UKRAINE – Ukrainian singer OHITVA recently revealed through social media that she is in the race to represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, through VIDBIR, the show which will determine the country’s representative for Rotterdam. However, UA: PBC and private broadcaster STB have not yet revealed the candidates chosen for the competition, whose galas will take place in February.
UKRAINE IN EUROVISION
Ukraine has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 15 times since making its debut in 2003. They first won the contest in 2004 with “Wild Dances” by Ruslana, and won again in 2016 with the song “1944” by Jamala, to become the first Eastern European country to win the contest twice. Ukraine hosted the 2005 and 2017 contests in Kyiv. As of 2019, only Ukraine and Australia have a 100% semifinal qualification rate in Eurovision.
Since the introduction of the semifinal round in 2004, Ukraine and Australia are the only countries outside the Big 5 to have qualified for the final of every Eurovision they have competed in (Ukraine were absent in 2015 and 2019 and Australia did not participate until 2015). Ukraine has a total of six top-five placements, with Verka Serduchka (2007) and Ani Lorak (2008) both finishing second, Zlata Ognevich third (2013), and Mika Newton fourth (2011). The only countries with more top-five results in the 21st century are Sweden (11) and Russia (10).
