On the festive evening of 11 March, the Avia Solutions group Arena hosted a live screening of the most watched and united TV project of different generations, "The Voice of Lithuania. Generations" final. During the live broadcast, LNK viewers had the opportunity to vote for one of the eight finalists, who were brought to the decisive stage not only by their exceptional musical talents, but also by the project teachers who helped them to discover them: Vaidas Baumila, Ieva Prudnikovaitė, Benas Aleksandravičius - "Ba" and the band "69 danguje". The winners by the audience's decision were the girls' group Hey Mix! From Vaidas team, who won the main prize of the project - EUR 15,000 and a contract with Elitaz Music, the creative house running the project.
"These girls were the most diligent participants in the project, who, despite being so talented, rehearsed constantly and worked hard and to the last drop of sweat. They really deserve this title," said "Hey Mix!" teacher Vaidas.
"We have to admit that we didn't think about the final from the very beginning - we were thinking more about how to do our best, how to improve our performances even more," said Hey! Mix" girls and thanked all the people who helped them on their way to the final.
The battle for the audience's sympathy was very intense, as not only very strong, but also, as the "generations" format was characterised by, very different contestants competed against each other: Ieva Prudnikovaitė's team included the charismatic rockers Still Runners and the family of singing opera singers Eglė and Eriks; Ben Aleksandravičius' team included the ensemble Fresko, which barely fit on stage, and the seventeen-year-old but already very talented Milėja and Jessica; Vaidas Baumila's team included Raigardas, who was only seven, and Eglė, who was eight, as well as the group of girls nicknamed the "Spice Girls" of Lithuania, "Hei Mix!", while 69 in the Sky brought to the stage the fun-loving Dzūks "The Mooniers" and the trio of girls "DIAmanti", who combined cancan and opera.
The first part of the final, which took place on a symbolic date, was dedicated entirely to Lithuanian music. The Mooniers performed the song "Pinavija" by "Skyle" wearing partisan costumes recreated in the Lithuanian Film Centre, while the trio of opera singers and kanklinists "DIAmanti" transformed themselves from Lithuanian fairies into Lithuanian xennas by embodying the energetic song "Žalvarinis". The finalists also gave a new twist to legendary songs such as "Dar ne vakaras" or "Geltona. Green. Red" and other songs that have carried very important messages both in the past and today. This year's finalists were joined by Meide, the winner of the 8th season of "The Voice of Lithuania", and Džiugas, the winner of the 3rd season of "The Voice of Lithuania.Children".
In addition to the final part dedicated to Lithuania, there is also an important focus on Ukraine. The special guest of the concert is the 2016 Eurovision winner, "Voice of Ukraine" teacher Jamala, who, having just been forced to leave Kiev, is trying to keep going and continue spreading the message of the disaster in her country to the whole world.
"This final is special in every sense. It is the first final of a format presented in the world for the first time, and at the same time it is the final of Jamala, the ambassador of the events that are important to the whole world right now", said Gediminas Jaunius, the project's chief producer.
"I am very grateful for your support. When I flew to Vilnius and saw how many Ukrainian flags were here... I realised once again that we are not alone," said Jamala, who also spoke in Lithuanian and congratulated on Independence Day. During Jamala's performance, not only many people in the audience, but also the teachers of the project could not hold back their tears.
"What is also very beautiful about this final concert is that the feelings of the older generation were knocked into the hearts of the younger generation through music. I think the participants managed to convey these feelings perfectly and all the performances were very sensitive and meaningful," says Agneta Gabalytė, Executive Producer of Elitaz Creative House, which runs the project.
Jamala's fee and all the money raised from the audience's calls to vote for the finalists will be donated to Ukraine. The total amount of the final "Lietuvos hlasas. Generations" concert raised EUR 52 162 from the audience votes.
