Review: “Supernova 2025” (Latvia)

Latvia will select its Eurovision 2025 entry via “Supernova 2025″.
The selection will include 2 shows: The Semi-Final on February 1st, and the Final on February 8th 2025.
The results will be based on 50% jury (including international jury) and 50% public votes.

In this article, I will review the 20 competing songs in the national selection.
The songs will be covered in alphabetical order (of the artists):

#1. Adelina – ”Electric Love”

• It’s a disco dance-pop song with influence of the 1980’s and 1990’s music.
• The song opens with electric guitar playing. Adelina performs the first verse in a mid-tone of voice. She is supported by some backing vocals and breathing.
• We get to the first pre-chorus quite fast, The beat is catchy and it is danceable. The bass is less dominant. The chorus continues in the same line, and we get more colors of her voice.
• The beat becomes a bit faster, before the second verse. Her voice sounds a bit more masculine (might it be the production effects?).
• The second pre-chorus is quite similar to the first one, with some vocal duplicaitons and some effects. The second chorus continues just after, with a bit more husky voice. Thereafter, we get a short instrumental pause, based on digital keyboads playing and an electric beat. Later on a metallic voice is added.
• The bridge relies on one specific sentence that repeats again and again: “Will you be my lover?”. The production is more electronic and the bass is in the center.
• The song ends with one last chorus, featuring some backing vocals
• I can hear some Michael Jackson and Dua Lipa influence in the arrangement and performance. Overall, the song is enjoyable, and yet a bit predictable. The disco vibe is a good throwback though.

#2. Bel Tempo x Legzdina –”The Water”

• It is a light rock-indie song.
• The song opens with cymbal playing and long-amplitude bass cyclic part. The first verse is performed by a female vocalist. Her interpretation is a bit dreamy, indifferent but yet she is feeling the words.
• The chorus comes just after, and it is quite similar. This time, we got some more effects, as well rich backing vocals. The post-chorus repeats the same phrases. This time we can hear some string and keyboard elements.
• The second verse is performed by a male vocalist, with a mid-tone of voice with some depth. This time the string elements play a major role. There are some effects over the vocals.
• In the chorus, we hear the female vocalist again. During the post-chorus, they sing together, backed by some backing vocals.
• Overall, it is a very cute song that I enjoy listening to. It sounds like part of the soundtrack to an early evening pub. However, I am sure it will be bold enough in “Supernova 2025”.

#3. Chris Noah – ”Romance Isn’t Dead”

• It is a rock song.
• Chris opens the song with powerful vocals. The melody is based on drums and bass. The first verse is energetic and we can hear a proclamation effect in his voice. The first verse is quite long, but it has the right flow.
• The chorus comes after, the melody is more catchy with more “airier” production. It progresses a bit faster, and the female backing vocals add to the vibe.
• We get a short electronic instrumental part which leads to the second verse. We are back with the drums, bass and reverb.
• The second chorus kicks in, and this time it feels a bit more hymn-like. I would like to get more interesting lyrics rather than “yeah yeah”.
• The bridge takes the song in a more modern and symphonic direction. It sounds like part of a professional production. This was followed by another chorus, this time with slightly different lyrics. The melody is mainly based on electric guitar.
• To sum up. it is a decent rock entry, one that can talk to many different people. With the right staging, it could do well, but I’m not sure if it’s a contender to win.

#4. Citi Zeni – ”Ramtai”

• It is an electro hyper-pop song, with some rap elements.
• The song opens with an electronic beat and synth elements. The intro includes pre-recorded elements. The first verse is based on the same melody, with quite fast singing in the Latvian language.
• The pre-chorus is more laid back, and we get more of the vocalist’s song. The melody is based on keyboards playing and some synth elements. The emphasis is mostly on the singing itself, with the other band members supplying backing vocals.
• The post-chorus is an electro-rave drop with a metallic “Ramtai” singing.
• The second chorus is based on the electronic beat from the first one.
• The second pre-chorus and chorus are more energetic, featuring some drums playing and longer notes.
• The second post-chorus suggests an even bigger drop. The bridge afterwards is a rap piece, with some backing vocals and humming. It is followed by singing in English and one last post-chorus, with more vocal efforts.
• The structure of the song isn’t expected, and I feel it is a an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time.
• I am not a big fan of this entry, but I can’t ignore it is a contender to win “Supernova 2025″

