Latvia’s LTV received a record 130 entries for Supernova 2022. Now the broadcaster has whittled that down to 16 and revealed the first competing artists and songs for the upcoming national final.
The line-up includes five of Latvia’s past Eurovision representatives, as well other previous Supernova contestants. Songs by these 16 semi-finalists have been officially released.
LTV has also announced that the public will have the opportunity to choose a 17th semi-finalist through an online vote between 10 and 14 January.
Supernova 2022: Artists and songs
- Bermudu Divstūris – “Bad”
- Markus Riva – “If You’re Gonna Love Me”
- Aminata – “I’m Letting You Go”
- Bujāns – “He, She, You & Me”
- Citi Zēni – “Eat Your Salad”
- Inspo – “A Happy Place”
- Miks Dukurs – “First Love”
- Beatrise Heislere – “On the way home”
- The Coco’nuts – “In and out of the dark”
- KATŌ – “Promises”
- Elīna Gluzunova – “Es pabiju tur”
- Mēs Jūs Mīlam – “Rich Itch”
- Linda Rušeniece – “Pay My Own Bills”
- RAUM – “Plans”
- Zelma – “How”
- Patriks Peterson – “Can’t Get You Outta My Head”
All the songs have been uploaded to the Supernova website, where you can now listen to them.
Aminata is well known among Eurovision fans. The singer represented Latvia at Eurovision 2015 and gave the country their best result in the 2010s, placing sixth with “Love Injected”. This time, Aminata is hoping to make it to Eurovision with the entry “I’m Letting You Go”.
Bermudu Divstūris have also previously competed at Eurovision, but they did so under the name Musiqq. In 2011 they sang “Angel in Disguise”, but failed to qualify from the semi-final. The duo is formed of Marats Ogļezņevs and Emīls Balceris. They started their career as Musiqq in 2009, but since 2011 they’ve been releasing songs under both names. As Bermudu Divstūris they tend to release more upbeat and fun songs, whereas under Musiqq they release mid-tempo tracks and ballads.
Another duo of past Eurovision singers is BUJĀNS. Behind this group are Intars Busulis and Reinis Sējāns. Intars represented Latvia at Eurovision 2009, placing last in the semi-final. Meanwhile, Reinis was part of vocal group Cosmos, who finished 16th in the grand final of Eurovision 2006. Followers of our weekly new music roundups will recognise their Supernova 2022 entry “He, She, You & Me”, as it was first released in December 2021.
The final act that involves one of Latvia’s past Eurovision stars is Mēs Jūs Mīlam. Yet another male duo, this one includes Ralfs Eilands – he participated as part of the group PeR in 2013, finishing last in the semi-final that year.
Whilst he hasn’t yet made it to Eurovision, Markus Riva is still very much a familiar face. The singer submitted a song to Latvia’s national selection every year between 2014 and 2020, achieving varying degrees of success. After having to skip 2021 following Samanta Tīna’s internal selection, Markus is now back with the song “If You’re Gonna Love Me”. He’ll be hoping 2022 is finally his year to reach Eurovision and that he doesn’t finish runner-up to Aminata again, as he did in 2015.
Supernova 2022: Wildcard round
Along with the release of the first 16 songs for Supernova 2022, Latvian broadcaster LTV has also revealed some more details about the contest.
Firstly, the public will be given the chance to choose a wildcard semi-finalist. On 10 January, an online portal will open that allows people to vote between 10 other songs. Voting will close on 14 January and the chosen act will join the 16 others listed above in the Supernova 2022 semi-final.
LTV has also confirmed that the semi-final will take place on 5 February.
The broadcaster has not yet officially revealed the date of the grand final. However, the Eurovision.tv calendar notes it will take place the following week on 12 February.
What do you make of the Supernova 2022 songs? Who would you like to win and represent Latvia at Eurovision? Let us know in the comments below!
Romania and Latvia need to have a love child.
I bemoaned Romania for a lack of inventiveness and then Latvia comes along with certain inventions that I would rather for my ears not to experience.
This will be an exciting show. There is lots to enjoy here, some serious enjoyment and some not-so-serious enjoyment of a different kind.
