Last month, LTV the national broadcaster of Latvia confirmed their participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 to be held in the United Kingdom next May. Yesterday LTV confirmed the return of Supernova to select their entrant. From today the song submission window opens for Supernova 2023, with the final taking place in February.
Latvia confirms Supernova 2023
Yesterday LTV announced that long-standing national final Supernova, would return for another edition in 2023. Since 2015, the revamped selection format with a more commercial focus, has been used to select the Baltic nations’ Eurovision participant.
Supernova is the biggest competition organized by the Television of Latvia (LTV), the winners of which get a ticket to Eurovision, which is not only a fantastic opportunity and an unforgettable experience for artists, but also a very responsible task of representing Latvia. We are proud of the audience’s recognition this year – the ratings of Supernova were the best in recent years! The winners – Citi Zēni – allowed everyone to notice Latvia in Eurovision, but who will be next?! Although there is no specific formula for creating a Eurovision winning song, we wish musicians creative flight and courage in submitting songs to the Supernova contest!
Agnese Strause-Kubliņa, (LTV Head of Children, Youth and Entertainment Broadcasting)
Submission window opens as format details emerge
From today the song submission window opens and will close at 23:59pm local time on December 1. These can be submitted to the online Supernova platform. LTV also holds the right to invite artists and songwriters of their choosing. Afterwards, a secret jury – who will not be revealed until after Eurovision itself, will assess which entries are to advance into the live shows. In January the selected artists and their songs will be publicly available, whilst LTV announces the complete format for Supernova 2023. The jury will consists of Latvian and international TV, events and music industry experts. So far the broadcaster has confirmed the Supernova 2023 final will take place in February.
Performers, authors and producers who have reached the age of 16 are invited to participate in the competition. Applications from soloists, duets and groups (up to six participants) are welcome. Foreign citizens may participate in the competition as authors of song lyrics, music authors or producers of phonograms. The submitted song must not have been published or played publicly before September 1, 2022.
LTV
Already the broadcaster has presented a range of ideas and themes they are looking for in next years’ entry. The evaluation process will assess the song on vocals, structure, originality, arrangement and message. Beyond the obvious, with an eye to the nature of modern Eurovision, they will also take into account compliance with current music trends – including commercial value in the pop market, as well as the personality and music achievements of the candidates.
Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest
Back in 2000 Latvia made their Eurovision debut in Stockholm with Brainstorm and their entry, ‘My Star‘. During the contest the Baltic nation placed 3rd with 136 points. Over the years, the plucky nation has achieved four top 10 results, contrasted with failing to qualify in more than half of their total participations. Their best result came with Latvia’s only win in 2002. In Tallinn, Marie N and her quick-change routine bop, ‘I Wanna‘ scored victory with 176 points.
Last year the Latvian jury and public chose Citi Zēni and ‘Eat Your Salad’ through Supernova 2022. During the Turin contest they failed to qualify for the Grand Final, placing 14th in the first Semi-Final with 55 points.
Who should represent Latvia in Eurovision 2023? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram, @escxtra on TikTok and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to follow us on Spotify for the latest music from your favourite Eurovision acts. As well as YouTube to see our reactions to the news in the run up to the new Eurovision season.