#5. Emilija – ”Heartbeat”

• It is a minimalist indie-pop ballad.
• The song starts with keyobards playing and humming. The first verse is quite acoustic, led by simple guitar playing.
• The first pre-chorus is a bit faster, she performs it in a mid-tone of voice, with a resonating mid-tempo beat. The first chorus suggests a unique sound, with longer syllables, and a higher tone of voice. Her singing becomes part of the melody. The melody is based on guitar playing.
• The second verse is still based on guitar playing, but we can hear a parallel accompanying beat and backing vocals. This part is more dynamic.
• Thereafter, we get an additional pre-chorus and a chorus. The mid-electro beat is more dominant.
• Towards the end, we hear some heartbeat effects and more laid back production, just to get the poppy production back.
• The song suggests a cyclic structure, where the most memorable part is “listen to your heartbeat”. The main element I could remember is the way she pronounces the words in the chorus.
• Sadly, I am afraid that song is a bit “too small” to succeed.

#6. Grēta – ”Monster”

• It is a mid-tempo pop song.
• The song opens with humming. The first verse’s melody is based on a contemporary beat, composed of electronic keyboards and percussion elements. Grēta sings smoothly, with a pleasant color of voice.
• The post-chorus is a bit darker, the keyboards/precussion beat is kept, but the bass guitar plays the major role. She sings with a beautiful raspiness.
• The chorus is catchy, but still relies on the same beat, but the tempo is higher. She sings this part a bit faster.
• The second verse is served with a bit faster and more “decorated” singing (compared to the first one). The second pre-chorus breaks the uplifting vibe, with the dark vibe it brings. The second chorus comes after, with some backing vocals and rhyming.
• Thereafter, we get another pre-chorus, with more laid back and emotional production. The consecutive chorus sounds a bit more sophisticated. The last chorus relies on richer production.
• It reminded me a bit of the song “Rich” By Julia Alfrida
• Overall, it is a very catchy song with a non-uniform structure. Grēta expresses her vocal abilities and suggests a contemporary song. The pre-chorus and the chorus have an intermediate factor. Supposing the performance includes the right choreography, it can stand out. Well done!

#7. Julianna – ”Something in The Water”

• It is a dreamy-pop ballad.
• The song opens with a fragile singing. In the first part, the melody is based on keyboards playing. Later on we can hear some bass stringing. The production features many different layers and pre-recorded backing vocals. The flow of the song reminds me of the flow of water.
• The first pre-chorus is based on a faster melody, but still very delicate and sparse. From time to time, we get longer high notes. The secondary bass beat is more frequent.
• The chorus is very vulnerable and tender. It begins with a falsetto singing. We can hear more instruments in the background. It is slow, but leaves a lot of space for feeling every chord and word.
• The second verse comes right after. Her voice stands in the center, and there’s something experimental in the background. The pre-chorus is faster and more dense, singing wisely.
• The second chorus follows, and it is elevated by her angelic voice.
• Towards the end, the singing is replaced by humming that blends perfectly with the “humming” of the water effect.
• Listening to the song, I felt like I was floating in heaven. The production was accurate, sophisticated and made the whole experience very emotional. It is just an incredible song!

#8.Justs – “Fit Right”

• It is a dance-club pop song with rock elements.
• The song opens with an instrumental part composed of an electro-dance club beat. Later on, we hear some drums. The first verse has a fragmented structure: One part is the same as in the intro, and the other is drums and bass. We hear Justs singing only in the drums and bass part. Later on, an electric guitar is added as well.
• The chorus relies on longer pronunciation of the words, we can hear non-continous drum drops. Towards the end, there’s a use of effects over his voice.
• The second verse has the same structure as the first one. The production is a bit more rocky.
• The second chorus starts with a higher tone of voice. However, it feels like the arrangement makes his voice secondary to the melody. The last chorus repeats twice.
• Something let me down about the chorus, the arrangement leads to too long music boxes, and I would dare to say: a bit lazy singing.

