Stay (Monika Linkytė song)

2023 song by Monika Linkytė

"Stay"

Single by Monika Linkytė
from the EP  Healing
Released| 14 February 2023
Length|

* 3:04 (Original version)
* 2:57 (Eurovision version)

Label| Creative Industries
Songwriter(s)|

* Monika Linkytė
* Krists Indrišonoks

Producer(s)|

* Krists Indrišonoks
* Jānis Jačmenkins

Monika Linkytė singles chronology
| "Degtukas"
(2022)  | "Stay"
(2023)  |

|
|

Music video
"Stay" on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2023 entry
Country|

Lithuania

Artist(s)|

Monika Linkytė

Languages|

English, Lithuanian

Composer(s)|

* Monika Linkytė
* Krists Indrišonoks

Lyricist(s)|

* Monika Linkytė
* Krists Indrišonoks

Finals performance
Semi-final result|

4th

Semi-final points|

110

Final result|

11th

Final points|

127

Entry chronology
◄ "Sentimentai" (2022)
"Luktelk" (2024) ►
Official performance video
"Stay" (Second Semi-Final) on YouTube
"Stay" (Grand Final) on YouTube

"Stay", also known as "Stay – Čiūto tūto", is a song by Lithuanian singer Monika Linkytė, released on 14 February 2023. The song represented Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 after winning Pabandom iš naujo! 2023, Lithuania's national selection for that year's Eurovision Song Contest.[1][2] It peaked at number five in Linkytė's home country of Lithuania.

## Background and composition

[edit]

In press statements to Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), Monika reported that she and Latvian songwriter Chris Noah had written "Stay" during an unplanned writing session. According to Monika, she wanted to write about "how important it is to pause and come back to yourself." Some lines in the song relate to Lithuanian folk sutras, speaking about a yearning to hear the voice of "our heart more and more."[3]

The song's use of musical elements found in sutartinės revived national interest in the art form, leading Seimas to introduce a national day of sutartinės on November 16, the day on which sutartinės were added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in 2010.[4] The proposal to amend the list of national memorial days, submitted by Robertas Šarknickas [lt], was supported by 98 members of the parliament, opposed by 2, and abstained from by 12.[5]

## Eurovision Song Contest

[edit]

Main article: Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023

### Pabandom iš naujo! 2023

[edit]

Pabandom iš naujo! 2023 ("Let's try again! 2023") is the national final format LRT developed to select Lithuania's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. For the 2023 competition, two heats consisting of fifteen entries each were held on 21 and 28 January, where five entries from each heat were eliminated, while the remaining twenty entries participated in the competition's two semi-finals, taking place on 4 and 11 February. In each semi-final, ten entries participated and the top five proceeded to the final. The winner would be selected from the remaining ten entries in the final. The results of each of the six shows were determined by the 50/50 combination of votes from a jury panel and public televoting.[6]

"Stay" was chosen to compete in the second heat, qualifying by finishing second out of 15 entries in the heat.[7] In the second semi-final, the song performed fifth, finishing third, and qualifying for the contest's grand final.[8] In the final, the song received 12 points from the juries and 10 points from televoting, earning 22 points. The song tied with Rūta Mur's song "So Low"; however, as "Stay" earned a higher jury score, it won the competition and the Lithuanian spot for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.[1]

### At Eurovision

[edit]

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) split the competing countries into six different pots based on voting patterns from previous contests, with countries with favourable voting histories put into the same pot. On 31 January 2023, an allocation draw was held, which placed each country into one of the two semi-finals, and determined which half of the show they would perform in. Lithuania has been placed into the second semi-final, to be held on 11 May 2023, and has been scheduled to perform in the show's second half.[9]

## Charts

[edit]

Chart performance for "Stay"  Chart (2023)  | Peak
position

|

Lithuania (AGATA)[10] | 5
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[11] | 45

