While waiting to represent the Ukrainian colors in May at Eurovision, the Kalush Orchestra group is mobilized to defend their country attacked by Russia. “One of our members is fighting in the Territorial Defense Force in Kyiv,” rapper Oleh Psiuk revealed in a message posted on the delegation’s Instagram account on Sunday. I set up a volunteer organization. We help people to find accommodation, to move around, to find medication. »
Since the beginning of the war, the members of Kalush Orchestra have been among those Ukrainian artists who use their platform and their media coverage to alert the international community to the conflict. “I appeal to all of you who are registered on a social network, who can come out and speak loud and clear about what is happening. We really need you to spread the word and help us close the airspace, the singer urged. If the person who can influence this hears me, please do so. »
The rapper thus echoes the request of the Ukrainian government and President Volodymyr Zelensky begging Westerners to ban Russian aircraft from flying over Ukraine. A requirement remained a dead letter, NATO fearing that the establishment of a no-fly zone will cause a military escalation.
“Even if all the roads are destroyed”
The five-member Orchestra group was created in 2019. Its name refers to Oleh Psiuk’s hometown of Kalush, located 500 km southeast of kyiv. He will participate in the first Eurovision semi-final on May 10 in Turin (Italy), with Stefania. This song in Ukrainian, mixing rap and traditional music, is for a mother. “I will always find my way home even if all the roads are destroyed,” the lyrics say.
Initially, it was another artist, Alina Pash, who was to represent Ukraine at Eurovision this year. At the beginning of February, she had won the national team but a few hours after her victory, a controversy broke out about one of her trips to Crimea, Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia in 2014. The singer ended up recognizing that one of the members of his team had falsified a document and preferred to withdraw from the competition. Kalush Orchestra, ranked second in the selection show and top of the public votes, therefore obtained the ticket for Turin.
Like the artists from the 40 countries in the running, the Ukrainians will record a recording of their performance in the coming days in case, for one reason or another, they cannot make the trip to Italy. It would then be through this recorded video that they would participate.