#9. KATRINA GUPALO – ”Scarlett Challenger”

• It is a Disney ballad.
• The song opens with classic string elements and soft voice singing. The first verse relies on this classic line, and stays quite constant. Later on, it becomes more dreamy with some whispers.
• The post-chorus is even softer, featuring some longer notes.
• The chorus is a bit more fairytale-like, with the “ohh la la la” singing. However, the rate is still slow. The outro features some effects. Thereafter, we have a transition part where she mainly speaks.
• Humming leads us to the following part, this time with a mid-tempo beat.
• Overall, I was left disappointed. The lyrics feel a bit random, and the melody doesn’t elevate it.

#10. Kobra – ‘‘Zelts”

• It is an acoustic ballad in Latvian.
• The melody is based on acoustic guitar playing. Katrīna and Krišjānis sing intermittently. Both of them sing in a quite close pitch. Sometimes, he tends to recite. The production is very thin, and the whole composition is just their vocals and melody.
• However, when moving to the chorus, the production finally takes place. We hear plenty of instruments, and get more from them vocally. Katrīna sings in a higher tone of voice.
• The second verse is a bit faster and features some backing vocals.
• The second pre-chorus is magical, and we hear her singing a Falsetto. Thereafter, the accompanying beat becomes faster.
• The song puts a spell and magic on the listener, but at the same time can be very niche to some people. I feel like the chorus is much stronger.

#11. Luka – ”Stronger”

• It is an acoustic pop ballad.
• The song opens with an acoustic guitar playing, and Luka starts singing just after. The flow is very specific. Her singing is just by the book. Later on the pre-chorus comes, and keyboard playing is added. The song becomes more dynamic.
• The chorus is based on soft drums and electric guitar. Luka sings in a bit higher tone of voice. This part is more dynamic.
• The acoustic nature of the song comes again in the second verse.
• The second chorus is based on a faster drums and guitar playing. This time the guitar is more dominant, while the word “stronger” repeats.
• The bridge is based on keyboard playing, and later on develops into a more rhythmic melody.
• Overall, it’s a radio-friendly song that sounds a bit like female power ballads from 20 years ago. However, I feel like it isn’t bold enough.

#12. Markus Riva – ”Bigger Than This”

• It is an EDM song.
• The song opens with a guitar riff and then we get an electronic beat. Markus sings the first verse with a mid-tone voice, and a unique phrasing of the words. The first pre-chorus continues in the same way, but this we can hear vocal duplication as part of the effects.
• The chorus is more memorable, however it is mainly based on the “Bigger Than This” phrase. Towards the end, we can hear him in a very low-tone of voice and a big drop follows. The drop is composed of synth elements and fading voices. It is quite long, and will probably feature some dancebreak
• The second verse is quite similar to the first one, but the tempo is a bit higher. I found part of his pronunciation annoying in this part.
• The second pre-chorus features guitar playing. The second chorus follows with a bold beat. The melody is based on keyboards and synth elements.
• The bridge takes the song into a darker direction, the production is laid-back and once again we get a duplicated voice. The melody is more intense.
• It feels like the chorus was well-planned, especially the arrangement and production, I can’t say the same about the lyrics. The verses aren’t catchy, and feature some questionable singing forms. The drop is great, but it isn’t enough to make the song great.

#13. Marta – ”Lovable”

• It is an indie-pop song.
• The song opens with humming with some effects and electronic keyboards playing. In the first verse, Marta sings in a mid-tone of voice, almost effortlessly. She is accompanied by an quite airy production. The melody is composed of mid-electronic beat and hoarse finger effect.
• The pre-chorus continues in the same line.
• The chorus features some synth elements and backing vocals. Her singing is quite “bouncy”, and the word “loveable” repeats again and again.
• The second verse is quite similar to the first one, but this time the synth elements are also part of the package. The pre-chorus is the same as the first one.
• After the second chorus, we get a short instrumental part which is followed by a “dreamy” singing.
• There’s something delicate, contemporary and yet unique about the sound of this song.
• The song has a cyclic structure. It feels like we got the chorus too soon. The song lacks of a kind of peak point. But overall, I enjoyed listening to it and chanting “loveable”.

