Latvia’s selection for Eurovision, Supernova 2018, has taken to the next stage with the closing of the public opinions. The professional jury will now invite potential candidates to a live hearing on 5 November.

Supernova 2018 in Latvia is well on its way, each stage getting closer to the live shows and the ultimate Latvian Eurovision 2018 representative.

Online voting figures revealed

In the past month, the public was able to listen to the potential songs (vocalists/composers remained anonymous), and rate them with a “like” or “dislike”.

In total, 152,082 evaluations were received, divided into 41,946 positive votes, and 110,136 negative votes.

One song proved most popular in the public voting, with the second place being divided among nine strong contenders who received similar ratings. Incidentally, the public voting favourite also received much appreciation from the professional jury.

Candidates to meet jury this weekend

The next stage of Supernova 2018 will take place at the second floor of shopping mall Alfa Park, Riga, on Sunday 5 November.

There, live in front of the public, the potential candidates will perform for the professional jury. This selection will be the last step for candidates before entering the live shows.

The candidates for the live audition were selected anonymously by Latvian music experts, international specialists and of course the public listeners, without knowing anything about the performers or composers.

Supernova producer Ilze Jansone says:

It is important for us to give different tasks to participants at the very beginning of the competition in order to test them in various and not so comfortable situations, so the first hearing of the year is organized in the shopping mall Alfa.

Irina Toropova, head of Alfa Park, elucidates:

Musicians and songwriters have always been the most important listeners, and the true battle between potential candidates began when they were heard. Therefore, Alfa Park supports this competition in the premises of Alfa, providing free access to any enthusiastic fan of the Supernova competition. In our opinion, this is an exclusive opportunity to see what is often left outside of the television screens and, with its presence, to support musicians who are on their way to bring the name of Latvia to the world. Besides – for the contestants themselves, this will be a great training before the big selection on television.

The public jury hearing for Supernova 2018 will take place on Sunday 5 November at Alfa Park shopping mall (second floor), Riga, Latvia, starting at 10:00 CET (11:00 Latvian time).

Who will follow in the footsteps of last year’s Supernova winners, Triana Park?