Eurovision: Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra's story

Just days before the Eurovision Song Contest final, bookmakers see Kalush Orchestra ahead by a wide margin. The odds often change during the final week of the competition, but the Ukrainians have been the undisputed number one in the betting shops since March.

That was not the case before the start of the Ukraine war, when the Ukrainian band was just one of 40 participants in this year's song contest, ranking in the upper midfield in the public's favor.

Should they win the competition, would it mainly be as a show of solidarity with a people subjected to a cruel war, or is the band, its charismatic frontman Oleh Psiuk and the song "Stefania" so good that they deserve the title?

"People are trying to destroy our culture right now, and we're here now to show everyone that our culture is alive. Our music is lively and very interesting, it has something unique, it has its own identity and it has a very beautiful style," singer Oleh Psiuk told DW.

Rap like Eminem

Psiuk, 27, hails from the town of Kalush in western Ukraine. His role model was Eminem; all he ever wanted to do was rap like the American.

After studying forestry in Kyiv, he in 2019 founded his band Kalush with multi-instrumentalist Ihor Didenchuk, MC KilimMen and dancer and DJ Danyil Chernov.

The band worked with other artists from Ukraine, and its popularity in the country quickly grew.

The song "Going Home" with the musician Skofka was clicked almost 23 million times on YouTube. Def Jam, Universal's rap label, signed the band.

Psiuk, whose pink hat and ethnic outfits make up his trademark style, is one of the most famous young musicians in Ukraine.

In 2021, Psiuk came up with a new project, Kalush Orchestra, adding multi-instrumentalists Tymofii Muzychuk and Vitalii Duzhyk to the mix, which meant even more touches of folk.

They came in second in this year's Ukrainian preliminary contest for the Eurovision Song Contest. When first pick Alina Pash withdrew from the competition, they were next in line.

Practice in times of war

War broke out in their country on February 24, and they hardly had a chance to rehearse, Psiuk told Germany's Der Spiegel news magazine, adding they would meet for online practice whenever they could.

They were also busy elsewhere, he said. "KilimMen took part in the territorial defense of Kyiv, and I started a volunteer organization to help out, among many other things, with the housing and transport of refugees and organizing medicine."

Now they represent their country, and are ambassadors of sorts for Ukraine, too.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy granted them a special permit allowing travel to the contest. Before landing in Turin, they performed in several European countries. Everywhere they went, they were met with a wave of sympathy.

Song for mothers

Psiuk wrote "Stefania" before the war, and dedicated it to his mother. With the war in mind, however, the odd line takes on a completely new meaning: "I will always find the way home, even if all the roads are destroyed." Incidentally, many Ukrainians feel their country is their mother.

The song begins in a traditional folk style before the singing turns into a pulsating rap in Ukrainian accompanied by traditional instruments.

Such songs often go down well at the Eurovision Song Contest and stand out from the pop-dance numbers that are increasingly made especially for the show. That gives Kalush Orchestra a chance for a solid placement, even without the tragic background.

In addition to the audience, a jury decides on how many points are awarded. They take a close look at the musical quality — and there are other polished acts likely to score 12 points in the final on Saturday. That includes Italy's Mahmood & Blanco, two gifted singers and their ballad "Brividi," Sam Ryder from Britain, S10 from the Netherlands and Cornelia Jakobs from Sweden.

This article was originally written in German.