This year it will the 23^rd Lithuanian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. Last year the charismatic jazz singer Monika Liu could impress with her song “Sentimentai”, she reached the Grand Final in Turin and made a fantastic 14^th place.

Lithuania’s debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994 with Ovidijus Vysniauskas‘ “Lopsine Mylimai” didn’t go well, as they came last with zero points. Unlike their Baltic neighbors Estonia and Latvia, who have each won the contest twice, Lithuania has struggled to choose successful entries, with only three exceptions. LT United’s “We are the winners” placed 6th in Athens in 2006, Donny Montell’s “I’ve been Waiting for This Night” came in 9th in Stockholm in 2016, and The Roop’s “Discoteque” placed 8th in Rotterdam last year.

However, Lithuania has managed to qualify for the Grand Final 14 times out of 19 participations. Despite this, the chances of Lithuania reaching the top 10 are relatively low at 14%.

The Lithuanian broadcaster LRT seems to have made a conscious decision to mostly use English in their Eurovision entries in order to be better understood internationally and to have a better chance of success. This strategy may have worked to some extent, as Lithuania has qualified for the Grand Final more often than not and has achieved three top-ten results.