I liked Inspo and RAUM the most on first listen.
Eat Your Salad was an instant hit where I work. Due to variety of reasons though. 😛
Pu$$y eating part is ummm… interesting
I love Beatrise also its very catchy !!!
They are all absolutely awful, as usual
Damn, bro! You got the whole squad laughing ._.
OMG I love Aminata and I’d love it if she gets to come back to Eurovision but I think this is a good batch of songs for a NF. May the best one win!
i think animatas has potential, is it just a demo? it’s not enough in its current state but if she adds that electro flair that was in love injected it could do wel
Latvia please send Aminata. We can’t wait to welcome you back to the finals!!!
aminata will win latvias NF with a landslide!
Patriks Peterson is the only one whose song instantly grabbed my attention. The selection is MUCH better than the disaster of 2020. However, I still see Latvia struggling to make the Eurovision final. It is a pitty. What was LTV doing in the 2000s?
Oh man, Aminata brings back a lot of memories. Love Injected is still one of my faves and her demo so far is very promising.
Just a fact I realized Reading the article: latvia has finished last of their SF in 2009, 2013, 2017, 2021. Sorry in advance to the 2025 representative ^^
Latvia is one of my favorite countries to follow. I loved their 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017 (what a shame this NQ), 2018, 2020 ans 2021 entries and i Hope this year they can shine !
Actually, Latvia was also last in its semifinal in 2010
Dammit 🙁 it aint a smooth fact no more now..
Sadly, Latvia is the biggest loser regarding the semi finals. It placed last 5 times, more than any other country at this point.
2017 (what a shame this NQ)
We are on the same boat! This season looks very promising for Latvia! Good Luck!
Good batch of songs, lots of potential.
Latvia 1/2nd place in betting odds, 6% chance to win ESC 2022, nice start. My favourite songs of Supernova 2022, 1# Aminata and 2# Bermudu divst?ris !
Don’t read too much into it. UK and Poland have been first in the odds last month. Latvia has gone from 1st to 34th to 2nd to 7th in 24 hours.
I know nobody of them before, but Aminata is f* good singer
Not a bad line-up. It’s just average. Anyway there are a couple of songs that made me feel something. I’d either go for Aminata, who is the popular choice, or Inspo, who is the rather different choice. Aminata brings a power ballad very well produced in which her voice is a key element. It is not good as “Love Injected” though. On the other hand, Inspo brings a soft song which creates a warm and comfy atmosphere. I recognized Aminata would be the safest choice but Inspo is my personal choice. Miks Dukurs‘ song has some classy rock ballad vibes… Read more »
The more I listen to ‘in and out of the dark’ the more I appreciate it. This could be latvia’s best chance on top 10 and is a real dark horse. The kind that gets overlooked by the community only to start generating momentum in the week of eurovision in the style of common linnets, love is on my side etc.
Aminata’s demo is already enough to put Latvia as an early favourite. What will her ESC version be like? More electro sound?
Yeah, favorite out of very few songs confirmed.
The best we, Latvians, can hope for is a qualification. That’s all we need. Don’t see this song placing any better than Love Injected, even with a revamp. Maybe top 15? Will see.
So currently Latvia is in first place of the betting odds , pretty sure because of aminata.This song is pure perfection I haven’t even listened to other songs (only in recaps) but aminata if 80 percent the winner imo
*im the same person* Correction Latvia for some unexpecte reason dropped to 35th place
Again update Latvia is 6th rn DK what’s going on
There are literally just a few songs released, that’s what’s going on. No one cares about odds this early.
Patriks has a decent song but the video is awful for a lot of reasons.
Though it doesn’t seem like an ideal song to her comeback, Aminata’s entry is a solid ballad. If this is just a demo, it sounds pretty good already. We know she’s an excellent singer, so jury appreciation and name recognition may be enough to bring Latvia back to the final. But if the Latvians aren’t in the mood for her return, there are actually more decent options than in the last editions of Supernova. I would recommend RAUM’s “Plans”. It’s a pop rock with casual lyrics that could stand out in Turin. “On the Way Home” is a fine pop… Read more »
Animata’s song is bland but I’m sure she will sing live great. If Markus Riva really wants to go to Eurovison, he should really find better song writers and producers to work with. I think Toss My Salad has the best potential.
