This February the national selection of the current Eurovision powerhouse, Ukraine, will take place.
Vidbir 2024 sees 11 acts performing with the winner set to represent the slavic nation in Malmö.
All up, 11 members of the Aussievision team voted using the 12 points down to 1 point system and we have the results.
Here are our rankings from 11th down to 1st place:
11. DREVO - 'Endless Chains' (27 points)
Highs: 8 points from Hayley, 7 points from Sam
Lows: 0 points from Kyriakos, Craig and Liv, 1 point from Steven
10. NAZVA - 'Slavic English' (28 points)
Highs: 10 points from Mark, 8 points from Kiel
Lows: 0 points from Sam, Hayley and Steven, 1 point from Fleur, Emma, Craig and Cooper
"There’s a dash of novelty about this song, but that’s made up for with real musical chops, Ukrainian cool and a fair bit of heart. It sounds like what you mashed up ‘Crocodile Rock’ and the ‘Everybody’s Talkin’ Bout Jamie’ soundtrack in a Kyiv jazz bar. The segues from one sound to another, and one time structure to another, just feel a tad unresolved, but otherwise it’s a winner, baby." ~ Mark
9. Ziferblat - 'Place that I Call Home' (37 points)
Highs: 10 points from Kiel, 6 points from Steven
Lows: 0 points from Cooper, 1 point from Hayley and Liv
"They probably won't win, but this is so well produced and has such a brilliant chorus, and the lead singer's vocals are right on point. This is an indie pop delight - it has a bit of a Hooverphonic from Belgium a few years ago vibe, and it would definitely stand out in Malmo and be a jury fave." ~ Kiel
8. INGRET - 'Keeper' (39 points)
Highs: 7 points from Liv and Kiel, 5 points from Craig and Sam
Lows: 0 points from Fleur, 1 point from Mark and Kyriakos
7. NAHABA - 'GLASSS' (53 points)
Highs: 12 points from Fleur, 10 points from Kyriakos
Lows: 0 points from Emma, 2 points from Craig and Liv
"There are elements of this that sounds a bit like T.A.T.u's 2003 entry 'Ne Ver, Ne Boisia' but it is actually a serious song about the devastation in Ukraine at the moment. Both vocalists are unforgettable and the message may be overlooked on the first listen. I quite like the song. This is one that I keep coming back to listen to and I would love to see it on the Eurovision stage. However I think that there a some heavy hitters in this year's line up that will overshadow it sadly." ~ Fleur
6. SKYLERR - 'Time is running out' (57 points)
Highs: 10 points from Hayley, 8 points from Steven
Lows: 0 points from Mark, 2 points Sam and Fleur
"Every time I hear this song my ears prick up! Things I like about this song: the bass, the dual language, the change in tempos and catchy chorus. This is quite different to the rest of the pack and I am worried it may fade into the background as there are some BIG hitters in this group of songs, but maybe this could be the sleeper?" ~ Hayley
5. ANKA - 'Палала' ('Palala') (63 points)
Highs: 10 points from Emma and Fleur, 8 points from Liv
Lows: 0 points from Kiel, 1 point from Sam
"I love the contrast here between the shouty vocals/big booming chorus and the flute parts which let us know it's a Ukrainian song without straying in to folk territory." ~ Emma
"This is the modern folksy fusion sounding Ukrainian song that we have all become accustomed to hearing lately. Throw in some rap and we have a memorable piece of music. However, at 2.19 minutes, it's 40 seconds too short. I would like to hear something extra. But I really enjoy this." ~ Fleur
4. YAKTAK - 'Lalala' (70 points)
Highs: 10 points from Cooper, Craig and Liv, 8 points from Emma
Lows: 2 points from Hayley, 3 points from Steven
"My love of male club-beat bangers continues with this song. YAKTAK's entry whilst not the most technically written song, it is pure fun and something that gets stuck in your head for a while after. With the right staging this could be an entry to send off to Eurovision." ~ Cooper
"The drop in this one reminds me of Stromae's "Alors on danse" back in the day - I loved that, and predictably I also love this. It's not trying to do too much, but it's fun, catchy and has terrific production. Add in some decent choreography and this could be another strong choice for Ukraine in a very strong national final." ~ Craig
"A male-pop-bop track? Exactly what I ordered. Good looking lad with an upbeat song that stands out in this lineup. Is it as sophisticated as some of his competition? Nah. But who cares, I can dance to it." ~ Liv
3. MELOVIN - 'Dreamer' (79 points)
