Ukraine votes for its 2024 Eurovision performer. Results to be announced on 4 February – video
The final of the Ukrainian National Selection for Eurovision 2024 took place on Saturday, 3 February. Ukraine’s national online public services platform Diia, where the voting took place, crashed due to high demand. The results will be announced at 19:00 on 4 February.
The hosts of the National Selection opened the voting at 20:30 Kyiv time on 3 February and closed it at 21:20. Around the same time, Diia said that the online traffic had caused technical issues which could not be resolved.
The National Selection was hosted by TV presenter Timur Miroshnichenko, singer Yuliia Sanina and comedian Vasyl Baidak and judged by musicians Andrii Danylko, Jamala and Serhii Tanchynets.
Singer Ruslana opened the event with a performance of Dyki Tantsi (Wild Dances), which won Eurovision 2004.
Though the contestants’ performances were recorded, the voting took place live – and the broadcast was interpreted into sign language for the first time this year.
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During the broadcast, a minute of silence was held in honour of the Ukrainians who have been killed in the war.
Just before the performances by this year’s Eurovision hopefuls, TVORCHI, the band that represented Ukraine at Eurovision 2023, performed Heart of Steel, the song that earned them sixth place.
Andrii Danylko confessed after the first performance of the night (YAKTAK) that this was the first National Selection broadcast at which he had spoken Ukrainian.
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Singer Ingnet, who performed second, dedicated her song to her father, her husband and her brother, who are defending Ukraine on the front. She said it was the least she could do, and expressed her support for all the women waiting for their loved ones to come back from the front.
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Andrii Danylko said of performance no. 6, Teresa & Maria by Jerry Heil and alyona alyona: "As soon as I heard this song, I didn’t want to turn it off. I immediately thought: this is a Eurovision contender."
"This is a historic moment for Eurovision – two top singers joining forces and creating this song together. It’s an absolute triumph. The only thing is I find religion to be a very… delicate topic," Jamala said of the duo’s performance.
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Danylko was critical of SKYLERR, the eighth hopeful to perform, saying that her song was "boring". Jamala called the track "clichéd" and predictable, but added that she liked it anyway.
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Danylko thought the song by the night’s final contender, the band NAHABA, was similar to a song by the Russian band Tatu, though the other judges disagreed with him. The band denied drawing any inspiration from Tatu’s work.
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While the voting was taking place, the National Selection finalists for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest performed on stage alongside singer Svitlana Tarabarova.
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Eurovision 2016 winner Jamala also performed during the final, having announced she was pregnant with her third child just a few hours before.
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Tina Karol, who represented Ukraine at Eurovision 2006, performed her new song, Troiandy (Roses).
The National Selection final closed with music producer Dmytro Shurov and the finalists performing a medley of songs by Ukrainian composer Volodymyr Ivasiuk.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 is set to take place in Malmö, Sweden. Ukraine will perform during the first semi-final on 7 May. The second semi-final will take place on 9 May and the final on 11 May.
Romania has declined to take part in Eurovision this year, but Luxembourg will be represented for the first time in 31 years.
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