Ukraine needs no introduction when it comes to ESC – the only country to still have an immaculate qualification record since the introduction of the semifinals, peppered with three wins all in the 21st century (so far the only country to have done so). This exceptional track record (only Italy and Sweden have managed to do better this past decade) has established Ukraine as a veritable Eurovision powerhouse. The fact that Vidbir, the national selection, has managed not to fold completely under the present circumstances is nothing short of commendable; the fact that is remains so successful is almost miraculous.
This year’s lineup is typically diverse, ranging from novelty to dark pop, from solo acts to groups, offering a wide range of interesting soundscapes. While I’m not sure I heard a ESC-winning track in this selection, there are a number of fairly competitive entries (there were already some really impressive options in the wildcard round, to be fair), so I would expect another Top 10 finish for Ukraine with any of the songs listed below. Televote support is to be expected, of course, but I am curious to see if juries will be directed to warm up to anything that isn’t radio-frendly polished pop or ballads (Käärijä’s 4th place finish last year seemed more of a compromise between what the odds were telling us and a song that would have probably otherwise ranked outside the Top 10). Here are the tracks we really liked!
Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil – Teresa & Maria
This buzzy and highly anticipated collab between a beloved Vidbir veteran (Jerry) and the most popular rapper in Ukraine right now (Alyona) has not betrayed expectations. While I wouldn’t necessarily prefer this over the other two songs listed below, there is no denying the fact that this is a beautifully produced track with a particularly captivating chorus that feels at once meaningful and commercial. Rap is historically not an easy sell at ESC – it is just not a genre possessing the same resonance in Europe compared to the US – which is cause for some concern in my opinion, but there is more to this composition to offset the inevitable resistance from juries + a chunk of voters from home. If anything, I’m more worried about how the pro-Mother Teresa message will go down, as it seems to have already generated a mixed response online. Very curious to see what they’ll do to stage this.
After representing Ukraine in 2017, Mélovin is back with a completely different, more production-driven EDM track. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Under the Ladder (it placed 17th in the final, which honestly sounds about right) but Dreamer feels much more immediate (if somewhat simpler) to me, with a clear hook and a familiar scaffolding of synths that actually remind me a lot of the type of uptempo music that Sergey Lazarev usually puts out. The English lyrics feel a bit clunky (it wouldn’t sound nearly as silly in Ukranian, and it’s worth considering I think) but I always tend to find dance pop in a minor key somewhat fascinating as a juxtaposition, and this track is no different. This would be a fairly safe option.
I would send this. The electropunk edge really sets it apart in this lineup (as I suspect it would at ESC, too) and it’s just a stomper that grabs you by the neck from the very first bar. I really love the lyrics, which reflect on the ongoing war/occupation figuratively rather than literally (with the screamo delivery punching them up a notch), there is a captivating melody/hook, and the visuals are absolutely striking (you know they’re going to fuck up that stage). It would be something different from Ukraine, and even more radical than Go_A in a sense, but it would make for an absolutely outstanding entry.
ESC Etc. 
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