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Eurovision 2022: Ukrainian Band Kalush Orchestra wins

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Eurovision 2022: Ukrainian Band Kalush Orchestra Wins

Kalush Orchestra

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave signs that he was watching from Kyiv, and rooting for Ukrainian band.

Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision Song Contest in the early hours of Sunday in a clear show of support for the war-ravaged nation.

The six-man band that mixes traditional folk melodies and contemporary hip hop in a purposeful defense of Ukrainian culture was the sentimental and bookmakers’ favorite among the 25 bands and performers competing in the grand finale. The public vote from home was decisive in securing their victory.

The band’s frontman, Oleg Psiuk, took advantage of the enormous global audience to make an impassioned plea to free fighters still trapped beneath a sprawling steel plant in the southern port city of Mariupol following the six-man band’s performance.

“I ask all of you, please help Ukraine, Mariupol. Help Azovstal, right now,″ Psiu, said, to the live crowd of some 7,500, many of whom gave a standing ovation, and a global television audience of millions.

The plea to free the remaining Ukrainian fighters trapped beneath the Azovstal plant by Russians served as a somber reminder that the hugely popular and at times flamboyant Eurovision song contest was being played out against the backdrop of a war on Europe’s eastern flank.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave signs that he was watching from Kyiv, and rooting for Ukrainian band.

“Indeed, this is not a war, but nevertheless, for us today, any victory is very important,″ Zelenskyy said, according to a .presidential statement. “So, let’s cheer for ours. Glory be to Ukraine!”

Kalush Orchestra was among 25 bands performing in the Eurovision Song Contest final front of a live audience in the industrial northern city of Turin, while millions more watched on television or via streaming around the world.

Russia was excluded this year after its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, a move organizers said was meant to keep politics out of the contest that promotes diversity and friendship among nations.

Ukraine’s song, “Stefania,” was written as a tribute to the frontman’s mother, but has transformed since the war into an anthem to the beleaguered nation, as lyrics take on new meaning. “I’ll always find my way home, even if all roads are destroyed,” Kalush Orchestra frontman Oleh Psiuk wrote.

The six-member, all-male band received special permission to leave the country to represent Ukraine and Ukrainian culture at the music contest. One of the original members stayed to fight, and the others plan to return as soon as the contest is over.

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As the Russian invasion of Ukraine inches closer to the three-month mark, nearly all of Europe stopped on Saturday to honor one of the continent’s most popular traditions, the Eurovision Song Contest. Conceived as a tranquil way for European countries to compete against each other, the singing competition boasts that it’s helped keep the peace in Europe. Organized by the European Broadcasting Union, the event is marketed as a place where countries put aside their cultural differences and overcome language barriers through the power of music.

But Russia was banned this year, and Ukraine’s entry was one of those favored to win the 2022 Grand Final as much on sympathy as on merit. As expected, though the professional juries mostly backed other countries, the popular vote went overwhelmingly for Ukraine, giving it the win. That might seem to go against the spirit of the broadcast, but the intrigue is actually what makes Eurovision tick: It’s a proxy outlet for the international politics bubbling beneath its slick europop surface, one those at home need more than ever before.

It’s precisely this subsumed political feeling that brings throngs in to watch year after year. (The 2021 edition boasted an audience of 183 million, making it the most widely watched live non-sporting event in the world.) The singing contest is a cultural juggernaut that has mostly eluded American understanding and attention, except perhaps as the vehicle that launched ABBA and Celine Dion. From its decades as a positive gay influence (which is still a point of pride), to the satisfaction of voting for the country “that deserves a win,” Eurovision has always been more that just music, and with the war in Ukraine currently raging, Eurovision now feels more relevant than ever.

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5 minutes ago, Entea said:

Pitty win for sure

I'm confused why the UK came 2nd tho. It's a step up from our previous entries but it's nothing special rip4

Spain should have won...the choreo, the vocals, the outfits, the stage presence....EVERYTHING was on point

I'm sad for The Netherlands though, I knew S10 wouldn't win, but I had hopes for a top 10 entry 

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I’m usually quite interested in watching ESC, but this year I never gave a sh*t about it lol3

About 90% of the time, I’m just watching for Graham Norton’s commentary, and the other 10% is the songs themselves.

I’m honestly STUNNED at the U.K. apparently coming in 2nd. I mean I haven’t heard any of this years songs yet, but my God, I thought we’d never recover after the whole Brexit thing ari7

 

… is it true that Serbia’s song was about Meghan Markle’s hair???? jj2

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16 minutes ago, V For Vendetta said:

… is it true that Serbia’s song was about Meghan Markle’s hair???? jj2

Yeah apparently in Serbia, as an artist you don't get health insurance jj4 so the song is about staying clean and healthy just as Meghan's hair jj4 

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After hearing the other entries, I actually think it was a deserved win. I think they would’ve won/ranked high even if there wasn’t an ongoing war. Their song had everything it takes to become popular in Eurovision. Parts of their countries culture, it was unique and it was catchy.

I’m so glad it won over BORING Sweden and UK, and Spain with a basic entry we’ve seen 1000 times before rip4 

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17 hours ago, V For Vendetta said:

… is it true that Serbia’s song was about Meghan Markle’s hair???? jj2

It is just one line. eve1 

17 hours ago, Kylie said:

Yeah apparently in Serbia, as an artist you don't get health insurance jj4 so the song is about staying clean and healthy just as Meghan's hair jj4 

There is health insurance for unemployed. 

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35 minutes ago, SeekingThrill said:

 

There is health insurance for unemployed. 

But as an artist, you are not unemployed....

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8 minutes ago, SeekingThrill said:

Depends what kind of artist. 

Being a painter means being unemployed. 

That's such bullshit jj4 sorry this is no attack to you, but if you have an assignment from someone, you are working, right?

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13 hours ago, Kristina said:

I’m so glad it won over BORING Sweden and UK, and Spain with a basic entry we’ve seen 1000 times before rip4 

Ikr, especially Sweden has been sending the same boring shit for years and always gets gifted Top 5 placements by the juries lol3  

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1 minute ago, fab said:

Ikr, especially Sweden has been sending the same boring shit for years and always gets gifted Top 5 placements by the juries lol3  

I literally said this last night, the usual basic ass Swedish pop production lol3 try something new for once, but why would they when they always do well anyways.

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Pitty win for sure I'm confused why the UK came 2nd tho. It's a step up from our previous entries but it's nothing special

Were they any good or is this a larger scale version of the contestant on America's Got Talent winning right after they tell the audience their sob story?

After hearing the other entries, I actually think it was a deserved win. I think they would’ve won/ranked high even if there wasn’t an ongoing war. Their song had everything it takes to become popular


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