Ukrainian music may not be popular worldwide – at least not yet. But when we are given a chance, we manage to leave our mark.
At least, that is the case according to the article by William Lee Adams published on the American Time magazine website (www.time.com) called “10 most outrageous Eurovision performances.” Three of the 10 spots were snapped up by Ukrainians.
Number one on the list – Verka Serdyuchka, Ukraine’s Eurovision entry in 2007 – didn’t surprise me at all.
A previously unseen type of a transvestite, with a deliberately fat and ridiculous look in a shiny costume, giant glasses and a heavy star on her head, Serdyuchka naturally left a deep impression on the European viewers. And that is despite the fact that this character conjured by comedian Andriy Danylko can never be fully understood out of the Ukrainian context.
Yet, Serdyuchka caused a riot. Even her song, “Dancing Lasha Tumbai,” with lyrics that are nothing but a gibberish mix of several languages, enraged Russians who misinterpreted the refrain as: “Russia, goodbye!” Because of that, Russia ostracized Danylko, previously one of its most beloved artists, from its music scene. All that, along with one of the most unusual performances in Eurovision’s history, earned Serdyuchka an army of fans and a second place at the song contest.
Another Ukrainian Eurovision performance rated by Time was Ruslana’s smashing victory at Eurovision 2004 with her “Wild Dances.”
The magazine called her a blend of Xena the Warrior Princess and Jane Fonda, thanks to her tribal costume of fur and leather and energetic dancing. With her show, Ruslana brought a breath of fresh air into the world of mostly identical pop acts that used to rule the contest.
All the votes she received from the Europeans were well-deserved. Ruslana can also be called a Eurovision trendsetter. Rhythmical ethnic shows became a usual element of the contest program, ever since her victorious performance.
The third Ukrainian performer to make the Time’s list was last year’s Eurovision contestant Svitlana Loboda. She is called “outrageous” in a less flattering sense.
The title of a “stripper in a hamster wheel” awarded to her by the magazine is hardly surprising, considering that she started her show with a pole dance inside a metal wheel.
She then proceeded jumping around in red lingerie and black boots. Her primitive song “Be My Valentine (Anti-Crisis Girl)” did little to improve the situation. Finishing 12th in the contest, Loboda discovered that vulgar dancing and dressing like a prostitute may look “sexy” to some Ukrainian women and men, but it’s not going to impress European audiences.
Unfortunately, Ukraine didn’t manage to “outrage” Eurovision contest viewers more than on these three occasions.
But we’ll keep trying, won’t we? One of the reasons why Ukrainian singers are striving to get noticed by all means is that the contest is taken much more seriously at home than in many other parts of Europe. For many local performers, Eurovision is a rare chance to perform on the international stage and hopefully expand their fan base beyond Ukrainian borders.
That is also why, almost every year, the selection of Ukraine’s entry turns into a fierce battle and scandal with legal suits, fan rallies and black PR. But despite all the energy put into it, the result is always a gamble: Will the Ukrainian contestant make it to the top or remain unnoticed?
This year’s Ukrainian entry, Alyosha, is not playing up on sex appeal or incredible dance moves, but focuses on her good vocals and a serious song about the environment, “Sweet People.” Serious sad songs are seldom winners at Eurovision, but again – you never know.
Kyiv Post staff writer Alexandra Matoshko can be reached at [email protected]
