Latvia, once the “quickest” winner in Eurovision history, has struggled a lot in more recent years. The Baltic nation hasn’t qualified from the semis since 2008, when it entered the stage of the grand final with the help of a gang of pirates. Is that what it will take for the country to qualify once again?

Apparently LTV doesn’t want to believe that, so they rolled up their sleeves and installed a new national final format this year: Supernova! Two heats, a semi-final and a grand final were used in order to narrow down their songs from twenty to one. At least, the Supernova shows won a lot of fans, not least because of their dentrophagous superhero Rigas Bebrs, our darling of the whole year 2015!

We all wished to give him a hug, but only one got the privilege to enjoy exactly that: Aminata, the winner of Supernova! The young singer and songwriter with Burkina Faso roots already competed in last year’s Latvian final, where she ended up in 5th place. This time, she won the right to represent her country at Eurovision with her self-penned song Love Injected.

Not only her name reminds one remotely of French 1991 near-winner Amina – the general look and feel of the entry on stage also reflects facettes of Carola’s near-conqueror. Most likely unintentionally, but/and in a very good way. We see a true artist alone on stage, experimental and expressive. Her song fluctuates between minimalism and a great anthem, something of an artistic standard that we hardly ever see at Eurovision.

My verdict is that Love Injected – despite its experimental ingredients – could well be embraced by a wider audience, thanks to its instant, memorable, hymn-like chorus, and thanks to the impression this can leave visually if – if – they get the staging and lighting right for Aminata. At least I don’t have to worry about her vocal skills. We’re talking about one of the three best entries this year, if you’re asking for my own opinion. But how far will it really go? Will Aminata drown in her semi, or will she sail into the final without the help of pirates? That remains to be seen, though at least you know what I’m hoping for. This one is near impossible to predict, but if there is a Eurovision god, or a Suus-effect, this will indeed be in the final. And with an impressive staging and performance, it can also end up quite high. I wish her a lot of luck.

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