Vilija Matačiūnaitė

2.1. Early Life and Background

Vilija Matačiūnaitė was born on June 24, 1986. She is a Lithuanian national, establishing her career as a singer, actress, and songwriter.

2.2. Early Career and Rise to Prominence

Matačiūnaitė's professional career commenced in 2005. That year, she first gained public attention by reaching the finals of the Lithuanian national Eurovision preselection, where she secured 7th place. Concurrently, she achieved widespread recognition as the runner-up in the inaugural season of Kelias į žvaigždes, a popular music competition franchise broadcast on the local LNK television channel.

2.3. Participation in Other Competitions

Matačiūnaitė continued to participate in various competitive platforms across different genres. In 2010, she placed second in the dance show Kviečiu Šokti and achieved third place in the international singing competition Sea songs held in Ukraine. The following year, 2011, saw her as the runner-up in the international singing competition Golden voices in Moldova. Her success extended internationally when she won the UK's music competition Melange Factor in 2012. Domestically, she triumphed in 2013, winning Auksinis balsas, a local LRT television music competition specifically for professional vocalists.

2.4. Television and Other Activities

Beyond competitive performances, Matačiūnaitė also engaged in television activities, notably serving as the host for the music television show Romeo ir Džiuljeta.

3.1. Eurovision Song Contest 2014

In 2014, Vilija Matačiūnaitė secured her spot as Lithuania's representative in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 after winning the national selection with her self-penned song, "Attention". The contest was held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Despite her strong performance, she did not advance past the second semi-final, finishing in 11th place. Following the contest, she was awarded the Barbara Dex Award for being the worst-dressed artist of 2014.

3.2. Subsequent Eurovision Attempts

Matačiūnaitė continued to pursue the opportunity to represent Lithuania at Eurovision in subsequent years. In 2017, she competed in the national final with the song "I See the Lights," though she did not progress beyond the initial stage of selection. She later adopted the artist name Sunday Afternoon for her attempts in Pabandom iš naujo!. Under this moniker, she entered Pabandom iš naujo! 2021 with the song "Open" in an effort to represent Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021, but she did not qualify from the semi-finals. She made a fourth attempt in Pabandom iš naujo! 2022, aiming to represent Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with her song "101", where she placed sixth in the second semi-final. Her most recent announced participation was on December 19, 2023, when she was confirmed as one of the competing artists for Eurovizija.LT, the Lithuanian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, with her song "Save Me."

4.1. Albums