Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017

Ukraine participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Time" written by Yevhen Halych and Yevhen Kamenchuk. The song was performed by the band O.Torvald. In addition to participating in the contest, the Ukrainian broadcaster National Television Company of Ukraine (NTU) also hosted the Eurovision Song Contest after winning the competition in 2016 with the song "1944" performed by Jamala. NTU organised a national final in collaboration with commercial broadcaster STB in order to select the Ukrainian entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv. The national selection consisted of three semi-finals, held on 4, 11 and 18 February 2017, and a final, held on 25 February 2017; eight entries competed in each semi-final with the top two from each semi-final advancing to the final. In the final, "Time" performed by O.Torvald was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a three-member jury panel and a public televote.

Eurovision Song Contest 2017
Country Ukraine
National selection
Selection processVidbir 2017
Selection date(s)Semi-finals:
4 February 2017
11 February 2017
18 February 2017
Final:
25 February 2017
Selected entrantO.Torvald
Selected song"Time"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Final result24th, 36 points
Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2016 2017 2018►

As the host country, Ukraine qualified to compete directly in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Ukraine's running order position was determined by draw. Performing in position 22 during the final, Ukraine placed twenty-fourth out of the 26 participating countries with 36 points.

Background

Prior to the 2017 contest, Ukraine had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fourteen times since its first entry in 2003, winning it in 2004 with the song "Wild Dances" performed by Ruslana and in 2016 with the song "1944" performed by Jamala.[1] Following the introduction of semi-finals for the 2004 contest, Ukraine had managed to qualify to final in every contest they participated in thus far. Ukraine had been the runner-up in the contest on two occasions: in 2007 with the song "Dancing Lasha Tumbai" performed by Verka Serduchka and in 2008 with the song "Shady Lady" performed by Ani Lorak. Ukraine's least successful result had been 19th place, which they achieved during the 2005, with the song "Razom nas bahato" performed by GreenJolly.

The Ukrainian national broadcaster, National Television Company of Ukraine (NTU), broadcasts the event within Ukraine and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. In the past, UA:PBC had alternated between both internal selections and national finals in order to select the Ukrainian entry. Between 2011 and 2014, NTU had set up national finals with several artists to choose both the song and performer to compete at Eurovision for Ukraine, with both the public and a panel of jury members involved in the selection. In September 2014, the Ukrainian broadcaster announced that the country would not participate in the 2015 because of the unstable financial and political situation caused by the war in east Ukraine.[2][3] Along with the announcement of their withdrawal, NTU revealed that it had discussed the matter with the organising body of the contest, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and that their absence would be limited to one year only with an expected return in 2016.[3] In 2016, NTU in collaboration with the commercial broadcaster STB had set up a national final with several artists and shows to choose both the song and performer to compete at Eurovision for Ukraine, with both the public and a panel of jury members involved in the selection. NTU's collaboration with STB continued in 2017.

Before Eurovision

Vidbir 2017

Vidbir 2017 was the second edition of Vidbir which selected the Ukrainian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. The competition took place at the Palace of Culture "KPI" in Kyiv and consisted of three semi-finals held on 4, 11 and 18 February 2017 and a final on 25 February 2017. All shows in the competition were hosted by Serhiy Prytula and broadcast on both UA:Pershyi and STB as well as online via NTU's YouTube broadcasts.[4][5]

Format

The selection of the competing entries for the national final and ultimately the Ukrainian Eurovision entry took place over three stages.[6] In the first stage, artists and songwriters had the opportunity to apply for the competition either through an online submission form or by attending a scheduled audition during designated dates. Applicants also had the option of entering an online wildcard selection, the winner of which was to gain direct entry into the competition's final. However, it was later announced that the winner would compete in the competition's semi-finals instead. Twenty-four acts were selected and announced on 17 January 2017.[7] The second stage consisted of the televised semi-finals which took place on 4, 11 and 18 February 2017 with eight acts competing in each show. Two acts were selected to advance from each semi-final based on the 50/50 combination of votes from a public televote and an expert jury. Both the public televote and the expert jury assigned scores ranging from 1 (lowest) to 8 (highest) and the two entries that had the highest number of points following the combination of these scores advanced to the final. The third stage was the final, which took place on 25 February 2017 and featured the six acts that qualified from the semi-finals vying to represent Ukraine in Kyiv. The winner was selected via the 50/50 combination of votes from a public televote and an expert jury. Both the public televote and the expert jury assigned scores ranging from 1 (lowest) to 6 (highest) and the entry that had the highest number of points following the combination of these scores was declared the winner. Viewers participating in the public televote during the four live shows had the opportunity to submit a single vote per phone number for each of the participating entries via SMS or the Teleportal mobile application. In the event of a tie during the semi-finals and final, the tie was decided in favour of the entry that received the highest score from the public televote.

