Sun Francisco Interview: “There was a sense of wanting to do so much, and being able to do so little.”

We first met husband-wife duo Sun Francisco last year, speaking with them about their musical influences, work-life balance, and the possibility of representing Lithuania at Eurovision. This year, they’re participating once again in Eurovizija.LT with the song “Atsimerkt.” We caught up with them to discuss how their past experiences with the national selection have shaped their approach to Eurovizija.LT 2025. 

How does this year compare to your previous participation? Any lessons learned?

This is our third time participating in the national selection, and each year is different. Of course we try to incorporate the learnings from previous years, but at the same time, each song and each performance is unique and requires a different approach, so in some ways it feels like starting from scratch every year. Overall, we do feel like we’ve grown a lot since last year and were able to bring our vision for this year’s performance to life more successfully, and we’re very grateful for this opportunity.

When you spoke to us last year, you mentioned your “day jobs:” working in tech, magazine writing, and teaching at Vilnius University. How do you balance this, along with married life and raising a family, with your music career?

Well, actually, this year there are even more things to balance it with! One of Giedrė’s careers is that of a vocal coach, and she has recruited two of her students, wonderful singers-songwriters Ieva Taraskevičiūtė-Dievaži and Karolina Mona, as backing vocalists for our performance. Anyway, it would be a dream come true if we could focus on music full-time.

Can you tell us a bit about the writing and production process behind “Atsimerkt?”

Giedrė: I wrote the song one day almost as a diary entry for myself, with no intention of releasing it, just as a way of processing all sorts of intense and conflicting emotions: the immense joy of becoming a mom, the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, and the terror of an atrocious war in Ukraine breaking out virtually next door. There was a sense of wanting to do so much and being able to do so little. In the pre-chorus and chorus, the lyrics roughly translate as: “Sometimes you barely have the strength to / Open your eyes / Take a step forward / Not raise your voice / Close your eyes.” The song was a way of finding peace with these emotions and living through that period of time.

Max: When I heard it, I just knew there’s going to be lots of other people, including myself, feeling the same way – maybe for different reasons – and that the song had this magical quality about it that made it worth recording and sharing with a wider audience.

Due to the themes of the song, we felt a simple, minimalistic arrangement suited it best; but we also wanted some dark, earth-shattering bass sounds in there for contrast, and as a reference to all those negative – albeit temporary – forces and emotions. 

What would it mean to you to represent Lithuania at Eurovision?

It would be a huge honor, and a dream come true!

What are some of your all-time favorite Eurovision entries?

Some of the performances we keep coming back to are: Loïc Nottet’s “Rhythm Inside” (Belgium 2015), Salvador Sobral’s “Amar pelos dois” (Portugal 2017), Chanel’s “SloMo” (Spain 2022), and Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil’s “Teresa & Maria” (Ukraine 2024).

So what can we expect to see from your live performance?

In the course of creating the performance, we realised we didn’t want any special effects, colorful visualisations, or quick camera movements to get in the way of the song. There’s just us, the lights, and you, the viewer-listener. We believe that’s all that’s needed for this song to touch people’s hearts and souls.

Besides Eurovizija.LT, what are your plans for this year, and where can fans check out more of your music?

The big one will be releasing an album. “Atsimerkt” will be on it. And then we have other plans, too: a music video or two, some live shows, and much more. 

Any parting words for our readers?

Be sure to follow us on Spotify, YouTube, and Instagram. Your support means the world to us!

Sun Francisco are competing in the fifth semi-final of Eurovizija.LT, which airs Saturday, February 8 at 20:00 CET. The top two acts will advance to the Final, where the winner – and Lithuania’s 2025 Eurovision contestant – will be selected.

Are #YOU a fan of Sun Francisco and “Atsimerkt?” Let us know on our socials (@escunited), Discord, or at our forum.