Latest news with #KalushOrchestra
Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Eurovision icon Sam Ryder's emotional message to Remember Monday ahead of final
The Eurovision star came second in the international competition in 2022 with his his single Space Man - losing out on the top spot to Ukraine amid their conflict with Russia Ahead of Remember Monday's attempt to bring the UK to Eurovision victory once again, former contestant Sam Ryder has given them some words of advice. The singer-songwriter came a hair's breadth from winning the competition in 2022, with his single Space Man. And with the grand final of this year's massive international music competition just hours away, Sam had a few words of encouragement for the country-pop three-piece. Speaking with Magic Radio presenter Gabby Roslin, he told the girls to "smash it". Host Gabby asked Sam: "OK, so the girls, how are they gonna be feeling right now?" He replied: "They're gonna be buzzing. I'm sending them all my love and I'm sending every single person that has the nutrients to get on that stage and look down the camera lens at 180m people or something like that." Sam added: "Yep. All of them are going to be going through the same human emotions that are basically 'what on earth is this? What is happening?' And this is completely the opposite of natural, so yeah, shine completely brightly and remember you're putting on the shirt for your country. So just smash it." The 35-year-old became the highest-scoring UK entrant, earning the country 466 points with his TikTok hit in 2022. He came second to Ukraine, whose rap-folk act Kalush Orchestra won the vote with 631 points, amid their country's conflict with Russia. Sam's second place was a welcome turnaround for the UK, which had previously seen a dramatic decline in its Eurovision success. The UK hadn't even had a top 10 spot since Jade Ewen came fifth in 2009. In 2019 and 2021, the UK came last on the scoreboard, coincidentally when 52% of the country voted to leave the EU in the Brexit referendum. Fans were thrilled with Sam's Eurovision efforts, with Graham Norton saying it was a "fairytale ending to an incredible evening". At the time, Sam told the BBC: "This is the tip of an iceberg. The UK is going to be a force next year. It's gonna be mad." Despite the UK's high hopes, Remember Monday, made up of Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele, have been given some disappointing news ahead of the final in Basel tonight. The country-pop trio have been slammed by bookies who say they are more likely to come last than they are to win. The news will be a huge disappointment to British Eurovision fans, whose dream of a win for the first time in 27 years could be looking unlikely. Hoping to take home the glass microphone trophy - and help to redeem the country's Eurovision reputation - Remember Monday will perform at the 69th Eurovision Song Contest. Ladbrokes have ranked the act at just 66/1 to take home the trophy tonight, with the odds of them coming in last are just 3/1. The chance of them scoring 'nul points' sits at 12/1. Having been given an automatic guaranteed place in the final, the trio performed their song What The Hell Just Happened? this week. It got mixed reviews from fans.
Winnipeg Free Press
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
War reaches Ukrainian rock band Ziferblat even at the Eurovision Song Contest
BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — Ukraine's musicians can't escape war, even at the Eurovision Song Contest. Rock band Ziferblat were in Basel, Switzerland to represent their country when they learned the home of backing singer Khrystyna Starykova in a frontline region of eastern Ukraine had been destroyed by Russian shelling. 'She's so strong,' said guitarist Valentyn Leshchynskyi, who formed Ziferblat with his vocalist twin brother Daniil and drummer Fedir Khodakov. 'She is 19 years old only, but the impact of this situation — I think she won't give up. 'Of course it's difficult when you're losing your flat while you need to stay calm to celebrate here because it's a musical festival, it's not about the war.' The band is set to compete for Ukraine in Saturday's Eurovision grand final with 'Bird of Pray,' a song whose intense vocals and prog rock sound owe something to the 1970s – as does the bell-bottomed pink suit Daniil Leshchynskyi wore in Tuesday's semi-final. Valentyn Leshchynskyi said the lyrical message of loss and hope, centered on a phoenix-like bird, resonates with what Ukrainians experienced in recent years. 