Ukraine has taken first place in the new European music videos contest
Just weeks after the Eurovision song contest was decided, leaving Ukraine in seventh place, Ukraine won a different European music contest, the Euro Video Grand Prix, with the video for the song “Le Forze Del Destino” (The Forces of Destiny) performed by opera singer Yelena Grebenyuk.
Most Ukrainian audiences found out about the existance of Euro Video as well as Ukraine’s victory by watching the contest broadcasted live on the M1 music channel on June 3. Euro Video Grand Prix, a live contest of music videos, was introduced this year as an alternative to Eurovision. However, judging from its first attempt, the contest may not last long, as its organization, level of participants and general look leave much to be desired. The contest that took place in Tirana, the capital of Albania, was promoted as a TV show, but even the broadcast wasn’t of the best quality, while the show itself, which featured artists performing their songs onstage while the videos for them were shown on the big screens placed on either side of the stage left the viewers constantly switching their attention from place to place. The contest was judged not by the viewers, but by a professional jury, made up of members from all 24 participant countries and it was them who decided to award the victory to Ukraine, which shared the crown with the Czech Republic, as both nations received an equal number of points.
The Ukrainian video for the contest was chosen by the management of the M1 music channel, with the thinking that the rock opera song “Le Forze Del Destino” would be easily understandable to European audiences. The video itself was also recognizable, as it recreated an episode from the famous blockbuster “The Fifth Element:” the scene featuring the incredible blue-colored alien opera prima, only in this case she was replaced by Ukrainian classical opera singer Yelena Grebenyuk.It’s still unclear whether the Euro Video Grand Prix will remain a feeble imitation of Eurovision as it is now, or will develop into something larger, but such a victory for Ukraine, so soon after its relatively unsuccessful participation in Eurovision, can serve at least as a moderate consolation.
