Author: Andris Straumanis

Pop duo Musiqq releases debut album

Andris Straumanis | 

New Latvian pop duo Musiqq has released its debut album, Šī ir tikai mūzika, according to Rīga-based recording company MICREC.

Musiqq consists of Marats Ogļezņevs and Emīls Balceris, who come from Liepāja. Musiqq has gained popularity with radio hits such as “Klimata kontrole,” “Abrakadabra” and “Dzimšanas diena,” all of which are included on the album.

“The album from the first to the last song seems made for parties and this spring certainly will be an integral ingredient in every event with good friends,” according to a MICREC press release. The album was released March 25.

Ogļezņev, formerly with the group Device, wrote and produced all songs on the album, according to MICREC. Balceris has seen success in various music competitions, including “Latvijas talants 2007” and the television show “Koru kari.”

Tracks on the album include:

  • Šī ir tikai mūzika
  • Dzimšanas diena
  • Viņa
  • Stereotipi
  • Laiks pieder mums
  • Tu neej prom
  • Abrakadabra
  • Jāprot saskatīt
  • Klimata kontrole
  • No 10 – 10
  • Vārdi nenāk viegli
  • Pirmā mana Ziemassvētku sarakstā

Further information about the duo is available from Musiqq’s page on the social network draugiem.lv.

Šī ir tikai mūzika

The debut album from Musiqq is called Šī ir tikai mūzika.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

Obama aide to run in Latvian election?

Andris Straumanis | 

The Chicago-area Web site cikaga.com is at it again. In the long-running tradition of media outlets having some fun on April 1, the site has reported that an aide to President Barack Obama is entering Latvian politics.

Michael Strautmanis, the adopted son of Čikāgas piecīši founding member Juris Strautmanis, is organizing a political party called The Chicago Way to run in the Latvian parliamentary elections in October, according to the Web site run by Artis Inka.

Strautmanis is chief of staff to the Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Engagement, according to the whitehouse.gov.

“President Obama has embraced Michael’s new career path,” cikaga.com reported. “The President has directed Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Senior Adviser David Axelrod to provide political guidance and assistance.”

Referring to similarities between questionable political practicies in Chicago and in Rīga, cikaga.com suggested Strautmanis might feel right at home in Latvia.

We still recall with pleasure cikaga.com’s 2008 prank in which the Web site reported that the Democratic Party was going to selected its presidential candidate during a meeting at the Latvian center Gaŗezers in Michigan.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

Moody’s raises Latvia’s credit rating, notes economy has stabilized

Andris Straumanis | 

Latvia’s economic outlook is showing signs of improvement, leading Moody’s Investors Service to nudge up its rating of the country’s creditworthiness.

Noting that Latvia’s economy has stabilized and that financial stress has been reduced, the ratings service on March 31 revised its rating of Baa3 to stable from negative, according to a press release issued by Moody’s London office. Baa3 is the lowest investment grade ranking, just above “junk” status.

“The worst of the recession has passed, and the fledgling recovery should support the government’s financial strength and the banking sector in future,” Kenneth Orchard, vice president and senior credit officer in Moody’s Sovereign Risk Group, said. “In addition, the prospect of a disorderly currency devaluation is now highly unlikely, reducing the country’s susceptibility to event risk from ‘high’ to ‘medium’ according to Moody’s sovereign rating methodology.”

Moody’s is among rating services whose opinions can affect investors’ views of a country’s financial condition. Others include Standard and Poor’s as well as Fitch Ratings.

“Reducing the private sector debt burden and enhancing international competitiveness are key to returning the economy to a sustainable growth path,” Orchard said. While the Latvian economy is expected to begin growing in the second half of this year, Moody’s noted that a sharp rebound is not expected and that “it will take several years for the economy to recover from the bursting of the property bubble and subsequent financial crisis.”

Einars Repše, Latvia’s finance minister, reacted favorably to the improvement in Moody’s rating. It shows the Latvian government’s measures to overcome the economic crisis have been recognized, Repše said in a press release.

“This rating is a significant signal to foreign investors and to the whole international community,” Repše said, “that also validates Latvia’s accomplishments in overcoming the economic crisis.”

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.