Album Notes

4FUN has released a new original songs’ double album “Dėlionė”/”A puzzle”, which consists of two CDs: one in Lithuanian and the other in English. This album is like a jigsaw puzzle made out of different creative moods and music styles from the last 10 years. There are 21 songs on the album, among them the ‘Eurovision Song Contest’ 2007 Lithuanian entry “Love or leave” and radio singles “With U” featuring “Walters&Kazha” (Latvia) and “Tarp” featuring Neda Malūnavičiūtė.

4FUN was formed in 2001 in Vilnius. The band performs in music clubs, festivals and other music events in Lithuania and neighbouring countries.

4FUN was the biggest success in 2007, when they won the National Eurovision Song Contest and represented Lithuania in ESC final in Helsinki with a ballad “Love or leave” written by the leader of the band Julia Ritchik.

In 2004 the band took the 6th place in the final of a music TV contest (Lithuanian Television) with a Lithuanian 'cover' version of “Vaya con Dios” 'Nah-neh-nah', got a special award at 'Visagino country' international country music festival and created a show programme 'DISCO' for the “Bike Show Millennium'2004” festival in Kaunas.

The band have won several LCMA (Lithuanian Country Musicians Association) awards: Julia was the best vocal in 1998, Laimonas was the best instrumentalist in 2005 and 4FUN was awarded for the best debut in 2003.

In 2004 4FUN released their first CD – a live concert album “Gyvas”, which means both 'live' and 'alive' in Lithuanian. In April 2009 the band released a double album " Dėlionė"/"A puzzle", which contains original songs in Lithuanian on one CD and in English on the other CD.

The present members of 4FUN are:

Julia Ritchik (vocal, 6-string and 12-string accoustic guitars, songwriter)
Justas Jasenka (accoustic and electric guitars, bass guitar, vocal)
Rimantas Jasenka (bass guitar, vocal)
Laimonas Staniulionis (drums and percussion)

The leader of the band Julia Ritchik finished a music school in Vilnius (piano faculty). She started her singing career in 1994 in a blues band “The Road Band” (she stayed with the band for longer than 6 years and recorded 6 albums). At the same time she sang in the “Acoustic trio” and recorded an album with them in 1995, and in the “Country Blues Session Band” under the leadership of a well-known Lithuanian fiddler and composer A.Klova (in 2001 the band released an album, in 1999 won the second award in an international country music contest “Country Europe” in Mragowo, Poland – Julia sang for the band both contest songs, one of them was her original song “Ant krantu”.)

In1994-2001 with the above mentioned groups Julia toured the Baltic states, Poland, the Netherlands, Byelorussia, Russia and Ukraine and took part in numerous blues, country music and jazz festivals.