Since joining the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006, Armenia has had six top-10 finishes, two fourth-place finishes, two eighth-place finishes, and two seventh-place finishes, including their most recent top-10 entry from 2016. Since then, they’ve failed to qualify twice and sat out the 2021 event.
Armenia ranked a disappointing 20th place in their 2022 return outing, but the contest was just the starting point for Rosa Linn’s “Snap.” The song went viral on TikTok a few months after the contest, with its catchy “snapping one, two, where are you” refrain launching memes and the sped-up/slowed-down remixes becoming inescapable. The song took off IRL as well, gaining radio play in Eurovision-participating countries and beyond, even making it to the US, where it hit #1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart. Her success did not go unnoticed in her home country, and in 2023, they sent another up-and-coming singer-songwriter, Brunette, who improved upon Rosa Linn’s result but just missed out on the left-hand side of the scoreboard.
This year, AMPTV internally selected a France-based duo in LADANIVA. Armenian-born singer Jaklin Baghdasaryan and musician Louis Thomas, who can play just about any darn thing he feels like, create soaring and invigorating world music that showcases their backgrounds and finds inspiration from all over the world. Jaklin, also called Jako, sings in Armenian and French in their songs, while Louis and friends play a wide assortment of ever-changing instruments.
LADANIVA was rumored before they were announced, giving the Eurovision faithful/obsessives the opportunity to check out their catalog in advance, including their selected song, “Jako,” which was released on their 2023 self-titled album. If this song has a downside, the downside is that it’s too short. Clocking in at a breezy 2 minutes and 25 seconds, it’s more than 15 seconds shorter than the next shortest song, Lithuania’s “Luktelk.”
With “Jako,” Jaklin rebels against those who want her to behave like a girl, telling them she’s a free girl who’s going to dance before imploring the listener to join her in dancing. It’s literally an invitation to dance and celebrate with friends and includes a memorable and sing-a-long-able call-and-response. In their vibrant and often playful music videos, Jaklin is charming and engaging, she clearly knows how to work a camera and a crowd. Louis is as expressive with the many instruments he plays as Jaklin is with her colorful voice, and both use their faces and bodies to communicate with the viewer. Will their combination of playful energy, folk roots, massive talent, and polished live performance chops give them the edge they need not only to get back to the top ten, but perhaps to win the whole contest?
Can LADANIVA’s “Jako” (and Louis) give Armenia their best result yet?