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Supernova 2026 rolled into its second semi‑final determined to prove Latvia still has more to offer than earnest alt‑ballads and one novelty act per show – and naturally, we still got both, and still no Riga Beaver! Building on the groundwork from the first semi, this one felt (and looked) somewhat tighter, louder, and just chaotic enough to remind you this is Baltic TV on a Saturday night, not a cut‑price Melodifestivalen.
The show
If the first semi was Supernova warming up, the second was it remembering this is, allegedly, a competition and not just that thing between the Reklama! The staging stayed firmly in “we spent wisely” territor with the same familiar set‑up, a few fresh colour palettes, though not many and the odd burst of pyro meaning yoru casual Latvian viewer saw something different to last weekend.
The hosts, now past their “reading off the cards like it’s the evening news” phase, leaned into that awkward‑but‑endearing Latvian charm but they still had a stilted delivery, Lauris really should know better.
The Results.
| Song | Performer(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke | Jānis Rugājs | |
| Dejot vien | PAULA | |
| I Ain’t Got The Guts | Edvards Strazdiņš | |
| Insanity | Kristīne Megija | |
| Different Places | NOLARK | |
| Cruel Angel | Miks Galvanovskis | Q |
| Ribbon | LEGZDINA | Q |
| You’re My Saviour | Papīra lidmašīnas | |
| Ēnā | Atvara | Q |
| Take It | Krisy | Q |
| Vai tas ir kāds brīnums? | Vēstnieks | |
| Ravin’ At The Taj Mahal | Robert Ox | Q |
No actual hard results to speak of, just the rather tame naming of the qualified acts, five of them, with the rest of the competitors on stage wishing they could be anywhere else but there right now.
Put together with the first semi‑final, Supernova 2026 finally feels like an actual contest rather than a slow march to one obvious winner. Now Latvia’s got a spectrum to stare at: contemporary pop for the “let’s not embarrass ourselves” crowd, local‑language soul‑searching for the “represent the culture” brigade, and a couple of left‑field numbers for those who think the best Eurovision entries are the ones you don’t quite understand until three listens in and a Twitter thread.
Where the Latvian’s go when the final comes knocking is anyone’s guess, but if I were a betting man, I suspect a straight fight between the slightly ethnic songs, as they have done well for Latvia recently… but, who the hell knows!!
