War-ravaged Ukraine has sailed into the Eurovision Song Contest final with a stunning performance at the PalaOlimpico stadium in Turin, Italy. Since being unveiled in February as the country’s Eurovision entrant, the song Stefania, performed by Kalush Orchestra, has consistently topped fan polls.
And in a gracious act of sportsmanship, Australia’s Eurovision entrant Sheldon Riley gave his endorsement to what many are predicting will be a win for Ukraine at the six-decade-old singing competition this weekend. “I’d be ecstatic,” Riley told this masthead. “I’d be so happy for them.”
Estonia’s Stefan performing Hope at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest.Credit:Andres Putting / EBU
“It’s a contest at the end of the day, but it’s more than that,” the 23-year-old Australian singer said on Wednesday. “It’s a competition that gives hope to everybody. I feel like I’ve already won. It’s the most clichéd thing ever, but I truly do. I want to enjoy every little moment; I want to do the best Australia can possibly do.”
The politically charged 66th annual Eurovision Song Contest opens this week with 35 countries in two semi-finals; the 10 highest scoring countries from each of those progress to this weekend’s final, where they join the so-called “big five”: Italy, France, Germany, Spain and the UK, which automatically book their berth in the final of the competition.
Ukraine’s Stefania, performed by Kalush Orchestra, was the obvious standout from today’s first semi-final, generating thunderous applause and a standing ovation in the PalaOlimpico, and loud applause in the adjacent media centre. The two other strongest contenders were Norway (Subwoolfer, singing Give That Wolf A Banana) and Netherlands (S10, singing De Diepte).
Unsurprisingly for Eurovision, the performances in the first semi-final were a mix of conventional commercial pop and Euro-kitsch. Singing Die Together for Greece, Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord paired elegantly simple staging with a breathtaking voice, while Albania’s Ronela Hajati, singing Sekret, filled the stage with noisy fun.
Greece will proceed into the final, along with Switzerland, Armenia, Iceland, Lithuania, Portugal, Norway, Ukraine, Moldova and the Netherlands.
Albania, however, did not make the cut, nor did Latvia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark and Austria, the seven countries culled from today’s first semi-final. Another eight will be cut in the second semi-final later this week. The TV audience and professional jury voting machinery of Eurovision is as relentlessly brutal as it is colourful and silly.
‘Unstoppable’: Ukraine receives standing ovation as Eurovision kicks off
Source: Philippines Alive
