Destination Lisbon (#13): Meet Laura Rizzotto from Latvia
29 March 2018 at 08:00 CEST
Laura Rizzotto represents Latvia at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest
Pedro Cantizani
In the thirteenth part of 'Destination Lisbon', our feature counting down to the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest, we get to know Laura Rizzotto who will represent Latvia with the song 'Funny Girl'.
Earlier this year, Laura Rizzotto won Supernova 2018, the Latvian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, with the song Funny Girl and will thus represent the country in Lisbon in May.
Eurovision.tv caught up with Laura Rizzotto right after her victory for a first reaction:
Laura Rizzotto was born on the 18th of July, 1994, in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), to a Latvian father and a Brazilian mother of Portuguese descent. The singer, songwriter and pianist, who taught herself how to play the guitar and the ukulele, wrote her first song at the age of eleven and has released more than 100 original songs since then.
Eurovision.tv caught up with Laura Rizzotto at the Eurovision pre-party in Riga and asked her some questions about her participation in Lisbon:
At the age of fifteen, Laura started performing in the Rio de Janeiro music scene. Her first record deal came up one year later, after a record company executive saw her performing live. Her debut studio album Made in Riowas released in 2011. Shortly after, Laura was awarded a scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music and moved to Boston. While being the United States Laura performed in various music venues and festivals and recorded her second studio album Reason To Stay in 2014. This album served as a driving force to promote environmental education and a greater public awareness regarding the urgent need of conservation and restoration of Brazilian national tree, also known as The Music Tree, which is listed as an endangered species and often cut down to make musical instruments.
2014 was a special year for Laura, as she also moved to New York, to pursue a Masters degree in Music at Columbia University, which she graduated from in May 2017.
While being in New York Laura wrote the single Miracle, a tribute to road traffic victims. The song was featured on the second Global Conference on Road Safety in Brazil, sponsored by the United Nations.
Laura’s latest work is a series of Eps named Precious Stones. Her first EP, Ruby was launched in 2017. Her second Ep Amber will be released in 2018 and is a celebration to her Latvian heritage. This EP also features her Eurovision song Funny Girl.
Let's get social!
You can follow Laura Rizzotto on the following social media platforms:
