She’s the Latvian star who was ready to bring all the fringe to the Eurovision 2020 stage in Rotterdam. And now, as she waits for the pandemic to end and for Latvia to decide on its future selection process, Samanta Tina has had an in-depth chat with Wiwibloggs.
The “Still Breathing” hitmaker — whose honours Tina Turner with her stage name — tells us that she will not accept an offer to compete in any future national selections.
“I’m not gonna take part anymore,” she says in our 45-minute Skype call. “I already have my win – I did it, I made it.”
“If they’re gonna decide to make a new selection, I think it could be quite weird if I’m gonna go there, like all the participants. I think it wouldn’t be fair.”
Samanta Tina at Eurovision 2021? (Interview)
But don’t stop breathing just yet. She’s still very keen to go to Eurovision if LTV internally picks her.
“I’m waiting for really good news about 2021. And if they’re gonna choose me to represent Latvia next year…I think it would be really fair. As I know half already, or maybe a little less, [of this year’s participating countries] already made that decision about their participants.”
She’s also open to the idea of a song selection, where Samanta and her people shortlist a series of songs for the public to choose from.
“I think it’s a quite good idea, really. Five songs. A lot of producers can try and send a song, make a song. I don’t think it’s a bad idea.”
She’s been touched by the enthusiasm of fans. “I was really close to tears and they made the hashtag #SamantaTinaforESC2021….they are writing to Supernova, tagging Supernova. It’s so sweet….it’s so nice that feeling that I have a lot of fans around the world.”
Samanta also reveals details about her planned staging for Rotterdam. It was going to be hot.
“We were working already for the huge and massive stage art with 3-D effects, which could like burn that stage down. We wanted to make this feeling that if I’m really powerful and the song is crazy, we’re gonna make this performance til the end the craziest ever, to have this feeling that the stage is burning down with all my movements, all those fringes. Pow, pow, pow! And everything burning down in the end. It was an amazing project and I’m really sad we can’t show that.”
Samanta also tells us about her planned postcard, reveals that she thinks Lithuania would have won ESC and explains why a vocal coach once encouraged her to pass gas on stage.
Are you loving this Latvian queen as much as we are? Sound off in the comments box below!
OMG, the way she describes the staging makes me think that Latvia could have given us one of the most memorable ESC performances ever…#SamantaTinaforESC2021
Are LTV really going to ignore Samantha? Are they really going to have Supernova again and let Markus Riva send another poor pop song and miss out on the grand final AGAIN?
Choosing Samanta is literally the best choice that Latvia can make. She has an amazing voice, an incredible amount of energy, she would be amazing to have next year
She needs to be picked internally by LTV. By the way, the way she describes her staging makes me so hyped, she definitely would’ve qualified if it’s as good as she describes it.
I am not a fan of her song but she DESERVES to be internally selected, after years and years of trying she then gets the chance to represent this country, and they are gonna take it away from her? She won fair and square. Period.
She should write a new song with aminata! She’s the best latvian songwriter and knows how to score on eurovision + her songs are never generic
Definitely! Basically Aminata is the only one who managed to make Latvia qualify in recent years
Herself in 2015 and as a songwriter with Justs a year later (let alone her amazing result in 2015!)
If she isn’t picked it’s just a slap in the face to Samanta; her commitment and drive over the years is something to be admired. If LTV doesn’t select her, it’s just insulting at this point.
After all those years, if they don’t choose her, i’m losing my hope on humanity.
She really needs to be internally picked by LTV. Supernova can take a year off when considering Latvia’s constant financial struggles.