Samanta Tīna was due to represent Latvia at the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam with her song “Still Breathing”, a strong message of female empowerment.
After trying five times previously, Samanta finally won the Latvian national final Supernova and was set to represent her country at Eurovision 2020 in Rotterdam. She would have performed “Still Breathing”, written by Samanta and Latvia’s Eurovision 2015 star Aminata Savadogo.
And now we’ve compiled 10 facts you need to know about Samanta Tīna. Let’s do this!
Latvia at Eurovision 2020: Facts about Samanta Tīna
1. She got her start on the talent show O!Kartes akadēmija
In 2010, Samanta competed on the Latvian talent show O!Kartes akadēmija. She made it to the grand final of the show where she beat the three other finalists to win the series. Samanta won the chance to attend the acclaimed Tech Music School in London.
2. She placed second at the Slavianski Bazaar
In 2012, Samanta competed in the Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk, an annual Belarusian music festival dedicated to Slavic music. She placed second to North Macedonia’s Bobi Mojsovski. The prestigious contest has previously been won by future Eurovision stars like Ruslana, Željko Joksimović, Donny Montell and Croatia’s intended act for Eurovision 2020, Damir Kedžo.
3. She overcame a serious health issue
In 2014, Samanta shared that she had recently overcome a serious health issue. While she didn’t go into too many details about the experience, Samanta did reveal it was the cause of a stressful moment during a live performance. Fortunately, Samanta fully recovered and has since gone from strength to strength.
4. She was on the Voice of Lithuania
Samanta headed over to neighbouring Lithuania in 2014 and competed on Lietuvos balsas (The Voice of Lithuania). She impressed the judges and went on to finish in the top eight, narrowly missing out on making the final four. As Samanta does not speak Lithuanian, she and the judges used Russian.
5. She made five previous attempts at the Latvian national final
Never give up on your dream! Samanta Tīna competed in Latvia’s national final in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2019, with a total of seven songs before she eventually won with “Still Breathing” in 2020. In that time, she made the superfinal three times and was the contest runner-up twice.
6. She competed in New Wave 2016
The New Wave competition is a showcase for young performers of popular music, and among its champions are future Eurovision stars Sergey Lazarev, Jamala, Natalia Gordienko and DoReDos. Samanta competed in the 2016 contest, and while she didn’t win, she made an impact on the Sochi stage.
7. She shockingly withdrew midway through Supernova 2016
Samanta had entered two songs in Supernova 2016. Her first – and arguably strongest – “We Live For Love” was eliminated in its heat but her second song — the quirky “The Love is Forever” — made it to the semi-final. However, after the semi-final performance of “The Love Is Forever”, Samanta announced live on the show that she would be withdrawing from the competition. She felt that she did not have the best song and thought that Justs should win with his song “Heartbeat” – which he went on to do.
8. She’s also competed in the Lithuanian national final
Samanta has tried her hand at representing neighbouring Lithuania at Eurovision, both times duetting with a Lithuanian performer. In 2013 she competed in Eurovizijos Atranka, performing the electro-pop tune “Hey Chiki – Mama” with Vudis. Then in 2017, she returned with the heartfelt ballad “Tavo oda” in duet with Tadas Rimgaila. Neither song made it out of the heats.
9. She’s a Eurovision scholar
Samanta is part of the growing number of students who have made the Eurovision Song Contest part of their academic work. Last year, Samanta’s graduating paper was an analysis of the national selections in Latvia and Lithuania — two shows that she has first-hand experience with. It’s the icing on the cake that she went on to win Supernova 2020!
10. She is a composer
Samanta started off singing other people’s songs in the Latvian national finals. But she eventually started creating her own works. In 2016 she co-wrote her entry “The Love Is Forever” and in 2019 she penned “Cutting the Wire”. Most recently, Samanta teamed up with Latvia’s Eurovision 2015 icon Aminata Savadogo to write “Still Breathing”. And as Samanta proudly asserts in the song, “Life is music, I am a composer!”
Eurovision 2021 update
Latvian broadcaster LTV has said it will hold off discussing its plans for Eurovision 2021 until the Covid-19 pandemic situation is over. While Samanta Tīna has not directly commented on returning to Eurovision, the “Still Breathing” songstress previously wrote: “About 2021 we are still waiting news- how it’s gonna be! I will let you know!”
Should Samanta Tīna continue her Eurovision dream? Can she give the Baltic nation its second Eurovision win? Tell us your thoughts below!
We need her back!
Oh my goodness, I was not aware of Samanta’s back catalogue – it is very impressive!
I will have to revise my analysis – she is no longer a 100% certified walking phenomenon, she is now a 110% certified walking phenomenon!
I’ll be so sad if LTV pass her up, she’s been trying for a decade 🙁
If for whatever reason The Roop decide not to go to Eurovision or enter Atranka she’ll always be welcomed with open arms to try out in Lithuania!
I’m surprised you didn’t get Edd to write this profile. He’s the self proclaimed Samanta Tina fan boy. I can’t wait to see this on the WiwiJam.
I still remember her from Balsas (long before I became interested in other countries national finals), she’s a lovely person and she’s a great performer. She still occasionally comes to Lithuania and performs concerts and shows with songs in Lithuanian, even though she can’t speak it, that shows commitment! I really hope she goes to Eurovision next year, I’ve been rooting for her for years and she really deserves the chance!