“If you can’t change the situation, you must change your attitude to the situation.” The words of Latvia’s Samanta Tina in our recent Zoom interview when discussing her live-on-tape performance of “The Moon Is Rising.”
The Eurovision 2021 singer tells me she was not happy with how it went, but adds that it’s actually an opportunity to make things better for Rotterdam.
“This year was totally different than we’re used to,” she says of the required back-up performance, filmed in case Eurovision enters a lockdown situation. “This year was the first time where we needed to take the back-up videos. That was an exclusive chance to see how it’s gonna look when it’s filmed. And I already changed everything.”
“I had this great and exclusive chance to see how it’s going to look and I didn’t like it…[in Rotterdam] it’s gonna be the way it should be.”
Samanta Tina: Eurovision 2021 interview on “The Moon Is Rising”
Samanta is a woman on the move. She’s got people to see and places to be. So we were both amused and somewhat honoured to learn that she’d pulled her car over to the side of the road so that she can take our call amid her myriad responsibilities and commitments.
So what’s the blood moon and why is it rising? Well, she says, it’s about signifying change and possibility — even while we’re struggling with a global crisis.
“The blood moon has nothing [to do] with blood as we think,” she says. “The blood moon is one of the four versions of the full moon. When the moon is hiding from the sun, but some light is coming to the moon and it’s still getting red. It’s like a physical situation that’s happening during that time on the Earth. It’s what people are feeling and seeing, a magical time but in a positive way.”
“I would like to make a full moon on the stage to have all the audience listen up: ‘Everything’s gonna be fine.’ We are all queens — men and women. We must accept this situation because right now we cannot change the situation. I’m living with the thought that if I can’t change the situation, I must change the attitude to the situation.”
That could refer explicitly to the global pandemic. But it also refers to the many social cleavages and rifts that have been amplified over the past year.
“During the song I’m asking all women who are different in our society to use those two beautiful hands and make this crown by themselves to accept yourself — to start to love yourself because you are different and not worse than others.”
“We all want love. We all want to love. I am about the equality. We must love ourselves and make this crown not to have just a good compliment from others — hey you’re beautiful. For one hour maybe it works. But then you’re going home and thinking, ‘I have bad this, bad that, I must be better at that, be a better mother, better sister, better daughter or wife…not accepting yourself the way you are. That’s the biggest crown you can make for your life. I believe when you’re gonna accept yourself, others will accept you.”
Her message of self-love and acceptance extends to members of the LGBT community. That’s one reason she includes a short scene of two women kissing in her music video. Samanta says she was upset to learn that some ultra-conservatives in her country had launched a petition to have her removed from Eurovision. They claim she’s undermining the institution of family with what they consider a scandalous video.
“I was really shocked,” Samanta says. “I was trying to talk about equality. I was open to talking about women’s power — that we all are equal and we don’t need to hide, that you need to start to love yourself. And then I get this straight in my face. I was like, ‘Oh, really? Are you kidding me?'”
On some level, the reaction is further proof that her song and music video are important and necessary right now. “It showed me that those stereotypes — what is right and what is not right — is still alive. And it’s essential information about what people from other generations still can’t talk about.”
Finally, I asked Samanta if her performance will lean in the direction of Halloween and werewolf imagery — as the title “The Moon Is Rising” might suggest. The answer is no.
“It’s not a spooky performance,” she says. “We’re going to travel a bit. We’re going to open a world from where we all came from.”
Are you excited to find out what that means? Do you think the stage show will take the song to another level? Let us know in the comments box below!
Is it a good idea to admit that you don’t like something on which you may be judged? Gerald Ratner springs to mind.
Did she watch ESC 2019 and Roi from Bilal Hassani ?
I am not sure how she differs from his message, and his crown metaphore / gesture…
I‘m really curious about her performance and still hoping that she will be able to perform live in Rotterdam. After all I see a big advantage and chance for all artists and staging concepts since they have a lot of time (between Back-up-filming and the contest itself) to figure out what works, fix some things and think about what could lift up the performance. Therefore I get a feeling that we will see many great performances in May and I can‘t wait for that!
Why a straight (forgive me if I’m wrong) woman in 2021 has the need to act like the saviour of LGBTQ people is beyond me. Especially knowing it’s a contest and countries want to get as many votes as possible. Baiting the european gays for votes through a messy song, for the lack of a better word. Also being surprised a handful of people want her disqualified for it? You knew what you were doing, baby girl.
Have you thought about the relevance of this topic in Latvia? The exposure in Latvia Samanta gets right now is huge, so it is good that she talks about this stuff. For your information, last year Latvian government voted against the same sex partnership law, which would allow same sex couples to adopt children, buy a property together, and, for example, in case of a death of the biological mother, the other woman could get custody of their child, which is not the case right now. And later that escalated to another problem – earlier this year there were planning… Read more »
it’s weird that it didn’t go as planned in the taped performance, now i wanna watch it!
Didn’t she rehearse enough? For sure she had plenty of time considering she was internally selected.
she was busy making KitKat ads 😀
I watched your semi final 2 recap video again (it was in this article) they really favored Switzerland. They gather all slows together (including Switzerland’s strongest rival Bulgaria) then put Switzerland between moving ones , 16 is the most memorable draw and also the closing is faint song from Denmark. Oviously they’ll put Switzerland 25 in the finale with same strategy.. Hope its end will be like Beautiful Mess or Fuego
Ok, I think you can leave your conspiracies at home
Hopefully for Latvia
She’s aware she’s got few chances of qualification… She may change the whole staging, but the song itself is still irritating….
Yeah, it’s sort of grotesque. She is talented and deserves something more refined.
last year song is better, her song this year is to much yelling (?) and as a woman I think yelling is not part of women’s grace.. ahaha but anyway it’s just my opinion.. hope the best to all participants
Let’s hope she won’t need the live-on-tape performance at all. Because I feel that things didn’t go well for Samanta
She’s very hard working and talented…I’m looking forward to see her staging
I question the „talented“. It‘s artificial on the verge of cringe.
to my beloved downvoters: see you in may. she‘ll fail miserably in the semi. LOOOOL