escYOUnited
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Ukraine UKRAINE 2022 - Kalush Orchestra - Stefania
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Phoenix
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Didn't have any expectations, but ended up really liking this on first listen. It kind of reminds me of 90's New Age hits that were massive and sounded sublime. Did we even have one of those in the contest since like Sanomi? Anyway, 
for now.
for now.
Alina poured all her soul and emotions into this song and performance and it shows. Without going too much into present day politics, this feels like a lamentation for the forgotten ancestors who lived "between the storms for centuries" as the song puts it, the numerous empires and despots who left their mark on the region, with scars that can be felt even today. I like how the song mentions 'trembitas' which is a Carpathian horn used to announce deaths, funerals and weddings. We even have a word in Romanian that is derived from the instrument: "trâmbițează". This song really does just that, decrying the suppression of local culture, traditions and customs, because as much as we want to leave the past behind and pretend we are all fine, we have to acknowledge it in order to 'make our own history'.
I wasn't a fan of the spoken word section at first, but I think it perfectly encapsulates the feelings of desperation and sorrow of the song overall, a scream in the void: let me breathe, let me exist. I know it's a heavy song, it's not for everyone, but that's the beauty of Eurovision, we can have different themes, storylines and styles, all that are equally 'deserving' to be presented on stage, contrary to what some eurofans think.
This got me way too emotional so it's a
I wasn't a fan of the spoken word section at first, but I think it perfectly encapsulates the feelings of desperation and sorrow of the song overall, a scream in the void: let me breathe, let me exist. I know it's a heavy song, it's not for everyone, but that's the beauty of Eurovision, we can have different themes, storylines and styles, all that are equally 'deserving' to be presented on stage, contrary to what some eurofans think.
This got me way too emotional so it's a
WhoKnows
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Rightful winner. Alina killed it, as expected. I can't wait to see how they stage it at ESC. And I know people like to complain about it, but I hope they keep the English spoken word part. I think it works. In fact, I hope they don't change a thing about the song.
ADORED Wellboy's performance. So much joy and fun. Kalush were great too, but that closeup of mom was cringe. Roxolana was not good, however. I enjoyed the staging, but her vocals were rough. With that said, I hope all three songs are hits in Ukraine. It's a shame they couldn't all win. I can't remember the last time I liked four songs at Vidbir this much.
ADORED Wellboy's performance. So much joy and fun. Kalush were great too, but that closeup of mom was cringe. Roxolana was not good, however. I enjoyed the staging, but her vocals were rough. With that said, I hope all three songs are hits in Ukraine. It's a shame they couldn't all win. I can't remember the last time I liked four songs at Vidbir this much.
They made the best choice imo. The song is great and has a very interesting and unusual for ESC message. Some parts of the song could be a bit more dynamic cause it gets a little tiring at some point, however the rap part that I originally didn't like in the studio version, was almost moving live and was a nice break from the song.
If they adjust the performance a bit, I think, at least for now, that top 10 is very possible for Ukraine.
If they adjust the performance a bit, I think, at least for now, that top 10 is very possible for Ukraine.
Fierro
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There's so much hate going on towards Alina from Kalush/Wellboy fans in our segment of internet. People who think she will not qualify to the Final and Wellboy would win ESC especially amaze me 
It's Jamala 2.0 situation basically
It's Jamala 2.0 situation basically
SwissKung
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An 8 for the song as I am not a fan of the talking bit but that performance was emotionally and visually strong. A contender for the win at the moment.
shameless
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You know, she was told that someone won a few years ago that sounded like a chicken.WTF are those weird sounds at the very beginning & end?
I like it, another daring choice from Ukraine which when take the current trend of white voices on ESC in consideration is not so daring anymore. It reminds me of a few recent entries mashed together which is weird because it is very unique as well.
Again, they continue to be a powerhouse and might look at another good result. They're just short of the 9th and 8th place to obtain every place within the top 10 at least once.
