Latvia lights the fuse: 24 acts announced for ‘Supernova 2026’ and the ticket to Vienna

Latvia has decided that for Vienna 2026 it’s going big or not going at all. Public broadcaster LSM has revealed the 24 acts who will compete in the semi-finals of ‘Supernova 2026’, the now-established Latvian selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. Two live shows on 31 January and 7 February will whittle the field down, before the winner is chosen on 14 February – Valentine’s Day, yes, but here the only real love story is between Latvia and the Eurovision scoreboard.

Whoever wins that final, in a combined jury and televote showdown, will earn the right to fly the Latvian flag on the stage in Vienna this May.

The line-up reads like a cross-section of the current Latvian scene: returning names, national chart regulars, underground favourites and a few “who is this and why do I suddenly love them?” discoveries. Among the 24 we find Vēstnieks, Tikasha Sakama, Robert Ox, Paula, Papīra lidmašīnas, Nolark, Miks Galvanovskis, Legzdina, Kristīne Megija, Krisy, Kautkaili, Jānis Rugājs, Ivo Grīsniņš Grīslis, Honey Blue, Emilija, Elpo, Edvards Strazdiņš, De Mantra, Daba, Blurie, Atvara, Antra Stafecka, Aivo Oskis and Agnesse.

Behind the names there are plenty of stories. Vēstnieks (Rūdolfs Macats) is a musician’s musician: a pianist and drummer who studied in Amsterdam and Scandinavia, turned producer, then stepped into the spotlight as a solo act. His debut album “FM Nostalģija” ended up nominated for a Zelta Mikrofons as one of the best Latvian pop records of 2024.

Tikasha Sakama (Nansija Garkalne) comes from the world of television, social media and live events, a multi-hyphen creative who’s been hosting, producing and performing long before stepping properly into music. A TV show win in 2024 gave her the push to start a solo music career.

Robert Ox (Roberts Memmēns) brings pure Eurovision pedigree: he’s linked to vocal group Framest, but fans will know him best from Citi Zēni, the band behind Latvia’s Eurovision 2022 entry “Eat Your Salad”. He’s also co-written tracks like “Limuzīns uz krīta” and “Baļļīte”, and spends most of his time in the studio shaping songs for himself and others.

On the pop side, Paula Dundere comes in with a solid CV: singing since she was basically small enough to fit in a flight case, contest veteran, and with a debut album “CGI” whose singles “Ķīmiska atkarība”, “Atspulgi” and “Delulu” have already climbed Latvian radio charts. That album also picked up a Zelta Mikrofons nomination for Best Debut.

Band fans are covered too. Papīra lidmašīnas have gone from friends’ project to in-demand live band, reaching the Supernova 2024 final with “Mind Breaker” and releasing the album “Turbulence”, with “Lido tu” sticking around radio like good pop should. Honey Blue bring a smooth mix of soul, indie, funk and soul-jazz, with tracks like “Come Over” and “French Touch” already out in the wild.

There’s a strong returning narrative with Miks Galvanovskis, who scored 4th place in Supernova 2022, later released his album “Bohēmas dienasgrāmata”, played more than 100 concerts in a year and picked up awards including a Zelta Mikrofons recognition and a GAMMA rock nomination.

Emilija, meanwhile, is ticking every “rising star” box: she first broke through in a TV singing show, released “Sirds pelnos”, then took 2nd place in Supernova 2025 with “Heartbeat”, supported Hurts and Prāta Vētra and released her debut album “Tintes stāsts” in 2025.

The line-up also showcases the more alternative and urban edge of Latvia’s music scene. Legzdina, born in Latvia and raised in London, is a genre-bending force of nature, blending UK garage, R&B, grime attitude and club energy, with collaborations that include Idris Elba. Krisy represents the rare but growing presence of women in Latvian hip hop, producing and writing her own material in English, weaving R&B, hip hop, pop and electronic sounds.

Daba (Deniels Bērziņš) brings an introspective indie-pop sensibility, turning personal stories about anxiety, relationships and day-to-day life into tracks like “Gribu mājās” and “Istabā”, while Blurie arrives from the online producer scene, having already sold toplines to international DJs after being noticed by UK labels.

There’s also a strong representation of homegrown mainstream: Edvards Strazdiņš is tagged as the new hope of Latvian country, with his album “Lauku dzīves miera osta” winning a Zelta Mikrofons for best country record and hits like “Mans vecais Audi” and “Uz Tukumu pēc smukuma” becoming small anthems. Antra Stafecka, one of the most recognisable voices on Latvian Radio 2, continues to ride the success of “Baltu dzīvi nodzīvot”, a track that topped “Muzikālā banka” in 2024, while Aivo Oskis brings his London-shaped band past and radio-friendly pop career into another shot at the Eurovision ticket.

All 24 songs will be released on 4 December via supernova.lsm.lv and the official Supernova YouTube channel. That’s when the real game begins: playlists, fan wars, surprise favourites, hate-love relationships with choruses and at least one song everyone will swear is “criminally underrated”.

Behind all this, Supernova itself has grown from yet another national final into a recognisable brand in the Eurovision universe. Launched in 2015 to replace Eirodziesma and Dziesma, it has evolved into a genuine showcase of the modern Latvian sound: pop, electronics, guitar bands, experiments, emotional ballads and the occasional glorious weirdo entry that only Latvia could send.

After Tautumeitas took “Bur man laimi” to 13th place in the 2025 Eurovision final, Latvia has quietly recovered something it had perdido durante años: respect and curiosity from the fandom. With a 24-strong Supernova 2026 line-up and the promise of big, polished live shows, it’s clear LTV isn’t turning up to Vienna just to fill the running order.

If they pick the right song, Supernova might live up to its name. And if no one else does it: Latvia will.

Source: Lsm