After a one year break Ukraine is finally returning to the Eurovision party. Long-awaited national selection Natsionalnyi Vidbir was once again co-organised by popular Ukrainian broadcasters STB and UA:First. As before, national selection consists of two semi-finals (on February 8 and 15) and the Grand Final (on February 22). During all three shows the results are decided by both televoting and professional juries in proportion of 50/50. The First Semi-Final showed 8 acts, only three of which qualified to the Grand Final. In addition, Ukraine’s representative from 2018 MELOVIN warmed up the audience with his interval act ‘Oh, No!’.
What’s new?
After the ambiguity with qualification requirements that caused Ukraine’s non-participation last year, this time the broadcasters introduced clearer rules for the national selection. The Jury team also got an update, with the Eurovision 2006 representative Tina Karol and producer Vitalii Drozdov joining the veteran of Ukraine’s Vidbir Andriy Danylko (Verka Serduchka). Additionally, the host Serhii Prytula announces that unlike before, this year’s winner will receive sponsorship from the broadcasters on their journey to Rotterdam.
8 Acts and Final Results
The three qualifiers were both juries’ and televoters’ favourites:
1. KRUTЬ / ‘99’ / 16 Points: 8 + 8 (maximum points)
KRUTЬ, whose real name is Maryna Krut’, swiped all the highest available 16 points and became the winner of the First Semi-Final. Her sensual lyrical composition ‘99’ includes lyrics in both Ukrainian and English, and conveys the message that although everyone can fall down, there are 99 reasons to get up again and keep pursuing their path. The highlight of ‘99’ was massive bandura resting on the signer’s laps. In her intro video KRUTЬ said that she can prove that the traditional Ukrainian instrument bandura can be indeed the instrument of the future. Although the singer was visibly alone on the stage, her tender vocals and bandura playing were complemented by a peaceful and mesmerizing staging
2. Go_A / ‘Соловей’ / 13 Points: 6 + 7
KRUTЬ was not alone in bringing Ukrainian ethnic motives to the First Semi-Final. The band of three, Go_A performed their composition ‘Solovei’ (‘Nightingale’), a mix of Ukrainian folk vocals and energizing dancing beats. Dynamic but static in the beginning the song culminated with hard rock beats in the end. The host noticed that the band’s lead vocalist Katia Pavlenko’s vocals are indeed indistinguishable from that of Ukrainian grandmas who usually perform using this technique.
3. Jerry Heil / ‘Vegan’ / 13 Points: 7 + 6
After gaining massive popularity with her satirical song ‘Охрана Отмена’ Jerry Heil has been known mostly for her songs that ironically mock mass culture. This time her song ‘Vegan’ ridicules the hardships that vegan people, such as herself, have to face on a daily basis. After her performance Jerry Heil told the host that her song not only represents veganism but also represents Ukraine as a country with progressive and tolerant culture.
The five representatives who did not qualify to the Grand Final are as follows. COUDLESS with their catchy and romantic tune ‘Drow Me Down’ came only 3 points short from the Top-3.
4. CLOUDLESS / ‘Drow Me Down’ / 10 Points: 5 + 5
5. Katya Chilly / ‘Піч/Pich’ / 7 Points: 4 + 3
6. GIO / ‘Feeling So Lost’ / 6 Points: 2 + 4
7. [O] / ‘Там, куди я йду’ / 5 Points: 3 + 2
8. Assol / ‘Save It’ / 2 Points: 1 + 1