it's a quite moving ballad with some emotionally charged lyrics and proposed staging. Ieva's vocals cope very well but the song itself is inescapably low-key. So I ask myself if many - having watched the full lineup of songs - will feel that it justifies their vote?

For that reason, I consider Lithuania's effort to be either a borderline qualifier or to end up somewhere in the last quarter of the finals board.

Image by Ilya Mauter [CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons

Lithuania 

Artist: Ieva Zasimauskaitė

Song: When We're Old 

Semi-Final 1 | First Half

Eurovision 2014: Lithuania: Attention

Lithuania: Vilija Matačiūnaitė

I'd like to believe after a twelve-week elimination process that Lithuania would have found the ideal song to represent the country at Eurovision 2014. Unfortunately, it hasn't.

Attention is the song's name and Vilija Matačiūnaitė is both the singer and composer. Unlike the pretty Vilija, her offering gets my attention for all the wrong reasons.

It's very much a shout fest of the title and, in fact, would probably make the ideal ringtone or alarm call for anybody who likes to be shocked into action.

Amongst all the shouting, there is just a little competent singing. Why she chose to scream her way through most of the song is anyone's guess though, because Vilija has ranked highly in vocal (and dance) competitions around Eastern Europe, either as runner-up or winner. In fact, this is not the first time she has tried her hand at Eurovision, ranking seventh in the Lithuanian national final nine years ago.

Unfortunately, unlike Lithuania's 2013 entry, the song is just not quirky enough and comes across as a bad attempt at some Eighties power pop. But will viewers vote for it?

I have a feeling that they won't. There is not enough of a hook to draw them in and the shouting, repetitive nature of the track will surely put a lot of people off. And what on Earth is the tutu and the guy dancing around her all about?

While semi-final two looks to be less competitive than the first, my head is telling me that Attention will almost certainly lack the attention it needs to qualify and is likely doomed to be heard only the once.

Image by Fotodiena [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons 

Eurovision 2013: Lithuania: Something

Andrius Pojavis

Lithuania's hopes of qualifying for a third Eurovision final in a row lie with the song Something sung by Andrius Pojavis.

Andrius has described the song as indie-rock, but is better considered as indie-pop. There is something about Something that reminds me of another track, but I can't pinpoint it right now. He handles the song well, however, even if his vocals aren't the strongest in the contest. What might upset people more is that his eyebrows have a life of their own. Very distracting.

Something will be performed in tenth place of the first semi-final on May 14 and this will probably be the last time it is heard. Sorry Lithuania. 5/10.

Is Something your 2013 Eurovision winner?

Here's a short interview with Andrius Pojavis and he seems very hesitant about his chances of qualifying.