Mr. Psiuk, the song with which your band Kalush Orchestra is representing Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), “Stefania”, is dedicated to your mother.

How is she right now?

Sofia Dreisbach

North American political correspondent based in Washington.

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My mother is in Kalush right now.

I can't say she's safe because I don't know of any place in Ukraine that's safe right now.

But she is at home.

One line of the song says: "I will always come to you, even if all the roads are destroyed." Many relate this to the war in Ukraine.

How does the war change your music?

The song was written long before the war.

Many can identify with the lyrics, but it is definitely and only about my mother.

After the Russian invasion, many people started looking for an additional meaning in it.

For example those who are sad that they can't see their mother right now.

That's why the song is now in the hearts and ears of Ukrainians.

How can you concentrate on the music when there is war in your own country?

That's not that easy.

For a long time we couldn't even get together with the whole band to rehearse.

It was only recently that we had the rehearsal we had all been longing for.

But everything will be fine.

Your band uploaded a video of two men on Tiktok at the end of March, both in military uniform, one of them with a colorful mask in front of his face.

“Who knows the man?” it said.

Did any of you fight in the war?

Yes, one of our band members is helping defend Kyiv.

He won't be on stage with us.

And each of us helps in one way or another.

Hardly anything is going as before, the people are busy defending their country.

I work with 35 people in a volunteer organization that helps with transport, shelter and medicine.

And it was still clear that you would take part in the ESC despite everything?

At the beginning of the war it was not clear whether we as artists would be able to stand on the stage in Turin in May - and whether we would survive.

But it is now clear that we can leave the country for this.

We are on tour now but after that we will return until we go to Italy for the ESC.

And after the final it's back to Ukraine.

To what extent will the war play a role in the performance?

We're not revealing our secret yet, you'll see that on May 10th.

We want people to pay attention to how original and unique our music and performance is, how it reflects our Ukrainian spirit.

What is it - the Ukrainian spirit?

Our mentality.

It's written in our national anthem: We will give our soul and body for our freedom.

That's exactly what's happening.

How people help each other is our strength.

Kalush is the name of the town you come from.

You named your band after that.

How is it there?

Kalush is in the western Ukrainian region of Ivano-Frankivsk, I was born there.

It is a provincial town with 70,000 inhabitants, an industrial city.

What is your favorite place in Kalush?

There are a few.

i love the landscape

And the potassium factory, from whose hill you can see the whole city – just as you can see all of Paris from the Eiffel Tower.

Like all your songs, "Stefania" is a mixture of rap and folk music.

How much home is there in this style of music?

The essence is that we take up the old Ukrainian folklore that has been forgotten.

We dig them up from many generations and add modern, contemporary, rap, instruments.

We end up with a combination of what our ancestors had and what young people like today.

And these are our songs.

The younger generation likes it - what do your grandparents say about it?

Audiences aged between five and 75 came to our concerts.

Our audience is so diverse, it's impressive.

Many of those who recently came to your concerts may have fled the Ukraine by now.

How do you deal with such thoughts?

We feel a great responsibility.

We represent our country in a time of war, that's important.

We try to be useful and do the best for Ukraine.

Are there also people who don't understand that you are participating in the Eurovision Song Contest while your country is at war?

I've only heard one or two such comments.

Most think exactly the opposite: they wish us luck.

Even those who are not fans of us or the ESC.

They wish us luck and say that this is very important for Ukraine now.

What message do you want to send by participating in the ESC?

Don't pretend that what's happening in Ukraine is a war movie.

Something far away.

Ukraine is the center of Europe and this brutal war is happening in the center of Europe.

When you wake up and hear explosions.

When you don't know if your parents, your friends, your relatives are still alive.

This experience drives you insane, it destroys your mental health.

The faster we get help from Europe, the faster we come together, the more people help and inform about it, the faster the war will end.

And do not spread to other countries.