'We want to build a dream on the stage – even for three minutes, for Ukrainians – like the war will be over in the very near future,' he told The Associated Press. Ukraine is a longtime Eurovision competitor – as was its neighbor Russia. Both saw their relationship with the continental pop contest transformed by Moscow's full-scale invasion three years ago. Russia was kicked out of Eurovision. Ukrainian folk-rap group Kalush Orchestra won the 2022 contest less than three months after the invasion. Winning brought the right to host the contest the following year. When war made that impossible, Liverpool stepped in to stage Eurovision with a distinctly Ukrainian flavor, decking out the English city in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags. Even before the full-scale invasion, Ukraine used Eurovision for cultural diplomacy, as a way to tell the world about their country's history, music and language. Ukrainian singer Jamala won the contest in 2016 — two years after Russia illegally seized Crimea — with a song about the expulsion of Crimean Tatars by Stalin in 1944. Kalush Orchestra's winning song 'Stefania' blended rapping in Ukrainian with a haunting refrain on a traditional Ukrainian wind instrument. Now the message is that Ukraine is still standing, and still fighting. Daniil admitted to feeling a 'little bit of pressure' ahead of Saturday. But he said it was 'such a privilege' to represent Ukraine. 'We have two missions here,' his brother Valentyn said. One is to come out at or near the top in Saturday's 26-nation musical showdown. The other is 'to remind Europeans about the war.' As part of its Eurovision journey, the band is fundraising to buy robotic de-mining systems to help clear an area of Ukraine he says is 3 1/2 times the size of Switzerland. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Ziferblat's trip to Eurovision coincided with Vyshyvanka Day — the third Thursday in May, when Ukrainians around the world wear traditional embroidered shirts as a symbol of national pride. The band members joined scores of Ukrainians clad in elaborately stitched vyshyvanka in a Basel park to eat borscht, sing Ukrainian songs and cheer on the band ahead of Saturday's final. 'This is a day that is gathering all Ukrainians together,' Valentyn said. 'In Kyiv, the capital, everyone is wearing these shirts and going to the streets celebrating and you feel like a united nation for one day.' ___ Associated Press journalist Kwiyeon Ha contributed to this story.
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
War reaches Ukrainian rock band Ziferblat even at the Eurovision Song Contest
BASEL, Switzerland -- Ukraine's musicians can't escape war, even at the Eurovision Song Contest. Rock band Ziferblat were in Basel, Switzerland to represent their country when they learned the home of backing singer Khrystyna Starykova in a frontline region of eastern Ukraine had been destroyed by Russian shelling. 'She's so strong,' said guitarist Valentyn Leshchynskyi, who formed Ziferblat with his vocalist twin brother Daniil and drummer Fedir Khodakov. 'She is 19 years old only, but the impact of this situation — I think she won't give up. 'Of course it's difficult when you're losing your flat while you need to stay calm to celebrate here because it's a musical festival, it's not about the war.' The band is set to compete for Ukraine in Saturday's Eurovision grand final with 'Bird of Pray,' a song whose intense vocals and prog rock sound owe something to the 1970s – as does the bell-bottomed pink suit Daniil Leshchynskyi wore in Tuesday's semi-final. Valentyn Leshchynskyi said the lyrical message of loss and hope, centered on a phoenix-like bird, resonates with what Ukrainians experienced in recent years. 'We want to build a dream on the stage – even for three minutes, for Ukrainians – like the war will be over in the very near future,' he told The Associated Press. Ukraine is a longtime Eurovision competitor – as was its neighbor Russia. Both saw their relationship with the continental pop contest transformed by Moscow's full-scale invasion three years ago. Russia was kicked out of Eurovision. Ukrainian folk-rap group Kalush Orchestra won the 2022 contest less than three months after the invasion. Winning brought the right to host the contest the following year. When war made that impossible, Liverpool stepped in to stage Eurovision with a distinctly Ukrainian flavor, decking out the English city