Silvestras Beltė (, born 26 November 1997), professionally known as Silvester Belt, is a Lithuanian singer and songwriter. He represented at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2024 The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is set to be the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It is scheduled to take place in Malmö, Sweden, following the country's victory at the with the song "Tattoo" by Loreen. Organised by the Euro ...

with the song "".

Early life

Beltė was born in

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

. At the age of four, he developed an interest in music and began to attend music school. After his graduation, he continued his studies at the Juozas Gruodis Conservatory in Kaunas. In 2019, he graduated from the

University of Westminster , mottoeng = The Lord is our Strength , type = Public , established = 1838: Royal Polytechnic Institution 1891: Polytechnic-Regent Street 1970: Polytechnic of Central London 1992: University of Westminster , endowment = £5.1 million ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

with a degree in Commercial Music Performance. After graduation, he began working in a beauty salon. In January 2021, he returned to Lithuania where he signed with a record label; initially, he intended to return to London, but could not due to quarantine regulations.

Career

In 2010, Beltė competed in '' Vaikų Eurovizijos nacionalinė atranka'', the Lithuanian preselection for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2010. He performed the song "Pi-pa-po" and qualified to the final, later placing 8th out of 12 finalists. In 2017, after being encouraged by his sister to apply, Beltė competed and later won the Lithuanian

reality competition Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

television show (I Am a Superhit). Upon winning, he moved from his hometown to

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...

, where he later released his debut single, "Noise". Shortly after winning the show, he worked behind the scenes of the television show , the Lithuanian counterpart of the reality competition '' The Bar''. The following year, he competed in the sixth season of '' X Faktorius'', the Lithuanian version of '' The X Factor'', where he was eliminated in the fourth week. On 19 December 2023, it was announced that Beltė would be competing in '' Eurovizija.LT'', Lithuania's national selection to select the country's entry in the

, with the song "". He went on to win the competition, earning the right to represent Lithuania at the contest. In the contest itself, held in

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, he performed in the first semi-final, held on 7 May 2024, where he placed 4th out of 15 with 119 points, qualifying to the final, where he placed 14th out of 26 with 90 points. On 29 March 2024, several entrants, including Silvester Belt, released a joint statement calling for "an immediate and lasting ceasefire" in Gaza, as well as "the safe return of all hostages".

Artistry

Beltė describes his music as mainly

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

, with some electronic,

rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...

and

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

influences. He cites

Troye Sivan Troye Sivan Mellet ( ; born 5 June 1995) is an Australian singer-songwriter, actor and YouTuber. After gaining popularity as a singer on YouTube and in Australian talent competitions, Sivan signed with EMI Australia in 2013 and released his thi ...

as his "all time inspiration."

Personal life

Beltė is openly bisexual and came out publicly in 2017.

Discography

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Belt, Silvester 1997 births Living people Musicians from Kaunas Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Lithuania Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2024 Alumni of the University of Westminster Bisexual men Bisexual singers Bisexual songwriters 21st-century Lithuanian male singers 21st-century Lithuanian LGBT people LGBT Eurovision Song Contest entrants