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Veen, Renske ten (18 February 2023). "Monika Linkyte wins Pabandom iš Naujo and will represent Lithuania at Eurovision 2023 with "Stay"". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
2. ^ "It's Monika Linkytė to Liverpool for Lithuania". Eurovision Song Contest. 18 February 2023. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
3. ^ "Monika Linkytė – apie eurovizinę dainą: "Šie burtažodžiai galėtų kviesti visą pasaulį atsiverti sau"". Lithuanian National Radio and Television (in Lithuanian). 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
4. ^ Lisauskaitė, Dovilė (7 May 2023). "Lithuanian Eurovision entry revives interest in folk songs". Lithuanian National Radio and Television. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
5. ^ "Artėjant Eurovizijai – Seimo dėmesys sutartinėms". DELFI (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2 June 2023.
6. ^ "Šeštadienį – "Pabandom iš naujo!" finalas: paaiškės, kas atstovaus Lietuvai "Eurovizijoje"". lrt.lt (in Lithuanian). 15 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
7. ^ Veen, Renske ten (28 January 2023). "Lithuania: Beatrich wins Pabandom iš Naujo 2023 heat two ahead of Monika Linkyte". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
8. ^ Veen, Renske ten (11 February 2023). "Beatrich wins Lithuania's Pabandom iš Naujo! 2023 semi-final two". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
9. ^ Groot, Evert (31 January 2023). "Eurovision 2023: Allocation Draw results". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 31 January 2022.
10. ^ "2023 8-os savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)". AGATA. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
11. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 May 2023.

* v
* t
* e

Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest

Participation|

* 1994
* 1999
* 2001
* 2002
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* ~~2020~~
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

Artists|

* 4Fun
* Aistė
* Aivaras
* Vaidas Baumila
* Silvester Belt
* Fusedmarc
* InCulto
* Katarsis
* Laura and the Lovers
* Linas and Simona
* Monika Linkytė
* Monika Liu
* LT United
* Vilija Matačiūnaitė
* Jeronimas Milius
* Donny Montell
* Andrius Pojavis
* The Roop
* Evelina Sašenko
* Skamp
* Sasha Son
* Jurij Veklenko
* Ovidijus Vyšniauskas
* Ieva Zasimauskaitė

Songs|

* "Attention"
* "C'est ma vie"
* "Discoteque"
* "Eastern European Funk"
* "Happy You"
* "I've Been Waiting for This Night"
* "Little by Little"
* "Lopšinė mylimai"
* "Love"
* "Love Is Blind"
* "Love or Leave"
* "Luktelk"
* "Nomads in the Night"
* ~~"On Fire"~~
* "Rain of Revolution"
* "Run with the Lions"
* "Sentimentai"
* "Something"
* "Stay"
* "Strazdas"
* "Tavo akys"
* "This Time"
* "We Are the Winners"
* "What's Happened to Your Love?"
* "When We're Old"
* "You Got Style"

Note: Entries scored out signify where Lithuania did not compete. Italics indicate an entry in a future contest.

* v
* t
* e

Eurovision Song Contest 2023

Countries|

| Final|

* Albania
* Armenia
* Australia
* Austria
* Belgium
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czechia
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Israel
* Italy
* Lithuania
* Moldova
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Serbia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom

|

Semi-finals|

* Azerbaijan
* Denmark
* Georgia
* Greece
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Latvia
* Malta
* Netherlands
* Romania
* San Marino

Artists|

| Final|

* Alessandra
* Luke Black
* Blanca Paloma
* Blanka
* Brunette
* Remo Forrer
* Gustaph
* Joker Out
* Käärijä
* Albina and Familja Kelmendi
* Noa Kirel
* Andrew Lambrou
* Let 3
* Monika Linkytė
* Lord of the Lost
* Loreen
* Marco Mengoni
* Alika Milova
* Mimicat
* Mae Muller
* Pasha Parfeni
* Teya and Salena
* Tvorchi
* Vesna
* Voyager
* La Zarra

|

Semi-finals|

* Theodor Andrei
* The Busker
* Diljá
* Iru
* Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper
* Piqued Jacks
* Reiley
* Sudden Lights
* TuralTuranX
* Victor Vernicos
* Wild Youth

Songs|

| Final|

* "Ai coração"
* "Because of You"
* "Blood & Glitter"
* "Break a Broken Heart"
* "Bridges"
* "Carpe Diem"
* "Cha Cha Cha"
* "Due vite"
* "Duje"
* "Eaea"
* "Évidemment"
* "Future Lover"
* "Heart of Steel"
* "I Wrote a Song"
* "Mama ŠČ!"
* "My Sister's Crown"
* "Promise"
* "Queen of Kings"
* "Samo mi se spava"
* "Soarele și luna"
* "Solo"
* "Stay"
* "Tattoo"
* "Unicorn"
* "Watergun"
* "Who the Hell Is Edgar?"

|

Semi-finals|

* "Aijā"
* "Breaking My Heart"
* "Burning Daylight"
* "D.G.T. (Off and On)"
* "Dance (Our Own Party)"
* "Echo"
* "Like an Animal"
* "Power"
* "Tell Me More"
* "We Are One"
* "What They Say"

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