Saturday marked the Finals of Lithuania’s search for their Eurovision performer for Baku.  Fourteen hopefuls took the stage for their shot at a ticket to Azerbaijan, but (of course) only one could win.  After those performances (as well as a three-contestant Superfinal), it was 24-year old Donny Montell (real name: Donatas Montvydas) who swept the jury vote and dominated the televote, and we’ll be hearing “Love is Blind” at the Crystal Arena.

Donny has tried many times to reach the Eurovision stage, often competing against himself.  Here’s a list of all of his attempts:

• 2009, “Dainų daina“, a duet with Rosita Čivilytė, made it to the semifinal round.
• 2009, “From the Distance (I Remember the Last Time)“, 2nd place overall.
• 2010, “Running Fast“, hotly tipped to win, but disqualified due to an early release.
• 2011, “Best Friends“, a duet with 2009 Lithuanian representative Sasha Son, 10th place overall.
• 2011, “Let Me“, 5th place overall.

It looks like Donny’s hard work has finally paid off.

As for my thoughts, while you have to admit that Donny’s a definite showman with a great voice, this song seems more than a little chaotic to me.  He’s a balladeer, an R&B singer, a disco performer, and a tango bandleader, all within the span of three minutes.  He sings blindfolded, he dances, he backflips…it wouldn’t surprise me if he goes on stage in Baku, swallows a sword, and starts spinning plates while juggling flaming torches.  It’ll make for an entertaining three minutes, but will it be enough to bring Lithuania out of the Semis for a second consecutive year?