Donatas Montvydas (born 22 October 1987), also known by his stage name Donny Montell, is a Lithuanian singer-songwriter who represented Lithuania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, held in Baku, Azerbaijan. He represented Lithuania for a second time in 2016, when he represented his country in Stockholm, Sweden.
Early life Donatas Montvydas was born on 22 October 1987 in Vilnius. His mother was a gymnast and his father, Algirdas Montvydas, was a drummer of the hard rock group Plackartas. Montvydas' older sister is a professional dancer. His interest in music began at a young age. He started performing publicly at age six when his vocal teacher let him participate in the contest for young singers Dainų dainelė ("The song of the Songs"), singing "Aš kiškelis mažas" and he became a laureate. In 2008, he won his first big prize when becoming the Grand Prix winner of the International Festival of Arts Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk, Belarus.
Musical influences As a child, Montvydas was highly influenced by artists such as Michael Jackson and rock band Queen, and would often impersonate these artists from a young age. He also admires Freddie Mercury for his personality.http://www.balsas.lt/naujiena/206463/donatas-montvydas-esu-lietuvos-ir-savo-seimos-patriotas/3 Balsas.lt Retrieved 27 July 2008. Montvydas also stated that his father is by far his biggest inspiration.http://www.lsveikata.lt/sveika-seima/veidai/28-veidai/1310-donatas-montvydas-tiksliai-inau-k-noriu-daryti.html Lsveikata.lt Retrieved 5 March 2010.
Personal life He was married to dancer Veronika Brasaitė, with whom he has a daughter Adelė (born in 2013) and a son Kajus (born in 2017). They divorced in 2024. When confirming their divorce in an Instagram post, Montvydas said that he supports the LGBT community, but has always been sure of his own sexuality, having only been attracted to women.
Eurovision Song Contest Year National Final Song ResultsLithuanian National FinalEurovision Song Contest2009 Lietuvos Dainų Daina "From The Distance" "Dainų daina" (with Rosita Čivilytė) rowspan=3 2010 Eurovizija 2010 "Running Fast"2011 Eurovizija 2011 "Let Me""Best Friends" (with Sasha Son) 2012 Eurovizija atranka Lietuvoje "Love Is Blind"http://4lyrics.eu/esc/2012/donny-montell-love-is-blind/ Donny Montell – Love Is Blind lyrics 2016 "Eurovizijos" dainų konkurso nacionalinė atranka "I've Been Waiting for This Night"
Filmography Television Year Title Role Notes 2010 Šok su manimi Himself Contestant1st place 2012 Eurovision Song Contest 2012 Himself Contestant14th place 2013–21 Lietuvos balsas Judge Seasons 2–8 2016 Eurovision Song Contest 2016 Himself Contestant9th place 2019–21 Lietuvos balsas. Vaikai Judge Season 1–3
Discography
Studio albums Title Details Peak chart positions LTU Norim Dar Released: 23 December 2013 Formats: Digital download, CD — #BLCK Released: 26 March 2016 Formats: Digital download, CD — 1987 Released: 4 September 2021 Formats: Digital download, CD, LP 16
EPs Title Details Tik Tau Vienai Released: 2012 Format: Digital download
Singles Title Year LTU SWE Heat. Album "Running Fast" 2010 — — Donny Montell "Leisk Mylėt" — — "Let Me" — — "Mano Vasara" 2011 — — "Yes or No" — — "Love Is Blind" 2012 — — "Norim Dar" — — Tik Tau Vienai and Norim Dar "#BLCK"(featuring Echoes) 2015 25 — #BLCK "Viskas Bus Gerai" 3 — "Kas būsim rytoj" 13 — "Tai Mūsų Laikas" 201613 — "Iš Proto Einu" 36 — "Don't Touch Me" 7 — "I've Been Waiting for This Night"14"Fly"4 — "Screw Me Up" 20172 — rowspan="8" "Move Your Body"15 — "Nieko verta" 3 — "Žiūrėk ką padarei" 2018 2 — "Ryto Saulė" 2019 7 — "Man Patinka" 16 — "Another Lover" 18 — "No Strings" 2020 — — "Kol Vakaras Ilgas" 39 — 1987 "Kai Nieko Kito Nelieka Man" 91 — "17" 21 — "Štai ir vėl" — — "Atiduočiau Už Naktį Bet Ką" 2021 — — "Baubas" — — "Lūpos kaip medus" 2022 — — rowspan="4" "Jausmai" 2023 18 — "Ikaras" 2024 — — "Sudužusi širdis" — —
Notes
References
External links
Official Facebook page