Just before the performance
Russia attacks hometown of Ukrainian ESC participants
05/14/2023, 00:12
The Eurovision Song Contest should actually have taken place in the country of last year’s winners, Ukraine. But they are still defending themselves against the Russian war of aggression. Just before this year’s representatives of Ukraine take the stage, rockets fall on their hometown.
During the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), the hometown of the Ukrainian ESC participants Tvorchi was attacked by Russia on Saturday evening. Shortly before the duo’s performance in Liverpool, explosions from Russian rockets rocked the city of Ternopil in western Ukraine, regional council chairman Mykhailo Holovko said. The authorities called on the residents to go to shelters. According to the district governor, among other things, warehouses caught fire. There are two wounded civilians.
Andrij Huzuljak and Jimoh Augustus Kehinde, meanwhile, put on an impressive performance against a breathtaking backdrop in Liverpool. There was much applause at the end. Ukrainian flags were waved. In interviews, the musicians had previously said that winning was not a priority. Rather, they wanted to represent Ukraine in the best possible way.
The electronic duo Tvorchi was one of the favorites at the ESC, along with Sweden and Finland. In the Ukrainian preliminary round, it had prevailed as an outsider. “Heart Of Steel” is an R’n’B song devoid of any folk element. The text deals with the danger of nuclear war. For their song, the two musicians were inspired by the courage of the men who fought in the Azov steelworks in Ukraine at the ESC final last year.
Last year, the ESC was under the impression of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. The Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra won the competition, but because of the ongoing war Ukraine was not able to host the ESC this year.