KALUCH ORCHESTRA. This Saturday, during the grand finale of Eurovision, Ukraine, big favorite, is represented by the group Kalush Orchestra and its song “Stefania”.
[Mis à jour le 14 mai 2022 à 20h27] Ukraine, big winner of Eurovision 2022? This Saturday evening, the country is represented by the group Kalush Orchestra and its song Stefania. After the draw, the performance of Ukraine will be the twelfth of the evening, after that of France and the group Alvan & Ahez. While war has been raging in Ukraine since the Russian invasion, the group is present for the 66th Eurovision ceremony and will have all eyes on it.
Because Kalush Orchestra seems well on its way to winning: with more than 60% chances of winning the Eurovision contest, according to the bookmakers’ betting rankings, the Ukrainian formation seems to fly over the competition. The second in the ranking, Sweden, only has an 11% chance of winning according to bettors.
The group Kalush Orchestra, formed in 2019, consists of six members: rapper Oleh Psiuk (recognizable by his pink bob), Ihor Didenchuk, Vlad Kurochka (the three original members of the formation), Vitalii Duzhyk, Tymofii Muzychuk and Oleksandr Slobodianyk . It is the rapper Oleh Psiuk who initiates the project, initially baptized Kalouch, in reference to his birthplace, in the west of Ukraine.
The first song of the now named Kalush Orchestra, Ne marynouireleased on October 17, 2019, followed by a second clip, ty honych. In 2021, the group publishes two albums, Hotin and io-io. In February 2022, the formation participated in the Ukrainian selection for Eurovision, a program called Vidbir, in which he ranks second. But after the withdrawal of the winner after a controversy linked to a trip to Crimea and Russia, it is Kalush Orchestra which becomes the Ukrainian standard bearer in Turin, with the song Stefania.
At war since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, Ukraine still participates in the Eurovision Song Contest. Weeks before the start of the competition, the bookmakers were already giving the Ukrainian candidates at the top of their predictions: Kalush Orchestra and the song Stefania, which seem to appeal to bettors. Facing them, there will be no Russian competition: the country of Vladimir Putin was banned from Eurovision at the start of the war, despite the desire of the organizers to remain apolitical.
“Given the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of Russian participation in this year’s contest would damage the reputation of the competition,” said the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which oversees the competition in a press release.
We said it, so it’s with the song Stefania that the Ukrainian group Kalush Orchestra will try to win victory at Eurovision 2022. Originally, the song, composed long before the Russian invasion, was written by Oleh Psiuk in tribute to his mother. But today, the lyrics sound completely different: “I will always find my way home, even if all the roads are destroyed,” sings the band, for example.
“Since the beginning of the war, (the song) has taken on an even wider resonance, because many mothers miss their children. This song has come closer to the hearts of many Ukrainians. But we also hope that many people around the world will be able to identify with this title”, explains Oleh Psiuk to Entertainment TV.