Who is Ukraine’s winning Eurovision entry Kalush Orchestra?
UKRAINE'S Kalush Orchestra have been crowned Eurovision Song Contest champions 2022.
Here's everything we know about the Ukrainian band.
Who is Kalush Orchestra?
Kalush Orchestra was originally a rap and hip-hop group formed in 2019, under the name Kalush.
However, in 2021 they launched a parallel project, Kalush Orchestra, focusing on rap and traditional Ukrainian music.
The band is named after the Ukrainian city of Kalush and combines ethnic motifs with modern sounds, using different folk instruments.
They originally placed second in the national selection process, losing to Alina Pash - however, in February 2022 they were offered first prize after Pash was no longer able to take part in the contest.
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Who are the Kalush Orchestra members?
Ukraine's winning band is made up of six members, all of which are currently splitting their time between fighting in Kyiv and representing Ukraine in the contest.
The members all have their own individual talents, from rapping to dancing - they can do it all.
- Oleh Psiuk - Rapper
- Ihor Didenchuk - Multi-instrumentalist
- Vlad Kurochka - Dancer
- Vitalii Duzhyk - Sopilka player
- Tymofii Muzychuk - Singer
- Oleksandr Slobodianyk - Singer
What song did Kalush Orchestra performing at Eurovision 2022?
The group performed the song Stefania - a tribute to band member Oleh's mother, who heard the song for the first time while the group performed on the Vidbir stage.
The song talked about how much Oleh's mother has aged and the hardships she faced.
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Stefania was the third song sung entirely in Ukrainian to represent Ukraine at Eurovision - but the second to actually compete at the contest.
The song is the most-watched on among the 35 national entries that are confirmed to compete in the contest.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has become an anthem to the war-torn country.
Has Ukraine ever won Eurovision?
Ukraine has now won the contest three times since making its debut in 2003.
Their first win came in 2004, when People's Artist of Ukraine, Ruslana, entered with her self-composed song Wild Dances.
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In 2016 Ukraine once again claimed victory, when singer, songwriter and actress, Jamala won with her song 1944.
And Ukraine were crowned Eurovision Song Contest champions in 2022.