LRT, Lithuania’s public television, held the 1st edition of Eurovizija.LT during the months of January and February, the new and revamped national final for the Baltic country for Eurovision 2024. After six weeks of competition, the successor to Monika Lynkitė was revealed.
The young singer Silvester Belt, at just 26 years old, caused a surprise in the grand final of the contest by defeating heavyweights like The Roop, after sweeping the televote and achieving victory in the superfinal of the contest, where he emerged victorious after being tied with the group Shower after the first phase of the final. Silvester Belt won the first round of Eurovizija.LT 2024 and from that moment on, he became the king of the Lithuanian singles charts, reaching the top with his song “Luktelk.”
Who is Silvester Belt?
Silvestras Beltė, known artistically as Silvester Belt, was born on November 26, 1997, in the city of Kaunas, Lithuania. He has been involved in the world of music since he was young and holds a degree in Commercial Music Performance from the University of Westminster in London.
At just 13 years old, he made his first television appearance in Lithuania when he participated in Vaikų Eurovizija 2010, the national final to select the Lithuanian representative for Junior Eurovision, where he reached the final and finished in seventh place. In 2014, he took part in the Lithuanian version of The Voice, called Lietuvos Balsas, where he made it past the audition stage.
In 2017, still known as Silvestras Beltė, he competed in the Lithuanian reality show Aš – superhitas, where he emerged as the winner. After winning the competition, he moved from Kaunas to Vilnius, the capital of the country, where a few months later he released his debut single, “Noise.” In August, he released his second single titled “Tave radau.”
In 2018, he competed in X Faktorius, where he was eliminated in the fourth week. In that competition, Silvester Belt spoke about his private life and his bisexuality, and how his sexual orientation and the insecurities due to the taboo surrounding that topic in Lithuania led him to experience moments of depression, which prompted him to study abroad. Since his last television appearance, the artist has continued to explore music, discovering new sounds, and has released three more singles.
“Luktelk” the Lithuanian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024
“Luktelk” is a song composed by Silvester Belt himself (Silvestras Beltė), along with Elena Jurgaitytė, who is emerging in the Lithuanian music scene, and Jessica Shy (Džesika Šyvokaitė), who is currently one of the most prominent artists in the Lithuanian industry and won four M.A.M.A awards, the most important ones in Lithuanian music in 2023.
The song, as revealed by the artist himself, and all music in general, can be adapted to each person’s personal story. For Silvester Belt, the theme of “Luktelk” is being trapped in a Matrix loop, the loop of our daily life. According to the singer, upon entering that loop of daily tasks, we no longer know if we are in a dream or in another dimension. It deals with how upon entering that loop, one is no longer happy, living only for the daily routine.
Lyrics of «Luktelk»
Diena viena, ir vėl kita
Tarytum čia, data sustojo.
Einu tai ten, einu tai šen
Ir kai sutems, ir vėl iš naujo
Rytoj, rytoj, rytoj
Pažadu mylėt tave rytoj
Laboj, laboj, laboj
Surasi tu mane naktį laboj
Ar aš vis dar gyvas?
Ar tebepažįsti mane?
Saulė nepakyla
Pasakyk, ar liksi šalia?
hook
Luktelk, luktelk
Dar vieną minutę, luktelk, luktelk
Luktelk, luktelk
Dar vieną minutę, luktelk, luktelk
Naktis viena, naktis kita
Kaip visada, aš vėl iš naujo
Rytoj, rytoj, rytoj
Pažadu mylėt tave rytoj
Ar aš vis dar gyvas?
Ar tebepažįsti mane?
Saulė nepakyla
Pasakyk, ar liksi šalia?
hook
Luktelk, luktelk
Dar vieną minutę, luktelk, luktelk
Luktelk, luktelk
Dar vieną minutę, luktelk, luktelk
Stovime tyloje grojančio radio
Nebenoriu šokt, nebenoriu šokt
Stovime tyloje grojančio radio
Nebenoriu šokt, bet man reikia šokt
Ar aš vis dar gyvas?
Ar tebepažįsti mane?
Saulė nepakyla
Pasakyk, ar liksi šalia?
hook
Luktelk, luktelk
Dar vieną minutę, luktelk, luktelk
Luktelk, luktelk
Dar vieną minutę, luktelk, luktelk
Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest
Lithuania has been participating in Eurovision since 1994. It was one of the first countries in Eastern Europe to join the festival after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Lithuania has competed in a total of 25 editions since then, reaching the final on 16 occasions and being absent from the festival for 6 years. Their best historical result was achieved in 2006 with “We are the winners” by LT United, finishing in sixth place.
In contrast to their Baltic neighbors, Latvia and Estonia, who have already achieved victory, Lithuania has not had the same success in the festival, entering the Top 10 only 3 times: sixth place in 2006, ninth place in 2016, and eighth place in 2021. Lithuania has finished in 7 of the finals in which it has participated below 19th position, including their debut in last place with 0 points.
In 2021, they were represented by The Roop, selected after earning a direct pass to the final of Pabandom Iš Naujo 2021, following the cancellation of Eurovision in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Lithuanian band finished in eighth place in the grand final of the contest with their song “Discoteque,” scoring a total of 220 points.
In 2022, Lithuania chose Monika Liu as their representative in Turin. With “Sentimentai,” she finished in fourteenth place with a total of 128 points. Lithuania selected Monika Linkytė as their representative in Liverpool 2023 with her song “Stay,” with which she finished in eleventh place in the European contest.