in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags. Even before the full-scale invasion, Ukraine used Eurovision for cultural diplomacy, as a way to tell the world about their country's history, music and language. Ukrainian singer Jamala won the contest in 2016 — two years after Russia illegally seized Crimea — with a song about the expulsion of Crimean Tatars by Stalin in 1944. Kalush Orchestra's winning song 'Stefania' blended rapping in Ukrainian with a haunting refrain on a traditional Ukrainian wind instrument. Now the message is that Ukraine is still standing, and still fighting. Daniil admitted to feeling a 'little bit of pressure' ahead of Saturday. But he said it was 'such a privilege' to represent Ukraine. 'We have two missions here,' his brother Valentyn said. One is to come out at or near the top in Saturday's 26-nation musical showdown. The other is 'to remind Europeans about the war.' As part of its Eurovision journey, the band is fundraising to buy robotic de-mining systems to help clear an area of Ukraine he says is 3 1/2 times the size of Switzerland. Ziferblat's trip to Eurovision coincided with Vyshyvanka Day — the third Thursday in May, when Ukrainians around the world wear traditional embroidered shirts as a symbol of national pride. The band members joined scores of Ukrainians clad in elaborately stitched vyshyvanka in a Basel park to eat borscht, sing Ukrainian songs and cheer on the band ahead of Saturday's final. 'This is a day that is gathering all Ukrainians together,' Valentyn said. 'In Kyiv, the capital, everyone is wearing these shirts and going to the streets celebrating and you feel like a united nation for one day.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
War reaches Ukrainian rock band Ziferblat even at Eurovision Song Contest
Ukraine's musicians cannot escape war, even at the Eurovision Song Contest. Rock band Ziferblat were in Basel, Switzerland, to represent their country when they learned that the home of backing singer Khrystyna Starykova in a frontline region of eastern Ukraine had been destroyed by Russian shelling. 'She's so strong,' said guitarist Valentyn Leshchynskyi, who formed Ziferblat with his vocalist twin brother Daniil and drummer Fedir Khodakov. 'She is 19 years old only, but the impact of this situation – I think she won't give up. 'Of course it's difficult when you're losing your flat while you need to stay calm to celebrate here because it's a musical festival, it's not about the war.' The band are set to compete for Ukraine in Saturday's Eurovision grand final with Bird Of Pray, a song whose intense vocals and prog rock sound owe something to the 1970s – as does the bell-bottomed pink suit Daniil Leshchynskyi wore in Tuesday's semi-final. Valentyn Leshchynskyi said the lyrical message of loss and hope, centred on a phoenix-like bird, resonates with what Ukrainians experienced in recent years. 'We want to build a dream on the stage – even for three minutes, for Ukrainians – like the war will be over in the very near future,' he told The Associated Press. Ukraine is a long-time Eurovision competitor – as was its neighbour Russia. Both saw their relationship with the continental pop contest transformed by Moscow's full-scale invasion three years ago. Russia was kicked out of Eurovision. Ukrainian folk-rap group Kalush Orchestra won the 2022 contest less than three months after the invasion. Winning brought the right to host the contest the following year. When war made that impossible, Liverpool stepped in to stage Eurovision with a distinctly Ukrainian flavour, decking out the English city in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags. Even before the full-scale invasion, Ukraine used Eurovision for cultural diplomacy, as a way to tell the world about their country's history, music and language. Ukrainian singer Jamala won the contest in 2016 – two years after Russia illegally seized Crimea – with a song about the expulsion of Crimean Tatars by Stalin in 1944. Kalush Orchestra's winning song Stefania blended rapping in Ukrainian with a haunting refrain on a traditional Ukrainian wind instrument. Now the message is that Ukraine is still standing, and still fighting. Daniil admitted to feeling a 'little bit of pressure' ahead of Saturday. But he said it was 'such a privilege' to represent Ukraine. 