Overnight the Ukrainian broadcaster UA:PBC confirmed that Vidbir runners-up, Kalush Orchestra, have accepted the offer to represent the nation at Eurovision in May with their song 'Stefania'.
The announcement comes almost a week after the original representative, Alina Pash, withdrew her participation after it came to light that her team forged official documentation regarding her 2015 trip to the Crimean Peninsula.
After Alina's withdrawal, Ukraine's broadcaster revealed that it will now decide the representative from the other artists competing in Vidbir 2022.
It may have come as a surprise to some that UA:PBC selected Kalush Orchestra. There were tensions between the two parties after a mishandling of the vote presentation during the national final, which led to the band being suspicious of the result. The issue escalated to the point where Kalush Orchestra threatened to take them to court.
The Kalush Orchestra were the runners up in the national final. The band received the maximum score from the televote but missed out on the win after coming third with the Jury. Speaking on the decision to select the band, the broadcaster explained,
“It is important for the broadcaster to maintain the trust of the audience in the song contest, so the Public Broadcaster offers the band that took second place in the final and received the most support from the audience the opportunity to represent Ukraine at Eurovision 2022.”
The band will now be flying the Ukrainian flag in Turin with the hope that they can continue Ukraine's perfect qualification record. Their entry 'Stefania' infuses traditional singing and instruments with modern rap to create a uniquely Ukrainian track.
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