The jury panel that voted during the four shows consisted of:[8]

Competing entries

Artists and composers had the opportunity to submit their entries via an online submission form which accepted entries between 1 September 2016 and 15 January 2017.[6] Interested performers could also attend auditions that were held between 6 November and 11 December 2016 in the following cities and locations:[9]

  • 6 November 2016: Odesa (Hotel "Marenero")
  • 13 November 2016: Dnipro (Hotel "Dnipropetrovsk")
  • 4 December 2016: Lviv (Hotel "Reikartz")
  • 11 December 2016: Kyiv (STB Headquarters)

In addition to the online submission and auditions, artists and composers also had the option of submitting their entries for the wildcard selection at STB's official website which accepted entries between 1 September 2016 and 10 January 2017. The entries were then published online and users were able to cast one vote per day.[6] Composer and producer Konstantin Meladze was assigned as the music producer of the show and was the lead in reviewing the submissions received from the online submission and auditions, of which twenty-three entries were shortlisted to compete in the national final.[4] On 17 January 2017, the twenty-four selected competing acts, including the online wildcard winner, "Deep Shivers" performed by Kuznetsov, were announced.[7] The twenty-four acts were allocated to one of three semi-finals during a draw that took place on 20 January, which was hosted by Konstantin Meladze.

Top 10 of the wildcard round – 1 September 2016–10 January 2017
Artist Song Votes Place
Kuznetsov "Deep Shivers" 11,820 1
Denis Povaliy "Written On Your Heart" 10,311 2
Katya Syvun "Pryvyd" (Привід) 2,479 3
Legenda Folium "My Space" 2,199 4
One Light Inside "Stay" 1,920 5
Kseniya Popova "Let it Fall" 1,919 6
Litvinkovich "Nasha lyubov" (Наша любов) 1,375 7
Alex Angel and Lady Gala "Running for Love" 1,296 8
Nataliya Pylyponyuk and Dzhoan Sereso "Serenada Ukrayini" (Серенада Україні) 1,293 9
Oksana Pryimak "Za krai" (За край) 1,077 10
Artist Song Songwriter(s)
Aghiazma "Synthetic Sun" Kora Rex, Aghiazma
Anastasia Prudius "Flow" Anastasia Prudius, Anton Karskiy
Arsen Mirzoyan "Geraldine" Arsen Mirzoyan, Paul Manandise
Detach "Distance" Aleksey Verenchik, Evhen Astafiev
Green Grey "Future Is On" Green Grey
Illaria "Thank You for My Way" Ivan Rozin, Anna Rozina, Illaria
Kadnay "Freedom in My Mind" Dmitriy Kadnay, Fil Kolyadenko, Anton Karskiy
Kuznetsov "Deep Shivers" Ruslan Kuznetsov
Laliko "Sugar Whisper" Lali Ergemlidze
Letay "Svit chekaye" (Світ чекає) Ilya Reznikov
MamaRika "We Are One" Anastasiya Kochetova, Ivan Klimenko, Very the Jerry
Mélovin "Wonder" Kostyantyn Bocharov, Mickey Mic
Mila Nytych "Mystery" Yulia Hashevskaya
Monochromea "Blue Bird" Kristina Hromyak
O.Torvald "Time" Yevhen Halych, Yevhen Kamenchuk
Panivalkova "Dokuchayu" (Докучаю) Panivalkova
Payushchie Trusy "Singing Pants" Volodymyr Bebeshko, Olga Stepura
Roma Veremeychik and Lumiere "Make It Real" Roma Veremeychik
Rozhden "Saturn" Panos Liassi, Rafael Ishman, Rozhden
Salto Nazad "O, mamo!" (О, мамо!) Ivan Klimenko
Skai "All My Love for You" Oleh Sobchuk, John Hill
Tayanna "I Love You" Max Barskih, Tetiana Reshetniak
Vitaly Kozlovsky "I'm Your Light" