KYIV ā Even amid war, Ukraine finds time for the glittery, pop-filled Eurovision Song Contest. Perhaps now even more than ever.
Ukraineās entrants in the pan-continental music competition ā the female duo of rapper alyona alyona and singer Jerry Heil ā set off from Kyiv for the competition on Thursday. In wartime, that means a long train journey to Poland, from where they will travel on to next monthās competition in Malmƶ, Sweden.
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āWe need to be visible for the world,ā Heil told The Associated Press at Kyiv train station before her departure. āWe need to show that even now, during the war, our culture is developing, and that Ukrainian music is something waiting for the worldā to discover.
āWe have to spread it and share it and show people how strong (Ukrainian) women and men are in our country,ā added alyona, who spells her name with all lower case letters.
Ukraine has long used Eurovision as a form of cultural diplomacy, a way of showing the world the countryās unique sound and style. That mission became more urgent after Russiaās full-scale invasion in February 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied that Ukraine existed as a distinct country and people before Soviet times.
Ukrainian singer Jamala won the contest in 2016 ā two years after Russia illegally seized the Crimean Peninsula ā with a song about the expulsion of Crimeaās Tatars by Stalin in 1944. Folk-rap band Kalush Orchestra took the Eurovision title in 2022 with āStefania,ā a song about the frontmanās mother that became an anthem to the war-ravaged motherland, with a haunting refrain on a traditional Ukrainian wind instrument.
Alyona and Heil will perform āTeresa & Maria,ā an anthemic ode to inspiring women. The title refers to Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary, and the lyrics include the refrain, in English: āAll the divas were born as the human beingsā ā people we regard as saints were once flawed and human like the rest of us.
Heil said the message is that āwe all make mistakes, but your actions are what define you.ā
And, alyona added: āwith enough energy you can win the war, you can change the world.ā
The song blends alyonaās punchy rap style with Heilās soaring melody and distinctly Ukrainian vocal style.
āAlyona is a great rapper, she has this powerful energy,ā Heil said. āAnd Iām more soft.ā
āBut great melodies,ā alyona added. āSo she creates all the melodies and I just jump in.ā
Ukraine has been at the forefront of turning Eurovision from a contest dominated by English-language pop songs to a more diverse and multilingual event. Jamala sang part of her song in the Crimean Tatar language, while Kalush Orchestra sang and rapped in Ukrainian.
Ukraineās Eurovision win in 2022 brought the country the right to host the following year, but because of the war the 2023 contest was held in the English city of Liverpool, which was bedecked in blue and yellow Ukrainian flags for the occasion ā a celebration of Ukraineās spirit and culture.
Thirty-seven countries from across Europe and beyond ā including Israel and Australia ā will compete in Malmƶ in two Eurovision semifinals May 7 and 9, followed by a May 11 final. Ukraine currently ranks among bookmakersā top five favorites alongside the likes of singer Nemo from Switzerland and Croatian singer-songwriter Baby Lasagna.
Russia, a long-time Eurovision competitor, was kicked out of the contest over the invasion.
The Ukrainian duo caught a train after holding a news conference where they announced a fundraising drive for a school destroyed by a Russian strike.
The duo is joining with charity fundraising platform United 24 to raise 10 million hryvnia (about $250,000) to rebuild a school in the village of Velyka Kostromka in southern Ukraine that was destroyed by a Russian rocket in October 2022. The schoolās 250 pupils have been unable to attend class since then, relying on online learning.
Teacher Liudmyla Taranovych, whose children and grandchildren went to the school, said its destruction brought feelings of āpain, despair, hopelessness.ā
"My grandchildren hugged me and asked, āGrandma, will they rebuild our school? Will it be as beautiful, flourishing, and bright as it was?ā she said.
From the rubble, another teacher managed to rescue one of the schoolās treasured possessions ā a large wooden key traditionally presented to first grade students to symbolize that education is the key to their future. It has become a sign of hope for the school.
Alyona and Heil have also embraced the key as a symbol, wearing T-shirts covered in small metal housekeys.
āItās a symbol of something which maybe some people in Ukraine wonāt have, because so many people lost their homes,ā Heil said. āBut theyāre holding these keys in their pockets, and they're holding the hope.ā
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This story has been corrected to show that Ukraine's Eurovision song is titled āTeresa & Maria."