Eurovision 2022 Reviews – Lithuania

Lithuania is the only remaining Baltic nation yet to win Eurovision, with their best result 6th place. This year’s bid offers a point of difference, however, with representative Monika Liu performing in Lithuanian. This is the first time since their debut in 1994 that the Lithuanian entry will be completely in Lithuanian. Monika will sing ‘Sentimentai’ in the first semi-final, but will it secure a spot in the final?

Anita

Song and Vocals 

Lithuania offers a truly unique entry in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, both in style and language. Sentimentai seemed to be a standout favourite in the national final, and thus it didn’t come as a surprise when it won. At first, I didn’t really understand the hype of the song, but after a few listens, it really starts to charm. 

The jazz tune has a very mysterious first verse, with the Lithuanian language adding instant character to the song. The chorus is catchy, although the highlight for me is the second verse. The slight change up in melody and build up is amazing, I almost wish that the following chorus had a bit more oomph. 

With a number of live performances of this track under her belt, we can be confident that Monika will perform this live with ease. She is a true professional, and that really comes across in the live performances. 

Performance and Act 

The national final performances were reliant on minimal staging to highlight the vocals. While this is a good approach, if it’s kept too minimal, it may be forgettable. We now know that Lithuania is very early in the running order, so I hope that they are able to find that balance between impressing without going too over the top. 

Conclusions

I think Lithuania ticks a lot of boxes to be a qualifier this year. Despite that, I somehow don’t feel totally confident. I don’t know if this is the type of song that televoters will feel compelled to vote for, whereas I feel more confident that the juries will appreciate the professionalism of Monika. Visuals could make a huge difference, so let’s see what rehearsals bring. 

Rating

7/10

Dennis

Song and Vocals

The only full jazz song in the field of this year comes from Lithuania and that fact alone makes it stand out a bit. But the fact that it is not in English, gives it something extra mysterious in my opinion. It suits this composition perfectly. Monika gives a solid vocal performance, which she proved on multiple occasions during the Lithuanian preselection shows. 

Performance and Act 

Lithuania doesn’t have to change a lot for their act in Turin. Monika in a classy dress, lights making a romantic and warm atmosphere around here. She knows how to work the camera, even though her winner’s reprise showed more of her personality than the actual winning performance did. She had so much fun performing that song again and she should incorporate some of that genuism in her Turin performance as well. 

Conclusions

Lithuania has chosen a unique song in a genre that hasn’t been super successful at Eurovision in the past, but we have heard and seen some examples. When it comes to qualification for the final, I think Lithuania has good odds despite being placed in the first half of the first semi final. A lower televote than jury result can be expected for this entry, though it wouldn’t surprise if it isn’t as far apart in the semi as one would expect. 

Rating 

6/10

Team Scores 

Steef: 6/10

Erik: 6.5/10

Josh: 7.5/10

Heath: 6.5/10

Kaitlin: 8.5/10

Selim: 9.5/10

Morena: 6.5/10

Average Score: 7.1/10

What do you think of Sentimentai? Follow our Eurovision 2022 reviews here. You can support your favourite acts in our Eurovision 2021 poll, which you can find here.