Wow, Latvia just jumped to #1 in the betting odds. Somebody must know something about that Wildcard 17th entry.
Odds dramatically change in the first few months of the Eurovision season, so this means nothing. For example, Poland randomly went #1 in the odds last week and nobody knows why. If Latvia is still #1 in the odds for the next few weeks, then that wildcard entry must be seriously good or Aminata’s unreleased version of ”I’m letting you go” is winner material.
If I’m not mistaken, the bookers tend to get a little frisky when there’s a possible comeback from a successful artist from the past. I mean, virtually nobody outside Norway thought it was a good idea to Rybak return with that silly song, but I remember the odds responding well to that.
Same with Ira Losco in 2016
Funny that you mentioned Rybak’s song (it’s not silly! I liked it :3) because I was looking up the old betting odds of the national finals at the last possible moments before the finals took place. Rybak was a huge underdog going into that with odds of about 4/1 against Rebecca’s evens…yet he absolutely dominated that vote. Bookmakers do get it wrong sometimes, though, not as often as people make out. Some of the bigger mistakes involve the bookmakers having Ari Olafsson as the 6th favourite out of 7 contestants going into his final and I think Jowst Ft. Aleksander… Read more »
Well, I don’t see a problem with you liking that song, but c’mon, it was a silly one 😀 I was on Team Rebecca that night by the way.
I like when the bookies get things completely wrong, because they’re getting better on this game year after year (I assume monitoring social media makes thing much easier), so it’s nice when something unexpected happens, that way we can keep waiting for surprises, even when it’s clear they won’t happen.
I think it was silly to a lot of readers here because they’re clearly not the target audience of the song. It had a wholesomeness and a naivety that was clearly directed at either a much older viewer or a much younger viewer. Now whether in 2018, that family-sat-around-the-tv idea of Eurovision still exists, that’s another thing. XD The funny thing is, it actually still did really well. It won a semi-final and finished mid-table in the grand final! Honestly, I don’t think Rebecca’s song would’ve matched that in terms of result. I actually used to work in betting odds… Read more »
Rebecca wouldn’t win the semi, that’s for sure. In the final, I guess it wouldn’t make much of a difference, he was 15th, she would probably land a few positions lower. Just the “hey, it’s the cute violin guy, he’s back!” feeling would probably be enough to secure Alex a better result than she would get. Her song was good, but not very showy. In my personal ranking on the other hand, the difference would be big haha I imagine until we start getting proper information (more selected songs, Internet rankings and inputs from outside the bubble), the bookies’ task… Read more »
Well there was a reason Poland jumped to number one
Jason Derulo appeared in a polish show that had to do with the contest and it is rumoured that he is oen of the composer’s for the polish song
Nope the bookies don’t react because of the names big or not of the songwritters. And even with a big name like Florida taking part of their act, San Marino has never been first in the odds. Moreover Poland didn’t stay many times at the first place, it’s more an artificial move because Poland had to reveal its act at the beginning of January. If there are moves about esc in a country, the bookies respond automatically and sometimes weirdly.
*im the same person* agrred the bookies respond in very weird ways but after poland jumped to first then i hard this rumor about jason derulo
Not first on the odds, but Flo Rida made San Marino top 10 with odds. Darude did the same for Finland. Big artists 100% affect the odds lol
Not the songwritters for sure sorry, “lol”
It’s not actual bookmaker odds at this point but rather, betting exchanges. In January, these will be mostly fan-driven so yes, there will be overreactions to big names or returning artists or indeed, songs that stand out to ESC fans.
samanta wildcard is coming.
😀
Not Markus Riva participating for the 20th consecutive time…
Every year prior to 2021 there is a pattern on this blog/website with Latvia and its obsession with Marcus Riva. There are 15 other artists which can be explored! Whats the catch? Looks?, immediate publicity? the fact he’s young? Definitely not because he can sing. If he is so great an artist, why has he by now not been chosen to represent Latvia? This song is bland, yet again. As for my cup of tea, it is something like ‘Happy Place’. Good song.
