Mārtiņš Freimanis' life was like a flash of brilliance – during his short 34 years of life, he created hundreds of songs, most of which can confidently be called classics of modern Latvian music.

Honoring the memory of Mārtiņš Freimanis on his 50th anniversary – on February 7, 2027 (Mārtiņš' birthday) in Liepāja, and on February 13 at the "Xiaomi" Arena in Riga, two grand concerts will take place. The band "Tumsa" and the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jānis Liepiņš, along with Mārtiņš' friends, colleagues, and successors, will perform Mārtiņš Freimanis' most legendary super-hits.

Artistic Director of the concert – musician of the band "Tumsa", Jānis Daugalis.
Orchestral arrangements – Jēkabs Ozoliņš.

One of the most popular and celebrated Latvian songwriters, musician, and poet Mārtiņš Freimanis was born on February 7, 1977, in Liepāja. He spent his childhood in Aizpute, where he graduated from high school. Later, he worked as an English teacher at Liepāja State Gymnasium No. 1.

Since 1996, Mārtiņš was the lead singer, leader, and primary songwriter of the band "Tumsa." Together with the band, they released six albums and one "best of" compilation. Once "Tumsa" established its position in the Latvian music market, Freimanis began composing songs and writing lyrics for other performers as well. These included "Putnu balle," Lauris Reiniks, Yana Kay, Gunārs Kalniņš, "F.L.Y.", Kaža, and many, many others. As an actor, Freimanis gained widespread recognition in the title role of the Liepāja Theatre rock-opera "Kaupēn, mans mīļais" (Kaupēn, My Beloved), which premiered in 1998.

Mārtiņš wrote songs for two albums by "Putnu balle" and four albums by Lauris Reiniks. In his final years, he collaborated with many young performers – among them Kristīna Zaharova, "Kids 4 Rock," "PeR," "Blitze," "Livido," and many others.

In 2003, together with Lauris Reiniks and Yana Kay, Mārtiņš formed the project "F.L.Y.", which won the Latvian national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Hello From Mars" and went on to represent Latvia in the international final held in Riga.

In 2004, Mārtiņš wrote the song "The War Is Not Over", entrusting it to "Putnu balle" members Valters and Kaža. They won the Latvian national selection and achieved a high 5th place in the international Eurovision Song Contest, opening doors to a wider audience across the Baltics and Europe for both the author and the performers. In 2008, this song was included in an album by the internationally acclaimed Danish band "Michael Learns To Rock." Ever since Latvia began participating in the Eurovision Song Contest, there was at least one song composed by Mārtiņš in the national final every year. Even in 2011 – after his passing – the band "Blitze" participated in the national selection with his song "Hop."

In 2004, Mārtiņš Freimanis' collection of poetry "Zālīte truša dvēselei" (Grass for a Rabbit's Soul) was published, featuring his poetry alongside lyrics written for the band "Tumsa."

In 2005, Freimanis starred in Arvīds Krievs' feature film "Man patīk, ka meitene skumst" (I Like It When a Girl Is Sad) and later in the film "Dancis pa trim" (Three to Dance), which premiered after Mārtiņš' death in the spring of 2011.

In 2005, he composed the music for the musical "Autoplanēta" (Car Planet).

On November 15, 2007, Mārtiņš made his debut in the Latvian Television (LTV) series "Neprāta cena" (The Price of Madness), followed by a role in the TV3 series "UgunsGrēks" (Fire&Sin). The theme songs "Satīties sapīties" and "Un varbūt mēs" were specifically composed for these television series.

Today, Mārtiņš is gone, but his songs continue to play and live a life of their own. The characters he portrayed in cinema, theater, and TV series continue to love and suffer on film reels and television screens. His poems are learned by children in schools and used as lyrics by young musicians.

Though invisible, unreachable, and at times misunderstood, he remains so close to us – and always with us.