Riga locks in Supernova 2026’s final five
Supernova has done that very Latvian thing where it smiles politely, hands you a neat little 50/50 jury–televote split, and then quietly chops the line-up down to size. The second (and final) semi-final of Supernova 2026 just wrapped at Riga Film Studio, hosted by Ketija Šēnberga, Lauris Reiniks and Māra Sleja, and when the dust settled, five more acts had been waved through to the grand final, while the rest were left to go home and pretend they’re “just happy to have taken part”.
Twelve on stage, five tickets, zero room for sentiment
This semi was the last chance to get into the final without relying on miracles, favours, or the Eurovision gods suddenly developing a soft spot. Twelve songs performed, the public and a professional jury shared the decision down the middle, and the qualifiers came from that classic Supernova sweet spot where you can feel the final line-up tightening into something that might actually travel well.
Running order
Jānis Rugājs – “Smoke” – Eliminated
PAULA – “Dejot vien” – Eliminated
Edvards Strazdiņš – “I Ain’t Got the Guts” – Eliminated
Kristīne Megija – “Insanity” – Eliminated
NOLARK – “Different Places” – Eliminated
Miks Galvanovskis – “Cruel Angel” – Qualified
LEGZDINA – “Ribbon” – Qualified
Papīra lidmašīnas – “You’re My Saviour” – Eliminated
Atvara – “Ēnā” – Qualified
Krisy – “Take It” – Qualified
Vēstnieks – “Vai tas ir kāds brīnums?” – Eliminated
Robert Ox – “Ravin’ at the Taj Mahal” – Qualified
The final line-up so far
The five qualifiers from tonight now join the acts already through from the first semi-final, which means the Supernova final on 14 February is starting to look properly complete, and not just “twelve songs in a trench coat”.
Tikasha Sakama – “#010126 Coda”
De Mantra – “Let Them”
Elpo – “Blakus”
Emilija – “All We Ever Had”
Kautkaili – “Te un tagad”
What Riga just told us
If Semi-Final 1 felt like an opener with a bit of everything, Semi-Final 2 felt like Riga narrowing its gaze: fewer “nice idea” entries making it through, more acts that look like they could hold a bigger stage without begging for permission. And now we get the fun part, where Latvia takes a line-up it has carefully curated in studio lights and throws it into the final pressure cooker, with Europe watching and everyone suddenly developing a very strong opinion about what “should” win.