10/12
crashworld
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I would give Ukraine a thousand points for the message and lyrical content, the song shows the suffering and pain of Ukrainians without ever crossing into uncomfortable nationalism which I really appreciate.
Musically I’m left a little cold, I feel that with a revamp this could be shiver-worthy but atm it’s just a bit limp.
I agree. I appreciate her trying to bring forth Ukraine's culture and history into her entry and still feel authentic to her. I do like the song (except the poetry-spoken-rap parts in English which is dire and sounds extremely jarring to my ears). It's a very well-packaged entry but it does feels a little calculative (especially the staging, it feels like she is trying to force the message down to the audience) and does left me cold after watching (maybe I'm cold-blooded).
I still remember people complaining about Germany 2017 doing similar, flashing all the father-children pictures in the backdrop and people said he's trying hard to play the heartstring cards. And when Kobi from Israel 2019 also cried at the end of his performance and then people saying he is faking. And now people are fine with Alina's staging "antics"? #idontknow
I am not sold as of now. It's still a good entry (don't get me wrong), but just not my cup of tea.
In fact, I feel Roxolana's, Wellboy's and even Kalush's entries did a better job in infusing Ukrainian's sounds/culture into their songs. Theirs feel more organic and less "forced" (for the lack of better word).
FilipFromSweden
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The title gave me 2015 Armenia war flashbacks
Go_A is a hard act to follow. The song is impactful and overall pretty strong, I just think the picture of her crying in the back is overkill and takes away from it a bit, as a viewer I don't need to have my hand held, I can already understand that the song is about pain
Go_A is a hard act to follow. The song is impactful and overall pretty strong, I just think the picture of her crying in the back is overkill and takes away from it a bit, as a viewer I don't need to have my hand held, I can already understand that the song is about pain
Sammy
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Musically this is enchanting. It breathes traditional musical spirit but is still accessible. The only part that is really, really strange and damages greater impression of the song for me is the "rap" part for multiple reasons.
It's obviously meant to be a rap because it has the typical rhyme/rhythm-structure of rap, but its too slow and too unrhythmic to be recognized as rap so it always lingers between a badly executed rap attempt and a spoken "preaching" part (like Jacques Houde tried to do in his introduction).
The other reason is: this is obviously a song about Ukrainian history and ancestry. But what are Dante, Grimm and Shakespeare doing in that? If this is, as it seems to be, an attempt to classify Ukraine as country in western European tradition that will be perceived as a political statement and we're in for another year of drama that this time finds its counterpart in a very dangerous geopolitical situation.
If these references are not seen as a statement to include Ukraine in the western European culture, then these references endanger the whole credibility of the message and the lyrical quality of the song because it makes the lyrics incoherent respectively give the impression of Ukraine being a country who has no big names out of their own legacy to cite.
Of course this is my view from outside. I'd find it interesting how Ukrainians perceive these cultural references in the lyrics when the song is about Ukrainian heritage.
It's obviously meant to be a rap because it has the typical rhyme/rhythm-structure of rap, but its too slow and too unrhythmic to be recognized as rap so it always lingers between a badly executed rap attempt and a spoken "preaching" part (like Jacques Houde tried to do in his introduction).
The other reason is: this is obviously a song about Ukrainian history and ancestry. But what are Dante, Grimm and Shakespeare doing in that? If this is, as it seems to be, an attempt to classify Ukraine as country in western European tradition that will be perceived as a political statement and we're in for another year of drama that this time finds its counterpart in a very dangerous geopolitical situation.
If these references are not seen as a statement to include Ukraine in the western European culture, then these references endanger the whole credibility of the message and the lyrical quality of the song because it makes the lyrics incoherent respectively give the impression of Ukraine being a country who has no big names out of their own legacy to cite.
Of course this is my view from outside. I'd find it interesting how Ukrainians perceive these cultural references in the lyrics when the song is about Ukrainian heritage.
