Kalush Orchestra stormed to victory in the 66th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday 14th May, bringing Ukraine their third Eurovision win.
Kalush Orchestra performed their song “Stefania”, an upbeat folk-rap song in the grand final of Eurovision 2022 in Turin, receiving 192 points from the juries and a whopping 439 points from the televoters. With a grand total of 631 points, this is the second highest Eurovision score after Salvador Sobral’s 758 points in 2017.
Their televote score of 439 points is the highest ever received in Eurovision history, overtaking Salvador Sobral’s televote score of 376 points in 2017. 28 out of 39 countries awarded Ukraine their 12 televote points, the most number of 12 points any country has received in Eurovision history.
A ray of sunshine during dark times
Kalush Orchestra’s Eurovision win could be described as monumental, and it is definetley one that will never be forgotten. Their journey to the Eurovision stage in Turin has not been an easy one, and there were many periods of uncertainty over whether Ukraine would be able to travel to Italy, or even participate in The Eurovision Song Contest this year.
But against all the odds, Kalush Orchestra were very lucky in being able to leave their country, and their positions in the Ukrainian Army, to represent their country on an international stage, bringing with them a message of hope, love and peace to share with the whole world (or at least Europe and Australia anyway!)
Through their Eurovision participation, and subsequent victory, Kalush Orchestra have been able to share a message of defiance and resiliance. They have been able to bring some hope and happiness to Ukrainian’s all over the world, during a time of uncertainty and unease.
Is Eurovision 2023 headed to Ukraine?
As Ukraine is still in a state of war, at this moment in time, it seems unlikely that Ukraine would realistically be able to host Eurovision next year. Although Ukraine’s Prime Minister, Volodymyr Zelensky, has stated that he would like to see Eurovision hosted in a peaceful Ukraine.
As a result, it seems increasingly likely that a member of the Big 5 (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom) would host the contest in their honor. Sweden have also expressed their desire to offer to host Eurovision in 2023.
Are you a fan of “Stefania”? Do you think Ukraine could host Eurovision in 2023? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
