Ukraine selected electro-folk band Go_A to represent the country at this year’s Eurovision song contest during a televised national selection on Feb. 22.
The band received the highest result, six points, from both jury members and the audience for their performance of the song “Solovey,” or Nightingale in English, sung in the traditional white voice style.
Go_A was little known before the national selection, and the competition was their debut on the national stage.
In their performance, the band combined traditional Ukrainian vocals with electronic beats.
“If we win and we are appreciated in Europe, I think it will be an impetus for Ukrainians to love their culture more,” lead singer of the band, Kateryna Pavlenko said in an interview with UA Pershyi television channel, which broadcast the contest.
The band beat out five other finalists: Krut, Khayat, Tvorchi, Jerry Heil and David Axelrod, with Eurovision scheduled for May 12-16 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
However, the selection wasn’t without controversy.
One of the front-runners and the winners of the second semi-final, Tvorchi duo, complained about technical issues that they believe were caused on purpose.
The band says that sound engineers turned off the music in the headphones of their vocalist, Jeffrey Augustus Kenny, which affected his performance.
Tvorchi experienced sound issues during the Feb. 15 semi-final as well. Then the band said their backing vocalists’ sound was so loud in Kenny’s headphones that he could barely hear himself.
The band says engineers apologized for the initial problem, but the second time Tvorchi complained they say the engineers laughed at them.
“This is a terrible disgrace and a terrible disappointment,” Kenny said to Slukh online media after the performance.
Tvorchi also posted a video of a recent stage rehearsal of their song on their Instagram in which Kenny sounds significantly different from the live show.
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Ukrainian singer of Crimean Tatar descent Jamala, who won Eurovision 2017 with her hit “1944,” endorsed Tvorchi before the selection and expressed disappointment about the results of the final.
“I would be very happy to see you at the song contest,” Jamala commented on Tvorchi’s Instagram post. “It’s bitter to tears. Contests are harsh,” she wrote.
Last year’s Eurovision selection was not without controversy either. Back then, many were unhappy that Ukraine’s winner, pop singer Maruv, had repeatedly performed in Russia.
The National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine, which signs off on the country’s Eurovision selection, declined to approve Maruv’s participation. As a result, Ukraine skipped the contest in 2019.
