Representing Lithuania in this year's Eurovision Song Contest is singer Monika Linkyte.
Monika, will be performing at the competition, which is being held at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena, her song Stay.
Lithuania's odds of winning the contest were 300/1 ahead of the show, according to Ladbrokes.
Monika, 30, has previously appeared in Eurovision, and competed alongside Vaidas Baumila with the song This Time in the 2015 contest. They placed 18th in the final in Vienna, Austria.
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Monika has released one studio album, Walk with Me, which went platinum in Lithuania. She has been singing from a young age and first completed for national selection for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2007 when she was 15.
Monika has also represented Lithuania in the New Wave 2014 competition and was a finalist in season two of Lietuvos Balsas (a Lithuanian talent show).
Stay song is grounded in local folklore, with the lyrics ‘Čiūto tūto’ often used in Lithuanian folk dances as magical incantations. The phrase has no literal translation in English.
Speaking ahead of the final Monika hailed her country’s close relationship with Ukraine amid the Russian invasion, which has meant the competition cannot be hosted in Kyiv. She said: “In this period I feel like Lithuanians really feel (like) brothers with you and sisters and very united. I have many Ukrainian friends which I made in very sad conditions because I made friends because of the war. It is very, very sad.
“I am just very thankful and happy. First of all I want to thank every single Ukrainian who is fighting for everyone’s freedom because this is not only you in your freedom.” Monika added: “It is all Europe’s freedom”, before calling out “Slava Ukraini” meaning “Glory to Ukraine”.
This year's Eurovision Song Contest festivities kicked off on Sunday when the 37 competing acts took to a turquoise carpet welcome ceremony. Semi final events then took place on Tuesday and Thursday night.
Mae Muller, 25, will compete for the UK with her track I Wrote A Song. Also competing in the grand final is France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Croatia, Moldova, Switzerland, Finland, Czechia, Norway, Israel, Portugal, Serbia, Ukraine, Albania, Cyprus, Estonia, Belgium, Austria, Lithuania, Poland, Australia, Armenia and Slovenia.
The grand final takes place on Saturday from 8pm, live on BBC One.
The lyrics in full to Stay
Čiūto tūto
Čiūto tūto
I’ve carried sadness with me
I hid it well since sixteen
And all the crying all the fighting
It kept putting out the fire
That burned so bright within me
As I look back to all these years
To broken dreams disguising fear
Being someone that I’m really not
Just stay with me
My heart is bleeding
I need your healing
Oh oh oh (oh oh)
Wait for me
Well it ain’t easy
To love someone like me
Čiūto tūto
Čiūto tūto
Čiūto tūto
Finally my heart is beating
Čiūto tūto
Čiūto tūto
Čiūto tūto
Finally my heart is beating
I took it all on myself
I asked for nobody’s help
Had to taste it
And embrace it
All the bitterness of failure
To find myself within me
Just stay with me
My heart is bleeding
I need your healing
Wait for me
Well it ain’t easy
To love someone like me
Čiūto tūto
Čiūto tūto
Čiūto tūto
Finally my heart is beating
Čiūto tūto
Čiūto tūto
Čiūto tūto
Finally my heart is beating
Just stay
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Just stay
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Čiūto tūto
Čiūto tūto
Čiūto tūto
Čiūto tūto
Čiūto tūto
Čiūto tūto
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