Donatas Montvydas (born 22 October 1987), also known by his stage name Donny Montell, is a Lithuanian singer-songwriter who represented

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the 57th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, following the country's victory at the with the song "Running Scared (Ell & Nikki song), Running Scared" by Ell & Nikki, El ...

, held in

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

, Azerbaijan. He represented Lithuania for a second time in

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, when he represented his country in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden.

Early life

Donatas Montvydas was born on 22 October 1987 in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

. His mother was a

gymnast Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

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 Dainų dainelė () is a Lithuanian singing competition for children ages 3 to 19 established in 1974. The competition takes place every two years and is organized by the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Art under the direction of the Lithuani ...

("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 The International Festival of Arts "Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk", also known as Slavic Bazaar, is an annual festival held in Vitebsk, Belarus under the auspices of the Belarusian Government since 1992. Its main program is devoted to Slavic music. ...

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Vitsyebsk (, ; , ; ) is a city in northern Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vitebsk Region and Vitebsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it has 358,927 inhabitants, m ...

, Belarus.

Musical influences

As a child, Montvydas was highly influenced by artists such as

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

and rock band

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

, and would often impersonate these artists from a young age. He also admires

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. Regarded as one of the gre ...

for his personality. Montvydas also stated that his father is by far his biggest inspiration.

Personal life

He was married to dancer Veronika Brasaitė, with whom he has a daughter Adelę (born in 2013) and a son Kajų (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

Filmography

Television

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

References

External links

Official Facebook page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montell, Donny Lithuanian pop singers Living people 21st-century Lithuanian male singers Dancing with the Stars winners Musicians from Vilnius 1987 births English-language singers from Lithuania Slavianski Bazaar winners Eurovision Song Contest entrants