Kalush Orchestra, a band representing Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest, has made it into the final.
Oleh Psiuk, the band’s leader, wrote a song called Stefania long before the Ukraine War started. The song combines elements of folk music and rap music and is dedicated to Psiuk’s mother. “Stefania is my mother’s name. I dedicate this song to her, and I’m bringing it to Eurovision. It is a candid and heartwarming track, and it has so much Ukrainian in it, Europe digs this style,” written on the band’s Instagram.
Kalush Orchestra was#6 in the queue. Many people from the crowd brought their yellow-blue flags.
Switzerland, Armenia, Iceland, Lithuania, Portugal, Norway, Greece, Moldova and the Netherlands also qualified for the final. A total of 17 competitors contested in Wednesday’s semi-final. Russia was also expected to be there, but the country was dropped from the competition after invading Ukraine.
The second semi-final is planned for 12 May when another set of 18 national champions will fight to make it into the finals scheduled for 14 May. This year’s edition of Eurovision is held in Turin, Italy.
Kalush is a Ukrainian rap group formed in 2019. The group’s members are Oleh Psiuk, Ihor Didenchuk and MC KylymMen. The group is named after Psiuk's hometown of Kalush near Ivano-Frankivsk.
Despite finishing only as runners-up in the domestic qualifiers, the band were offered a chance to represent Ukraine after the withdrawal of Alyna Pash due to controversy regarding her travel history in Crimea.
