At the top of their efficiency, the members of Kalush Orchestra, palms to their hearts, made a passionate plea.
“I ask for all of you,” frontman Oleh Psiuk mentioned, “please help Ukraine, Mariupol. Help Azovstal right now.”
“Our courage impresses the world, our music conquers Europe!” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on his official Telegram channel shortly after the end result was introduced.
World leaders have been fast to reply to the win, which highlighted the best way Ukraine’s fierce resistance to the Russian invasion has galvanized public assist across the globe.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted that the Ukrainian band’s win “is a clear reflection of not just your talent, but of the unwavering support for your fight for freedom.”
Writing on his official Twitter account late Saturday, European Council President Charles Michel congratulated the Ukrainian band and expressed hope that subsequent yr’s contest will be hosted by Kyiv in a “free and united Ukraine.” The Ukrainian president mentioned he hoped at some point sooner or later to host contestants within the shattered port metropolis of Mariupol, presently besieged by Russian forces.
British Foreign Minister Liz Truss described it as a “great result” — even because the fan vote bumped her nation’s entry into second spot in a contest that extra usually evokes a powerful sense of patriotism amongst die-hard followers.
Kalush Orchestra, which made it to Saturday’s grand remaining of this yr’s Eurovision with a flamboyant efficiency watched by almost 200 million folks, was favored by bookmakers to win for its efficiency of the folk-rap mash-up “Stefania.”
The Ukrainian band — which mixes hip-hop with Ukrainian people dance — is one among 25 acts that competed within the final spherical of Eurovision, the world’s longest-running televised music competitors, which attracts votes from viewers and as soon as helped launch Abba. The band was one of many most-watched on YouTube amongst this yr’s 40 nationwide entries.
For Psiuk, the music has turn out to be a tribute to Ukraine, and the stage a platform to remind folks of Russia’s struggle towards his nation. He first sang it as an ode to his mom, however onstage on the Eurovision semifinals this week, the lyrics resonated in another way. “I’ll always come to you, by broken roads,” he rapped in his pink bucket hat.
During the efficiency on Saturday, a display screen over the stage confirmed a girl’s teary eyes. A waterfall in entrance of the stage glowed with yellow and blue lights overhead, the colours of Ukraine’s flag.
“If we win, it will be another opportunity to show Ukraine to the world, to remind people about Ukraine, and to increase morale in the whole country,” the 27-year-old mentioned this week.
Ukrainian authorities allowed the singer and his group to journey to compete in Italy regardless of banning most males ages 18 to 60 from leaving the nation in anticipation that they might be referred to as to struggle.
Ukrainian followers tuning in to Saturday’s remaining heard commentary from presenter Timur Miroshnychenko broadcasting from an underground bunker. The public broadcaster Suspilne posted images of him sitting at a desk with computer systems and a digicam in a makeshift studio.
“We don’t have many happy moments right now in our country,” he instructed BBC Radio 5 Live this week. “Nothing is going to interrupt the broadcast of Eurovision.”
The annual competitors was first held in 1956, and whereas its organizers within the European Broadcasting Union have billed it as a “nonpolitical” occasion, it has typically mirrored the political dynamics of its time.
In reality, the band changed Ukraine’s authentic act, Alina Pash, this yr due to an investigation right into a go to she reportedly made in 2015 to Crimea, the peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. And after the Kremlin launched its struggle on Ukraine in February, Russia was banned from this yr’s contest.
In 2016, the Ukrainian entry by Crimean Tatar singer Jamala scored Ukraine its second Eurovision win. When the competition was held the following yr within the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, Russia was barred from becoming a member of.
Armenia and Georgia have been among the many contenders to drag out in previous years over tensions with different international locations, and the bearded Austrian drag queen Conchita Wurst’s victory in 2014 sparked debate about LGBTQ rights.
On Saturday, after studying that his band had received the competition, Psiuk thanked the viewers who had put Kalush Orchestra excessive. He then devoted the win to his compatriots preventing an invasion again residence.
“This victory is for every Ukrainian: Slava Ukraini!”
Annabelle Chapman contributed to this report.