Highs: 12 points from Kyriakos and Sam, 10 points from Steven
Lows: 3 points from Hayley, 4 points from Liv
"I AM OBSESSED WITH 'DREAMER"! The song offers so much! Mélovin delivers peaks and troughs, and emotions with the lyrics! I cannot wait for the staging!" ~ Kyriakos
"Another haunting performance from MELOVIN that I think is more of an earworm than his Eurovision 2018 effort, though a bit more mainstream and less unique. There are some fascinating elements to this song including MELOVIN’s stunning falsetto (think Cezar Romania 2013) and the chanting set to a techno-beat. I think this has the full package to represent Ukraine. Also, given MELOVIN’s coming out since his Eurovision participation, it would be an added bonus for Ukraine to send a queer artist. It would symbolise how far the country has come in recent years, particularly on its support for LGBT+ rights and improvement in laws governing the LGBT+ population." ~ Sam
2. YAGODY - 'Tsunamia' (81 points)
Highs: 12 points from Hayley and Mark, 10 points from Sam
Lows: 1 point from Kiel, 4 points from Steven
"Look, its as simple as this… I loved Go-A’s 2021 masterpiece, I LOVED France’s 2022 ‘Fulenn’ and I also loved Spain’s Tanxugueiras in 2022 Benidorm. So – yes of course I Iove this. There are so many layers to this song and so much going on. I will never tire of ethno-pop and this feels like a mix of all of them and of course, Ukraine continually absolutely nails this genre! I have to say that where Go-A triumphed and others have since fallen short trying to copy the success, Ukraine have this knack of being able to do ethno-pop REALLY WELL." ~ Hayley
"The first minute of this song is the best minute of this national finals season so far. YAGODY create an arresting, authentic wall of sound, not unlike the natural phenomenon referenced in the title. But one gets the sense this song is about the rising up of people, rather than the ocean. And the visual is so strongly implied in the studio version. The rhythmic structure of Tsunamia writes the shot list: quick cuts, revolving camerawork, split screen. Can’t wait to see it!" ~ Mark
1. Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil - 'Teresa & Maria' (108 points)
Highs: 12 points from Cooper, Steven, Emma, Kiel, Liv and Craig, 8 points from Sam, Mark and Fleur
Lows: 5 points from Kyriakos, 7 points from Hayley
"This is winning in a canter. Powerful and mesmerising." ~ Liv
"What a beautiful song, Jerry Heil has come a long long way from her first Vidbir performance with '#Vegan'. This track has a thumping whilst low-key contemporary production pushing it along the 3 minute song. Jerry's stunning vocals paired with Alyona's grit in the rap mixes well and the song is over before you know it. I would love to see this make its way to Malmo." ~ Cooper.
"My one criticism of this (and it's a minor one) is that when I first heard this, it didn't feel quite long enough - something about this feels like the first 3 minutes of a 5-6 minute epic. That speaks to how impactful this is, though - the lyrics are profound, the production is smooth and overall this really stands out. We know Jerry is a good live performer, and Alyona appears to have the same profile, so I'm expecting big things live. Dare I say it, but... winner potential?" ~ Craig
"Well this is just sublime. A slick, slick bop, with a haunting chorus and an added rap as well, you can just see the masses busting a move and clapping along to this in Malmo. Ukraine called and they want their crown back." ~ Kiel
"Wow...this is such an interesting sound. Alyona Alyona's rap blends so well with Jerry's hauntingly beautiful vocals over a gospel style dance beat. This song has everything but it all blends so beautifully together...with the right staging this could be epic at Eurovision!" ~ Emma
"This is one of the two stand-out entries for me. It feels far more polished than almost all of the other songs, taps into the Ukrainian sound we’ve all become familiar with (but adds its own personality), and I just enjoy the overall package." ~ Steven
So the Aussievision team has given the top spot to Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil, over half of the team members gave 'Teresa & Maria' twelve points and the song was in the top three of 9 contributors out of 11.
So is it 'third times the charm' for Jerry Heil take out the Vidbir crown with Alyona Alyona? Tune in on February 3rd (Sunday the 4th in Australia) to find out.
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