Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, the country has still qualified for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest Final, which takes place this Saturday 15 May, 2022. The country has on occasion offered some unique and unusual performances.
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Last year Ukraine came 5th with Go_A’s performance of ‘SHUM’. This year, the country seems to be a favourite with Kalush Orchestra’s performance of ‘Stefania’.
Svetlana Loboda, ‘Be My Valentine (Anti-Crisis Girl)’, 2009
In 2008, we saw Svetlana Loboda perform ‘Be My Valentine’. On stage, the singer was accompanied by dancing Roman soldiers. The performance's set was incredible with a light show and for an unknown reason three massive gears. Then, just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, Loboda starts playing the drums very enthusiastically. Ukraine came 21st that year.
Mariya Yaremchuk, ‘Tick-Tock’, 2014
The best part about Eurovision is often the props used during performances. One year, Ukraine decided to use a massive hamster wheel. Yes, that’s right, the dancer during Mariya Yaremchuk’s performance of ‘Tick-Tock’ was in what looked like a hamster wheel. The dance sequence was so iconic that it inspired a scene in Netflix’s 2020 filmEurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, which starred Will Ferrel and Rachel McAdams. Ukraine came 6th in 2014.
Mélovin, ‘Under the Ladder’, 2018
As we’ve mentioned before, Eurovision is known for its unusual choice of props. One that seems to be very popular is the use of pianos as instruments and props. Many countries have used pianos, such as Romania in 2014 and Austria in 2015. But once Ukraine used the piano as a prop in one of the most unique ways. During Mélovin’s performance of ‘Under the Ladder’ in 2018, he used a piano as a coffin whilst dressed as a vampire. They came 17th that year.
Verka Serduchka, ‘Dancing Lasha Tumbai’, 2007
One of Ukraine’s most iconic performances was in 2007 with drag queen Verka Serduchka. This may be one of Eurovision’s most iconic and famous performances ever. Verka Serduchka performed ‘Dancing Lasha Tumbai’ in an almost futuristic-like outfit - which was designed by none other than Dolce & Gabbana.
One of the reasons this performance is so iconic is that the song is performed in a mixture of English, German, Ukrainian, and Russian. Moreover, at one point, the lyrics of the song sound like ‘Russia Goodbye’. Serduchka’s performance sparked a lot of controversy, especially in Ukraine. The reason is that Verka Serduchka is a drag queen and the conservatives in Ukraine were upset that she was representing their country. Despite the controversy, Ukraine came in 2nd.
Read more:
⋙ Eurovision: Ukraine asks that Russia be removed from the competition
⋙ War in Ukraine: Angelina Jolie evacuated during her visit to Ukraine
