Having just snatched another victory, "Lietuvos balsas. Monika Marija, a teacher and performer in the "Voice of Lithuania" project with her teammate, is starting 2020 with new goals not only in life, but also in music. Today, the singer presents her latest original track "If I leave", announcing her participation in this year's Eurovision selection.
"I remember exactly that I wrote this song while lying in the bath with my favourite orange-scented candles. The melody just popped into my head, and I soon heard the words. Inspiration usually comes when you don't expect it. Later, I showed my idea to my good friend and producer Marius Leskauskas, and he turned my ideas into reality and "polished" all the rough spots," says Monika Marija about the story behind the song.
Monika Marija, who came within a hair's breadth of victory after last year's Eurovision Song Contest, does not want to speculate about the outcome of this year's contest. And although she is a firm believer in her work, the most important thing for her is that the feelings conveyed in the song reach all her listeners.
"I feel that I am best able to go through life and all its challenges in small steps, thinking ahead only as far as necessary. So I'm not thinking about winning right now - my biggest dream now is to have a song whose story and music resonate not only inside me but also with my listeners", says Monika Marija.
"If I Leave" is very sensitive for Monika Maria herself, who openly says that the lyrics of the song tell the story of one of the phases in her life. It is this story that has become a kind of sequel to the song that made her famous as a performer two years ago.
"For me, this song is a continuation of 'Je suis malade', the second part of the story. I have often mentioned, when I took part in the Voice of Lithuania and performed a French song, that it took me great courage to stand up in front of the crowd and tell every word I had experienced. This song is about the same person, but the memories and emotions are much fresher this time. This song is also about flair - sometimes even when we realise we are making a mistake, we want to make it so badly that it becomes inevitable", says Monika Marija.