TURIN, ITALY (CelebrityAccess) – The war-torn country of Ukraine scored a victory Saturday night (May 14) at the Eurovision Song Contest by taking the top spot. It was the first Eurovision final to take place restriction-free as 2020 was canceled, and last year’s contest featured remote performances and on-site stipulations.
The folk-rap act, Kalush Orchestra, represented the country. The winning song, “Stefania,” – is a tribute to the lead singer’s (Oleh Psiuk) mother, who still lives in the Ukrainian city of Kalush, from whence the band gets its name. Kalush Orchestra was an early favorite due to the telephone-voting European public support. Sweden and Spain pulled ahead in the early voting as well.
The UK came in second with viral sensation Sam Ryder and his track, “Space Man.” Ryder has already amassed 12.5 million TikTok viewers before winning second in the contest. This year’s competition was held in Italy, following the country’s win last year by the rock band, Maneskin.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, welcomed the victory, Ukraine’s third since its 2003 Eurovision debut, and said “we will do our best” to one day host the contest in the port city of Mariupol, adding, “Free, peaceful, rebuilt!” “Our courage impresses the world, our music conquers Europe!” he wrote.
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“Please help Ukraine, Mariupol. Help Azovstal right now,” Kalush lead singer Psiuk yelled from the stage immediately after the band performed. The event marked the first in which Ukrainians have taken part since Russia invaded the country in February, with many in the audience waving blue and yellow flags.