Funny enough, Latvians themselves are not obsessed with Markus at all. I have never met a person who’d say they’re a fan of him, and his songs are not being played on the radio or charting often.
Why, but WHY Latvian and Lithuania have almost all their NF songs in english. I wanna hear at least once their languages
The one time Latvia and Lithuania sent songs in their native languages, they didn’t do well. Latvia didn’t qualify in 2004 and Lithuania got last place with zero points in It’s 1994 Debut. Yeah it would be nice to see more songs in their national languages, But other countries send stuff in English year after year so they’re not unique in that
Indeed, but in their NF’s there are more linguistic diversity. It’s not the case of Latvia and Lithuania
citi zeni, miks dukurs, the coco’nuts, zelma and patriks peterson are quite good. beatrise heislere is alright too, but her entry sounds veeery similar to a song by robyn (can’t remember its title, though).
the problem is, all of these songs but ‘eat your salad’ would probably drown in turin as they are rather sleepy.
‘angel in disguise’ was underrated back then, but ‘bad’ truly is bad for the most part of it.
finally after attentive listening of the songs here is for the moment (waiting for the lives because Beatrise and the groups which are present I think that in live it will be weak …) my top 5 in order :
1. Aminata (final with her !)
2. Inspo (final with this group I think !!)
3. BUJANS
4. Markus Riva
5. The Coco’Nuts
This is my opinion ^^
everybody (and the article) talking about the most known eurovision names, so let’s change it a bit… I am soooo happy Zelma (aka VI?A) participates as a contestant now. She performed as an interval act in Supernova 2019 with “Tur” and I absolutely fell in love with that outstandingly confident performance and exceptionally atmospheric song, it definitely should have competed (in my Spotify 2021 it was even my highest-placed ‘eurovision’ song).
https://youtu.be/_TWKmOrqmFk
I would welcome some latvian lyrics in “HOW” but still very cool and can’t wait for her next appearance.
She is a cool performer, I think the song will come alive on stage 🙂
Eat Your Salad has to best opening line to any eurovision entry ever. Not a joke, just a fact.
The whole song is great, it could be the new Eastern European Funk if it wins
wouldn’t they have to change the lyrics of the whole song if they won? i really can’t imagine the ebu enjoying that stuff about p*ssies, sausages and peaches …
p-o-r-n style
😀
Devastated with Aminata’s return. Love Infected is one of my favourite Eurovision entries ever, but this comeback is lacklustre.
Also, what’s the point of Markus Riva returning year after year if he doesn’t have a decent song? It’s a waste of his time and energy.
First see what they bring
Aminata said on instagram that this is a demo, the finished version will be published soon
Markus Riva has the usual bland song…
it’s really surprising her song doesn’t contain any electronic elements at all.
“Bad” reminds me of something ItaloBrothers would release but here only the chorus is somewhat relevant for more serious competition
Aminata is coming with,probably the best option but yeah revamp is needed..
“Eat your salad” could be a good mess if staged right and “He,she you and me” is just annoying..
Coco’nuts are also fine and I really hope Markus is making a song for Supernova 2023 because again this ain’t it
She said on Instagram that what we’ve listened to is a demo, the actual song will be soon released
I like the chorus of Bad the most, but the rest of the song sounds mostly awful, especially that bridge, so we have Aminata as the best option, but the song is quite boring ngl.
Supernova was actually decent!
My Top5:
1) A Happy Place (9/10)
2) In And Out Of The Dark (9/10)
3) How (9/10)
4) I’m Letting You Go (8.5/10)
5) Plans (7/10)
P.S: 1) Markus should start getting more busy with his onlyfans cuz that song ain’t it.. i can’t understand why it’s considered a favorite!
2) Aminata has confirmed the song is a demo and will be revamped!
It obvious that Aminata will win and im glad because she’s the strongest one.
No offense to him or his fans but this is like the fifth time Markus sends a bland song to Supernova. I think he needs to find a different songwriter if he intends to represent Latvia at Eurovision ^^’
Well he tried using Aminata, had a good song and didn’t actually qualify for the final (his worst result, right?).