#14. Palu – ”Delusional”

• It is a mid-temp electronic pop rock song.
• The song opens with humming. The first verse melody is based on fragmanted beat, composed of percussion, string, and keyboards playing, wrapped by electronic production.
• She sings effortlessly, with a mid-tone of voice.
• The pre-chorus is short and mostly instrumental. It is a transition to the chorus.
• The chorus is more rocky, with the entrance of electric guitar. She sings it more powerfully.
• The second verse is faster, and the melody is built on a loop of drums, electric keyboards, and electric guitar.
• This time, the pre-chorus also includes flute. The second chorus is quite similar to the first one.
• A short instrumental part suggests a solo of drums and leads to another chorus.
• Overall, it is a decent effort, but it felt like too cyclic at certain point. Maybe a peak point is required.

#15. Ruta Duduma – ”Chemical”

• It is a mid-tempo pop song.
• The song opens with a quite simple keyboard playing, and some tender electro elements in the production. There’s a built-in stop after each line she sings in the first verse.
• The chorus is more dynamic and Ruta serves it with a warmer tone of voice. The production is based on 2 electronic beats, which are slightly faster, as well as some percussion elements.
• The second verse comes right after, the drums play a greater role, and we can also hear some vocal effects.
• The second chorus is more acoustic, as it relies on guitar playing. The post-chorus takes us back to the electronic production, with a suitable beat, as well as male backing vocals. This is the point where the beat becomes faster. The song converts into a drum and bass piece. The backing vocals are also part of the last chorus.
• On one hand, this song was planned to be quite intimate, but I feel like something is missing in the verses which are too uniform. The chorus is better, but doesn’t impress much.

#16. Singerija –”Bound By The Light”

• It is a folk song.
• The song opens with orchestral strings playing, as the cello for instance. The singing is fragile and soft.
• The chorus comes just after, and reminds the verses. However, singing features some more elements. The phrase “Bound by the light” repeats. In parallel to the main singing, we can hear high-tone backing vocals. The chorus should have been diverse.
• Thereafter, we get a semi-instrumental part with jhumming and whispeting in Latvian language. This part is followed by another chorus, this time with more depth on the orchestral string elements.
• Overall, I like the instrumental effort, but I feel the lyrics are bit generic. I guess it could have worked better with Latvian lyrics. On the other hand, one can’t ignore the artistic effort.

#17. Tautasmeitas – ”Bur Man Laimi”

• It is a folk song with electronic elements.
• The song opens with all of them singing, and develops into harmonies. The melody is based on flute and percussion elements. We can hear some whispers as well.
• The chorus comes after a short instrumental part. We get a beautiful combination of low and high voices, some of them humming. The technique is “white voice” singing.
• The second verse is similar to the introduction, but some of them sing it in a lower tone. The atmosphere is tribal and reminds me of the forest.
• The second chorus follows, the melody is based on rich percussion and keyboards playing.
• The bridge is more laid back, the emphasis is on their voices. They sing in a mid-low tone of voice.
• The tempo becomes faster, they sing harmonies. Some electronic elements are brought to the main part. It becomes original and innovative, as we get plenty of different singing techniques together, including some animal voices, and a significant high note.
• I feel like it is something different that we have never received from Latvia. As I see it, this is a risk that will pay-off. Their voices and harmonies can’t be ignored. It is also worth mentioning that the song is performed in Latvian. The last time Latvia sent a full song in Latvian was in 2004.
• Overall, a very original song that might be an interesting choice.

#18. Tepat – ”Sadzejot”

• It is a rock song.
• The song opens with guitar riffs. The first verse melody is mainly based on keyboard playing, with guitar in the background. The performer suggests an effortless singing in a mid-high tone of voice.
• As this part progresses, it becomes faster and less acoustic.
• The pre-chorus is mostly instrumental and relies on humming.
• Surprisingly, we get another verse afterward. Its melody is mostly based on guitar playing.
• The chorus comes after and relies on electronic beat with electronic guitar and bass. The post chorus relies on saxophone.
• The chorus is quite long.
• The song ends quite calm with piano playing and gentle singing.
• It is a song backed by real artists who believe in their creatures. However, I am not sure about how people will connect this. The structure might be problematic (as the chorus comes too late).

