Andrius Mamontovas | |
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![]() Andrius Mamontovas in 2022 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Andrius Mamontovas |
Born | Vilnius, Lithuania | 23 August 1967
Genres | rock, alternative, pop rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician, Guitarist, Songwriter, record producer, actor |
Instrument(s) | vocals, Guitar, drums, Keyboard |
Years active | 1983–present |
Labels | Mono Stereo Įrašai |
Andrius Mamontovas (born 23 August 1967) is a Lithuanian rock musician. He is also a songwriter, actor, performer and record producer. He was one of the co-founders of the Lithuanian rock band Foje and the initiator of the LT United project.
His father was Russian and mother Lithuanian. [1] [2] Since 1993, he has been a vegetarian. [3] [4]
In 1983, Andrius Mamontovas began his musical quest by forming Foje, one of the most popular bands in Lithuania. From 1983 until 1997 the band released 14 successful albums and won every possible music award along with the national acclaim. Among their many accomplishments, Foje toured European and American clubs, and at the last show held in Vilnius, with an audience of 60,000. This farewell performance still holds the all-time record in Lithuania.
After Foje was disbanded, Mamontovas began his solo career and has since been nominated and awarded best solo act in the national music awards. He currently holds 15 Bravo Awards (the Lithuanian equivalent to the Grammy Award [ citation needed ]) in total, awarded for the best song, best album, best show, and best act of the year. Mamontovas has also written soundtracks for several short films, and music for the theater play Ivanov by Anton Chekhov (directed by Nekrošius) at Teatro Argentina in Rome.
Mamontovas' music had a profound influence in Lithuania. Having acted in videos and small scale movies, Andrius was invited to act a main role in Hamlet , directed by Eimuntas Nekrošius. The play is still on world tour (since 1997) and has been performed over 180 times as of 2006.
Mamontovas' performance was the main act at the festival by the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on 1 May 2004, celebrating Lithuania's accession to the European Union. He has also appeared in the concerts of Sting, Bryan Adams, and The Sugarcubes. Mamontovas has served as producer and songwriter for fellow artists as well.
Mamontovas initiated a LT United project, intended to represent Lithuania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. Their song "We Are The Winners" has achieved much recognition from both members of the recording industry and fellow artists. The band has gone on to record and release other tracks, and have performed in venues of Ireland, Germany, Iceland and Croatia among others.
In 2008, Andrius Mamontovas won the Jin-Jue award at the Shanghai International Film Festival for the best music for film ("Nereikalingi žmonės", 2008).
Music of Lithuania refers to all forms of music associated with Lithuania, which has a long history of the folk, popular and classical musical development. Music was an important part of polytheistic, pre-Christian Lithuania – rituals were accompanied by music instruments and singing, deeds of the heroes and those who didn't return from the war were celebrated in songs.
Foje was one of the most successful and best known rock bands in Lithuania.
Rock music has been performed and heard in Lithuania since the mid-1960s. At first, repression by the Soviet authorities meant that rock was performed only at illegal gatherings, while music from the West was available on Radio Luxembourg or smuggled records. As pressure eased somewhat, rock musicals began to be released, such as Velnio nuotaka and Ugnies medžioklė su varovais.
Lithuania has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 22 times since its debut in 1994, where Ovidijus Vyšniauskas finished last, receiving "nul points". Lithuania withdrew from the contest, not returning until 1999. LT United's sixth place in 2006 with the song "We Are the Winners" is Lithuania's best result in the contest. The country reached the top ten for a second time in 2016, when Donny Montell finished ninth with "I've Been Waiting for This Night", and for the third time in 2021, finishing eighth with The Roop and "Discoteque".
Eimuntas Nekrošius was a Lithuanian theatre director.
Lithuania was represented by LT United in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "We Are the Winners". The novelty song includes repetition of the song's title, which declares Lithuania as the winner of Eurovision 2006. It's written and composed by Andrius Mamontovas and Saulius Urbonavičius.
LT United were a Lithuanian music group created in 2006 for the sole purpose of representing Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. The group entered the Lithuanian pre-selection event with the song "We Are the Winners", winning with almost twice as many votes as the runners-up, and finished 6th in the Eurovision Song Contest final with 162 points.
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