Prata Vetra

Prata Vetra is a Latvian pop-rock group from Jelgava, Latvia, formed in 1989. The band is also known internationally as Brainstorm. Its line-up includes Renārs Kaupers on vocals, Jānis Jubalts on guitar, Māris Mihelsons on keyboards and Kaspars Roga on drums. Gundars Mauševics, also known as Muminsh or Mumiņš, is listed among former members, and Ingars Viļums appears as a touring bassist.

Background and style

The group starts out with a core of classmates who make music together before becoming one of Latvia’s best-known rock-pop bands. Its sound blends alternative rock with mainstream pop, and it later releases music in Latvian, English and Russian. The band is associated with the labels BrainStorm Records Company and Prāta Vētras skaņu ierakstu kompānija.

Career highlights

Prata Vetra first gains broad attention in the mid-1990s, when the single “Lidmašīnas” becomes very popular in Latvia. By that point the band is already touring outside Latvia. In 2000 it represents Latvia at the Eurovision Song Contest with “My Star” and finishes third, becoming the country’s first Eurovision representative. The group also wins the European MTV Award for Best Baltic Group in 2006.

Across its career, the band receives 31 Latvian Music Record of the Year awards and multiple Zelta Mikrofons awards. It performs at Glastonbury in 2013 and remains active on major festival stages in Europe and beyond. The band also supports a range of international artists during its live career.

Albums and later work

Prata Vetra releases a long sequence of albums, including Vairāk nekā skaļi, Vietu nav, Veronika, Viss ir tieši tā kā tu vēlies, Starp divām saulēm, Kaķēns, kurš atteicās no jūrasskolas, Dienās, kad lidlauks pārāk tāls, Četri krasti, Tur kaut kam ir jābūt and Vēl viena klusā daba. Several of these appear in English-language versions as Among the Suns, Online, A Day Before Tomorrow, Four Shores, Years and seconds and Another Still Life.

Later releases include the 2018 album Par to zēnu, kas sit skārda bungas, for which the band works again with photographer and director Anton Corbijn on the artwork and visual identity. The record appears in Latvian, Russian and English versions, with songs such as “Wonderful Day” and “My Mind’s So Lost (On You)”. In 2023 the band releases the EP Pagalmi, described as a reflection on childhood in Jelgava, and in 2025 it releases Pūķa Lietošanas Instrukcija.

Other notes

Prata Vetra is also credited with playing a role in the Russian film 7 ужинов, appearing as themselves in a key scene. The band’s live work includes large concerts in Latvia and performances in Russia, Great Britain, Ireland, Lithuania and at festivals such as Atlas Weekend, Bosco Fresh Fest, VK Fest, A-Fest, Нашествие, Стереолето, Кинопробы and Дикая Мята.