#19. The Ludvig – ”Ligo”

• It is an electronic folk song.
• The song opens with the chorus: The call “Ligo,” followed by pre-recorded 
• “festive” singing in English, the melody of bases on accordion and wind instruments. A female choir singing a traditional piece in Latvian.
• The first verse comes after. The melody is based on keyboard playing and electronic beat. The Ludvig sings with a cool attitude and confidence. The melody also features drums.
• The pre-chorus is more energetic and intense. The second chorus is quite short and is based on the cyclic folk singing part. The melody is based on several instruments.
• The second verse is served by a faster electronic beat and performed by the singer himself.
• Thereafter, we get the bridge, which relies on a longer and dramatic drop. We are back to the intro with richer vocals. This time, a stronger electronic beat takes over. The song is finalized by folk singing.
• The song combines traditional and modern elements. The transition between the language feels natural. It is a contender to win “Supernova” and take Latvia to a considerably high place.

#20. Toms Klaudrauskis – ”Domaju, tu nac”

• It is a gospel ballad with some musical elements, performed in the Latvian language.
• The song opens with piano playing. Right after, Toms starts singing with a low tone of voice. His singing is calming and it almost feels like a lullaby. As this part progresses, we can hear some orchestral elements in the melody.
• The chorus is more soulful, the melody is mainly based on piano playing and some string elements. The pace is slower, and we get more layers of his voice. Towards the end of the chorus, we can hear symphonic string elements fade out.
• The second verse comes after, it is more symphonic (compared to the first verse). His singing sometimes sounds like speaking. Toms is supported by female backing vocals.
• The second chorus also relies on those backing vocals. The melody changes a bit, the backing vocals sound like a church-choir singing. The bridge is warmer and more like a hymn.
• The song ends with a simple piano playing and slow singing.
• Overall, I feel like the song isn’t competitive enough. Sadly, it is even forgettable. Toms is a great singer, but the song doesn’t take us to any place.

Prediction

In general, this the strongest “Supernova” I have even listened to. The selection has some pearls that might take Latvia to top 10 in Eurovision!
The genre diversity is wide, and there’s also a place for native language.
In my opinion, the songs which might compete on the first place are:

• Citi Zeni – ”Ramtai”
• The Ludvig – ”Ligo”
• Tautasmeitas – ”Bur Man Laimi”

I can see a scenario where 2 leading folk songs (The Ludvig and Tautasmeitas) will split the votes and pave the way to win for Citi Zeni.
However, it seem like The Ludvig might win with the right staging.
In addition, one of the most “western” songs might end high in the table (not sure if win the selection).

My Personal Ranking

1. Julianna – ”Something in The Water”
2. The Ludvig – ”Ligo”
3. Tautasmeitas – ”Bur Man Laimi”
4. Greta – ”Monster”
5. Marta – ”Lovable”
6. Chris Noah – ”Romance Isn’t Dead”
7. Tepat – ”Sadzejot”
8. Adelina – ”Electric Love”
9. Citi Zeni – ”Ramtai”
10. Singerija –”Bound By The Light”
11. Kobra – ‘‘Zelts”
12. Bel Tempo x Legzdina –”The Water”
13. Justs – “Fit Right”
14. Luka – ”Stronger”
15. Palu – ”Delusional”
16. Ruta Duduma – ”Chemical”
17. Emilija – ”Heartbeat”
18. Markus Riva – ”Bigger Than This”
19. KATRINA GUPALO – ”Scarlett Challenger”
20. Toms Klaudrauskis – ”Domaju, tu nac”

Who is your “Supernova 2025″ winner?
Who will win the selection?

Eurovision 2025 will be held in Basel, Switzerland on the 13th, 15th and 17th of May 2025