Mainshow
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I just think that the speaking/rap part makes use of references to art/literature people are aware of.
Common knowledge of literature is very Western European-centric - the canon has been formed by Caucasian men. Over centuries.
Since the song itself is very ethno and may be difficult to understand for foreigners (it gets its message heard via visuals and sounds, though), I think that Alina tries to reach Europeans/English-speaking people by including references they are fully aware of.
Also, the references are well-chosen and highlights the lyrics of the parts in Ukrainian, like finding strength by uniting (Duma), finding your way back home (Brother´s Grimm), demanding/working/asking for peace (Picasso), creating something immortal or everlasting for the descendents (Shakespeare). Of course, we could interpret it into more detail but I think that that´s the core essence or intention of the lyrical I (or even Alina).
Moreover, the Ukrainian part repeates the word "Chronicles" as well and hence, refers to a lyrical tradition - so all in all, these references to well-known and prestigious literature is quite well-chosen, imo. They shouldn´t make us perceive Ukraine to be "more Western". They should make us (the listeners who can name tons of white and Western authors and maybe only very few to almost none Eastern European/Asian writers) understand the core meaning/message/essence of the song.
Common knowledge of literature is very Western European-centric - the canon has been formed by Caucasian men. Over centuries.
Since the song itself is very ethno and may be difficult to understand for foreigners (it gets its message heard via visuals and sounds, though), I think that Alina tries to reach Europeans/English-speaking people by including references they are fully aware of.
Also, the references are well-chosen and highlights the lyrics of the parts in Ukrainian, like finding strength by uniting (Duma), finding your way back home (Brother´s Grimm), demanding/working/asking for peace (Picasso), creating something immortal or everlasting for the descendents (Shakespeare). Of course, we could interpret it into more detail but I think that that´s the core essence or intention of the lyrical I (or even Alina).
Moreover, the Ukrainian part repeates the word "Chronicles" as well and hence, refers to a lyrical tradition - so all in all, these references to well-known and prestigious literature is quite well-chosen, imo. They shouldn´t make us perceive Ukraine to be "more Western". They should make us (the listeners who can name tons of white and Western authors and maybe only very few to almost none Eastern European/Asian writers) understand the core meaning/message/essence of the song.
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Mainshow
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Kalush Orchestra accusated the organisers of falsifying Vidbir's results
If it's true, the organisers did a great job
I don´t really get them, tbh.
They were 3rd in the jury vote. Of course, it sucks because if they had been ranked #2, they would have won the preselection but it´s not like Wellboy didn´t deserve being ranked #2 with such a great performance (he ended up being #3 in the televoting and many users in this forum also thought that his performance was amazing).
Personally, I think that the performances of Kalush Orchestra or Wellboy could have been interchangeable (in terms of jury placing).
The juries counted as much as the televoters (unlike what we´ve seen in Spain). If the organisers of Vidbir really wanted to falsify the results, they wouldn´t have announced Kalush Orchestra to be the winner of the televoting.
I totally agree with you, and anyway who cares about them now
'CAUSE WE'RE GOING TO KIEV IN 2023
Mainshow
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I totally agree with you, and anyway who cares about them now
'CAUSE WE'RE GOING TO KIEV IN 2023
I do, though, I really loved their entry and performance (but in the end, I thought that Alina and Wellboy were more entertaining).
Moreover, I can totally understand that they want to see some sort of scoreboard or the numbers - we all do - especially since Vidbir had technical difficulties regarding the scoreboard (which was not shown).
Also, hosts getting confused about the results can happen. Lena announced wrong German points in ESC 2013, Steve Harvey announced the wrong winner of "Miss Universe" in 2015, etc. Things like this can happen.
Yesterday, however, no wrong winner has been announced - they just had problems with the scoreboard/the host got confused (a human error?).
The earlier the Ukrainian broadcaster releaseds the whole scoreboard/the numbers of the televoting, the better, though.
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