Aminata from Latvia came 6th in 2015 with the song 'Love Injected'
Andres Putting (EBU)
Prior to getting changed into her extremely long red dress, that Aminata will wear on stage for her performance of the song Love Injected, she took some time out to chat to Eurovision.tv. Find out what she said below.
Love shine a light
Aminata takes centre stage in that striking red dress, and is ably supported by three female backing vocalists who are dressed all in black.
The Latvian entry, Love Injected has one of the best uses of lighting among this year's entries, with lots of red and white lights in use, as well as on the LED screens, both at the rear and on the floor level.
Aminata stated that she had been happy with her first rehearsal, and had no plans to make any big adjustments for her second rehearsal. This view was backed up by the Latvian Head of Delegation, Zita Kaminska, who confirmed that they had been very satisfied with the first rehearsal and that only minor tweaks were required.
Talking of that dress she will be wearing on stage, we asked her what dress she would be wearing at tomorrow night's official opening ceremony? She admitted that decision was still under discussion, but had thought it might not be practical to wear the same dress on the red carpet with all the other people around.
Following her first rehearsal, Aminata recorded a short video, talking about the reactions she had received from the press and fans, and to discover she had made the front page of a newspaper.
She was surprised by the fans joining in with her rendition of Love Injected at the meet and greet session following her first rehearsal.
Musical influences
After the rehearsal there was a short press conference for Aminata. One Dutch journalist asked about her musical influences, as her father is from Burkina Faso.
Aminata replied that it had been a big influence, and likes ethnic music, especially the percussion instruments, which you can also hear in her song Love Injected. It evokes strong emotions and power, and she likes to listen to that type of music before performing, and finds that it helps her.
As she got closer to the contest, she was asked whether she felt more calm, as she now knew the stage, the setting, and had the rehearsal experience behind her, or whether she felt more pressure as the big day gets closer?
She answered that she actually felt more 'power and energy' as the emotions are growing inside of her.