So yeah, I don’t know what to tell him. XD
‘Plans’ is probably my favourite of the lot – didn’t mind ‘Pay My Own Bills’ either. It’s not exactly the strongest of selections though – some of the options are a pretty tough listen.
Oh I don’t know – Aminata has such a great voice and stage presence ….and it is a lovely ballad …but the song is building up to get a climax (and it does not come [Coitus interruptus]) ….instead it starts again building in the verses again …. that is not a song to get into the Grand Final – sorry. That song needs an explosion to the end (something like in “love injected”) – so it needs a revamp for sure.
At the moment I would pick Bermudu Divsturis – “Bad” for Latvia.
She confirmed that it is getting a revamp 🙂
Aminata’s song is fine? It’s no Love Injected but it’s a solid song that’ll be performed well live. If it’s staged well in Turin she’ll probably qualify but it’ll be like Paula and Ovi in 2014 with somewhat diminishing returns. However, if the goal is to end a 4 year NQ streak it’s a good song for that.
For me :
1. Aminata (final for Latvia with her !)
2. The Coco’Nuts
3. Raum
4. Markus Riva
5. BUJANS
I think this is a good selection about 2020 and I’m waiting for the lives to confirm my choices ! ^^
Only 1 song in Latvian? Latvia must really hate its own language…
Anyway not a strong selection, Aminata the only one with a remote chance at ESC
Kinda expected it to be weak. The only song I like is Aminata’s, which sounds like ‘Love Injected’, just with the punch turned down.
Very weak selection unfortunately and none of the songs is competitive enough..
Also I don’t have hope for the online semifinalist.
I kinda like this selection. The quality is better than the last previous years of supernova. I don’t really understand why markus riva is one of the big favorites. Are people blinded by the name? The blandness in that whole production is killing me and if something is a guaranteed bottom place i’d say it’s that. My favorites here are RAUM, the coconuts, bermundu divector and off course our Aminata.
raum’s in entry is soooooo good i really hope latvia will select him. aminata’s entry is also very well-written, but raum’s entry would be lativa’s most unique in a long time
I dont think that Raums song is unqiue.
I really hope the song they will select through online voting will be better than what we have know, otherwise Latvia will not qualify regardless what they send.
Well, all hopes on Aminata, as she is far more better at lives and can make an average song into something. I remember her love injected wasn’t that popular until people saw her performing it.
Love Injected was a love or hate it song for how unique it was relative to other esc songs. This is kind of the opposite, a respectable song that everyone will appreciate, but doesn’t evoke strong emotion (in the studio at least).
My point exactly, it wasn’t that loved and literally became a WOW song once it was performed on big stage. I still remember how people were shocked when they saw Aminata in that red dress and everyone was Oh no, they will kill the song now and she even made that dress work although dress itself was fairly awful, but once on stage and her vocals. It wasn’t just about the ethnicity it was HER…..
I really love Aminata’s song. It makes me to feel things :
Oh, finally! I’ve been waiting for this. Yay, Aminata’s back. Other than her the only act I know is Buj?ns. I actually listened to their song few weeks ago, but I didn’t really like it. Also, I didn’t know that Musiqq had another name, and that they release different music under that name! Good that we’re having some old participants. And, before I forget, Jonathan, there is a mistake in the article, Cosmos represented Latvia in 2006, not 2009
Actually Musiqq was their stage name as it was just them two. Bermudu Divsturis was the official name of the whole band for ages and I am afraid knowing Latvians this might win as Bermudu Divsturis is as loved as Brainstorm in Latvia. I dislike the song, but this will probably do well with all the fan base in Latvia.
Musiqq still exist. Bermudu Divst?ris is just another act of theirs
Yes, but that is not the actual FULL band. If you would say to average person in Latvia Musiqq that wouldn’t be much recognised, but once you say Bermudu Divsturis people will be like Oh yeah I know them
Angel in Disguise was not “mid tempo” or a “ballad” surely? Are they still using fake tan by the tanker?
Aminata or Elina for the win!
There’s one song here that’s so much better than anything else in the selection. I’m SO happy that Latvia have the chance to pick something really good!