Destination Lisbon (#13): Meet Laura Rizzotto from Latvia
29 March 2018 at 08:00 CESTEarlier 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 Rio was 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:
Don't forget to check out her website and official YouTube channel!
Laura Rizzotto will perform Funny Girl for Latvia in the second Semi-Final of the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest on the 10th of May in Lisbon, Portugal.
What do you think of Laura Rizzotto's Funny Girl? Leave your review in the comments below!