One of Eurovision’s most anticipated national selections just ended in Kyiv. Ukraine has become a Eurovision powerhouse, winning 3 times in their 18 participations, and remain the only nation to have a 100% qualifying rate out of the Semi Finals.
For security reasons, the show was filmed on Friday and only the voting results were supposed to be shown live on Saturday.
Ruslana performed Дикі танці (Wild Dances), fresh off her visit to the Luxembourg Song Contest last weekend, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Ukraine’s first Eurovision victory in Istanbul in 2004. Ukraine’s most recent participants, Kalush Orchestra and Tvorchi, were also present for Vidbir.
It wouldn’t be an edition of Vidbir without some drama, and this year we were tantalizingly close to the end, but Vidbir delivered in spectacular fashion! Hosts Julia Sanina, Timur Miroshnychenko and Vasyl Baidak had to stall on live TV for over an hour, until the show was canceled without a winner. The reason given was due to the Dia app used for the voting became overwhelmed by the millions of votes it received.
The live show resumed on Sunday, but not before Skylerr had announced on social media that she was dropping out of the national selection because of how voting was handled. Voting continued on the Dia app for another 24 hours and the app continued to experience difficulties until voting closed.
After the juries had voted, Ziferblat was atop the leaderboard:
- Ziferblat — Place I Call Home (11 points)
- alyona alyona & Jerry Heil – Teresa & Maria (10 points)
- MÉLOVIN – DREAMER (9 points)
- INGRET – Keeper (8 points)
- YAGODY — Tsunamia (7 points)
- YAKTAK — Lalala (6 points)
- ANKA – Palala (Burning) (5 points)
- Drevo – Endless Chain (4 points)
Skylerr – Time is Running Out(3 points)- Nazva – Slavic English (2 points)
- NAHABA – GLASSS (1 point)
Once the televote was combined with the jury points, it was decisive:
- alyona alyona & Jerry Heil – Teresa & Maria (10 + 11 = 21 points)
- Ziferblat — Place I Call Home (11 + 8 = 19 points)
- MÉLOVIN – DREAMER (9 + 9 = 18 points)
- YAKTAK — Lalala (6 + 10 = 16 points)
- YAGODY — Tsunamia (7 + 7 = 14 points)
- INGRET – Keeper (8 + 2 = 10 points)
Skylerr – Time is Running Out(3 + 6 = 9 points)- ANKA – Palala (Burning) (5 + 4 = 9 points)
- Drevo – Endless Chain (4 + 3 = 7 points)
- NAHABA – GLASSS (1 + 5 = 6 points)
- Nazva – Slavic English (2 + 1 = 3 points)
Here is what the hosts of Building Bridges think of Teresa & Maria — Ukraine’s song for Eurovision 2024:
Jan: ★★★★★
The blend of ethnic vibes and the rap part is pure magic. It’s a unique and refreshing mix that stands out. Can’t get enough of the energy and creativity they bring to the Eurovision stage! Well done ladies!
Sebi: ★★★★★
Ukraine is once again proving why they’re the powerhouse at Eurovision. I loved this song from the first listen and tonight’s live performance was magical. My favorite entry so far, one of my favorite Ukrainian acts already and I could even see them take the trophy in Malmö!
Dave: ★★★★★
This is not my kind of music, but I’ve given it five stars, the first 5-stars of any of the songs for Malmö so far. There’s something hypnotic that draws you in when they perform this song. I already think other broadcasters will struggle to send something to Eurovision that can beat this.
Are you happy with Ukraine’s choice? Do you agree with our reviews? Let us know in the comments and our social media profiles! @buildingbridgespod
Photo Credit: Євробачення Україна/YouTube Capture
Building Bridges Eurovision Podcast - buildingbridgespod.com 
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