Latvia wins the ESC 2026. True or false? Stay with me to the very end of this text to find out if this is possible at all. And if you read the text till the end, you’ll be able to hear my song “I’m Choosing a New Era” that I submitted to the Polish Preselection for the ESC 2026.
Hello, Guys!
This is your EurovisionaryVoice calling! My name’s Janusz Jacek Siwiorek JJS. I present my reactions here.
This time I’m going to show you my most sincere reaction to the song that will represent Latvia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. This is “Ēnā” (that is “In the Shadow” in English) by Atvara whose real name’s Liene Stūrmane.
Let’s watch the video:
Atvara – “Ēnā” (LIVE) – Latvia 🇱🇻 | Eurovision 2026 | Reaction
Well, first things first.
This Latvian entry was chosen both by the public and the jury > it came first both in the jury and public voting.
This year’s Latvian song was created by Jānis Jačmenkins and Liene Stūrmane. It’s sung in Latvian.
What’s the song about?
“So much warmth is given to cold people
But you come to those close to you – emptied out
In the eyes of others, you’re beautifully painted
But a single drop turns you into shades of black and white
And slowly, slowly, you grow more silent
Slowly, slowly, you remain in the shadow
You think later, later, a little bit later
And slowly, slowly, you remain in the shadow
Young lady, be quiet, don’t speak out about it
Tonight, dad won’t be coming home
Tomorrow he’ll clink glasses with a smile
We’ll drown together in a whirlpool of doubt”
is about a fractured inner self — the contrast between the face someone presents to the world and the pain they keep hidden in the shadows, inspired by the singer’s difficult experiences with family instability and addiction.
Atvara is a Latvian singer and songwriter.
A fun fact: Atvara studied conducting. She worked for some time as an English teacher.
Her vocals are emotional and controlled. She sings in a soft, intimate tone in the verses, which makes the song feel personal and honest. In the chorus, her voice becomes stronger and more intense, showing inner pain and vulnerability.
The performance focuses more on emotion and atmosphere than on big power notes, and the slight rawness in her voice adds authenticity to the dark mood of the song.
Is this going to be a banger? Hmm, first let’s ask a question: Is this song going to make it to the Grand Final?
All in all, I’d say this is a very good song with great vocals.
As each juror is going to rank all the competing songs in each show based on the given criteria, I will assign points in the same categories (eurovision.com):
– composition and originality of the song, 9 out of 10;
– quality of the performance on stage, 10 out of 10;
– vocal capacity of the performer(s), 10 out of 10;
– overall impression of the act, 9 out of 10.
So the total is: 38 out of 40 points that is 95%.
Will Atvara’s “Shadow” lead her to victory? We’ll see if she will get the best result for Latvia. To do that she would have to win the whole Contest (as the best result for Latvia so far was the 1st place; it happened once: it was in 2002).
In the end, I can only say: Well done, Atvara! Congratulations, Latvia! I assume this song might qualify for the Grand Final but of course it depends on the other entries as well. What do you think, Guys?
What do the bookmakers say about the Latvian entry? Well, at this moment (28th February 2026) Latvia is in 18th/35 place (eurovisionworld.com).
Let’s hear it for Atvara and the whole team!
I also prepared a quiz for you! You can find it below the video. Do you know the answer?
Let me know what you think of this performance in the comments section below. I encourage you to watch my previous videos about the Eurovision Song Contest and read my text.
And if you’d like to watch my first song ever “I’m Choosing a New Era” that I submitted to the Polish Preselection 2026, click on the screen which you see below.
𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝘀𝘇 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗸 𝗦𝗶𝘄𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗸 𝗝𝗝𝗦 – „𝗪𝘆𝗯𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗮̨ 𝗲𝗿𝗲̨” / “𝗜’𝗺 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗘𝗿𝗮” | 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲
Thank you for reading my text and watching my video!
I’ll be back soon.
Stay tuned!
Bye, Guys! 😊