'We have two missions here,' his brother Valentyn said. One is to come out at or near the top in Saturday's 26-nation musical showdown. The other is 'to remind Europeans about the war'. As part of their Eurovision journey, the band are fundraising to buy robotic de-mining systems to help clear an area of Ukraine they say is three-and-a-half times the size of Switzerland. Ziferblat's trip to Eurovision coincided with Vyshyvanka Day – the third Thursday in May, when Ukrainians around the world wear traditional embroidered shirts as a symbol of national pride. The band members joined scores of Ukrainians clad in elaborately stitched vyshyvanka in a Basel park to eat borscht, sing Ukrainian songs and cheer on the band ahead of Saturday's final. 'This is a day that is gathering all Ukrainians together,' Valentyn said. 'In Kyiv, the capital, everyone is wearing these shirts and going to the streets celebrating and you feel like a united nation for one day.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
War reaches Ukrainian rock band Ziferblat even at the Eurovision Song Contest
BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — Ukraine's musicians can't escape war, even at the Eurovision Song Contest. Rock band Ziferblat were in Basel, Switzerland to represent their country when they learned the home of backing singer Khrystyna Starykova in a frontline region of eastern Ukraine had been destroyed by Russian shelling. 'She's so strong,' said guitarist Valentyn Leshchynskyi, who formed Ziferblat with his vocalist twin brother Daniil and drummer Fedir Khodakov. 'She is 19 years old only, but the impact of this situation — I think she won't give up. 'Of course it's difficult when you're losing your flat while you need to stay calm to celebrate here because it's a musical festival, it's not about the war.' The band is set to compete for Ukraine in Saturday's Eurovision grand final with 'Bird of Pray,' a song whose intense vocals and prog rock sound owe something to the 1970s – as does the bell-bottomed pink suit Daniil Leshchynskyi wore in Tuesday's semi-final. Valentyn Leshchynskyi said the lyrical message of loss and hope, centered on a phoenix-like bird, resonates with what Ukrainians experienced in recent years. 'We want to build a dream on the stage – even for three minutes, for Ukrainians – like the war will be over in the very near future,' he told The Associated Press. Ukraine is a longtime Eurovision competitor – as was its neighbor Russia. Both saw their relationship with the continental pop contest transformed by Moscow's full-scale invasion three years ago. Russia was kicked out of Eurovision. Ukrainian folk-rap group Kalush Orchestra won the 2022 contest less than three months after the invasion. Winning brought the right to host the contest the following year. When war made that impossible, Liverpool stepped in to stage Eurovision with a distinctly Ukrainian flavor, decking out the English city in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags. Even before the full-scale invasion, Ukraine used Eurovision for cultural diplomacy, as a way to tell the world about their country's history, music and language. Ukrainian singer Jamala won the contest in 2016 — two years after Russia illegally seized Crimea — with a song about the expulsion of Crimean Tatars by Stalin in 1944. Kalush Orchestra's winning song 'Stefania' blended rapping in Ukrainian with a haunting refrain on a traditional Ukrainian wind instrument. Now the message is that Ukraine is still standing, and still fighting. Daniil admitted to feeling a 'little bit of pressure' ahead of Saturday. But he said it was 'such a privilege' to represent Ukraine. 'We have two missions here,' his brother Valentyn said. One is to come out at or near the top in Saturday's 26-nation musical showdown. The other is 'to remind Europeans about the war.' As part of its Eurovision journey, the band is fundraising to buy robotic de-mining systems to help clear an area of Ukraine he says is 3 1/2 times the size of Switzerland. Ziferblat's trip to Eurovision coincided with Vyshyvanka Day — the third Thursday in May, when Ukrainians around the world wear traditional embroidered shirts as a symbol of national pride. The band members joined scores of Ukrainians clad in elaborately stitched vyshyvanka in a Basel park to eat borscht, sing Ukrainian songs and cheer on the band ahead of Saturday's final. 'This is a day that is gathering all Ukrainians together,' Valentyn said. 'In Kyiv, the capital, everyone is wearing these shirts and going to the streets celebrating and you feel like a united nation for one day.' ___ Associated Press journalist Kwiyeon Ha contributed to this story.
