Earlier this year, they gave us one of the biggest earworms of the 2020 national final season with “Playa”, their ode to Lithuanian basketball players. Now the three-piece group Twosome are back at it again with a cover of “Jaja Ding Dong” on Lithuania’s X Factor Celebrity series. And it is stunning.
The trio are competitors on X Faktorius Žvaigždės — the celebrity version of the X Factor Lithuania that’s replaced the regular show format this season.
Week after week Twosome have been stealing the show with their humour-infused performances and this week was no exception. They performed “Jaja Ding Dong” from the soundtrack of this summer’s hit Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.
Even though the film soundtrack version of the song is barely more than 90 seconds long, Twosome’s version swelled and burst to a two and a half minute version.
The staging featured two of the group members wearing kilts, while the third was dressed as a ceremonial guard in a bearskin hat. And like their Pabandom iš naujo! performance earlier this year, there was plenty of physical comedy.
Their performance was aided by colourful graphics on the LED wall, featuring rainbows, peace signs and cows, as well as a troupe of equally colourful dancers.
The judges’ panel — which included two members of Lithuania’s most successful Eurovision act — were impressed. LT United member Marijus Mikutavičius told the group, “We don’t normally hear such songs in life. You are super good and fun.”. The while the other LT United member — and Twosome’s category mentor — Samas Urbonavičius praised the trio, saying “This is a unique project”.
The show took place with a small studio audience, practising social distancing and wearing masks. This could be a sign of the sort of production that might be used for Lithuania’s national final if it returns in 2021.
Twosome’s Lithuanian national final journey
Twosome made their Lithuanian national final debut in 2018 when they entered with the multi-lingual “Hello”. The group were a literal twosome and delivered a more straightforward Eurovision song seemingly designed to appeal to an international audience. The group made it to the semi-finals where they narrowly missed out on making the grand final.
The following year Twosome returned as a threesome with “1000”, another multilingual song. Again, they only made it as far as the semi-final, but finished in 12th place.
Earlier this year, the group returned with “Playa”, a catchy ode to Lithuanian basketball players. Despite the popularity of the song, the group were eliminated in the heats, after nil points from the jury cancelled out their televote support. But regardless, of the result, “Playa” remains one of the most memorable songs from the 2020 national final season.
Twosome continues in Lithuania’s X Factor Celebrity, screening on Sunday nights.
What do you think of Twosome’s cover of “Jaja Ding Dong”? Should Lithuania send Twosome to Eurovision 2021? Tell us your thoughts below!
Playa was ridiculously catchy! Still listen to it and gives me happy vibes <3
Hope Twosome are back yet again for the Lithuanian selection this season! All 3 of their entries are ridiculously fabulous in different ways but “Hello (Digital Language)” remains my favourite by far.
X Factor is broadcasted on TV3 which is another thing and they allow audience at the studio. Our national broadcaster LRT is does not allow people in studios, just like in the “Dance With the Stars” – no audience, jury members sits practising a 1.5 metre distance, between them a huge glass.
So I believe, our national selection won’t have any audience. But it’s kinda good. We could then build more spectalurar stage.
This is what I call a perfect match of a song and it’s performers. Jaja Ding Dong is just the type of song I could envision being performed by Twosome in PIN. It’s actually in the similar line of gimmicky and suggestive as their entries Hello and Playa. Me, as a proper serious adult, of course love all three of these songs. 🙂 I honestly hope to see them one day representing Lithuania.