Kalush Orchestra will represent Ukraine at Eurovision 2022 to be held in May in Turin (Italy), with the song
Stefania
.
The group was authorized to leave Ukraine to participate in concerts which allow them to meet the media and to speak for their country at war.
He performed in Israel on Thursday and in Amsterdam (Netherlands) on Saturday.
“It is very important for us to seize the opportunity to represent our country and be of as much use to it as possible.
It is essential that Ukraine is not forgotten and Eurovision is a way to get people talking about it, ”says rapper Oleh Psiuk to
20 Minutes
who met him on Saturday in Amsterdam.
From our special correspondent in Amsterdam (Netherlands),
“It is very important for us to seize the opportunity to represent our country and be of as much use to it as possible.
It is essential that Ukraine is not forgotten and Eurovision is a way to get people talking about it, ”he said to
20 Minutes
who met him in Amsterdam (Netherlands).
Looking serious, barely brightened by the pink bob which he never separates and which covers part of his eyes, Oleh Psiuk, this Saturday continues interviews with the international media to which, via his translator, he more or less repeats the same things.
The rapper and the members of his group, Kalush Orchestra, obtained last week a special authorization from the Ukrainian State to leave the territory and take part in the promotional concerts organized ahead of Eurovision where, in a month, they will defend Ukrainian chances.
A QR Code to collect donations
This is an opportunity for them to speak for their country at war.
“We want to encourage everyone to help us end the war as soon as possible.
The more people speak out, the more they will motivate their decision-makers to act, the sooner the war will end”, pleads Oleh Psiuk, from microphone to microphone.
On Monday, the Kalush Orchestra arrived in Tel Aviv for
Israel Calling
, a multi-day event that culminated on Thursday with a major concert featuring twenty-four of the forty artists in the running. 'Eurovision 2022. In the meantime, they passed by the headquarters of the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem, where they sang two songs in front of an audience made up of young Ukrainian refugees.
On Friday, it was on Dutch television that the Ukrainian group was invited.
The next day, he appeared at Eurovision In Concert, at AFAS Live in Amsterdam.
In front of the cosmopolitan crowd, in which there were spectators from, among others, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Ireland or France, the Ukrainians sang their title for the competition while , in the background, the QR Code referring to the site set up to collect donations for Ukraine.
“Ukrainian musicians are very united, very active”
Since the beginning of the war, on February 24, the members of Kalush Orchestra have mobilized in their own way.
Oleh Psiuk thus created an organization to collect and distribute food, medicine and clothing to people in need.
Social networks, hitherto intended for promotion, have become privileged channels to alert on the situation in Ukraine, to disseminate information, to federate solidarity.
"Ukrainian musicians are very united, very active," said the rapper to
20 Minutes
.
“Some write committed, relevant songs,” he adds, making it clear that artistic creation has not been put on hold by the Russian invasion.
Stefania
, the Kalush Orchestra song for Eurovision, has taken on a symbolic dimension over the weeks.
The lyrics are those of a child realizing that his mother is aging and paying tribute to her for her strength, her courage and all that she has given her.
The text says, for example: “She rocked me, gave me the rhythm and undoubtedly the power of the will.
She took nothing, but gave everything” or “I will always walk towards you through rough roads”.
“At the start, I wrote it and dedicated it to my mother, whose name is Stefania, explains Oleh Psiuk.
Since the war, it has taken on another meaning for Ukrainians.
Some think of the Motherland, others of their mother who they miss.
It is a song that speaks closely to the hearts of my compatriots.
»
“Any victory is good for Ukraine”
An emotion which, at Eurovision, could well transcend land and language borders,
Stefania
is entirely sung in Ukrainian.
Its musical qualities, mixing rap and folk sounds, coupled with the possibility of votes as a sign of solidarity, make the Kalush Orchestra the big favorites to win in Turin on May 14, according to the bookmakers.
The group does not take the competition lightly.
“We think that any victory is good for Ukraine, assures Oleh Psiuk to
20 Minutes
.
We want to show the world how good, authentic and original Ukrainian music can be and we want this music to be heard.
»
Literally, as well as figuratively, Eurovision is for Ukraine a way of taking part in the great concert of European nations, of presenting itself as a country turned towards the West.
On Friday, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, gave the Ukrainian Head of State Volodymyr Zelensky the documents to apply for membership of the European Union (EU).
Information that Oleh Psiuk sees with a good eye.
“We Ukrainians have had this dream for years of joining the EU, he
told 20 Minutes
.
We could also bring him because we are really united, open, we are good people.
»
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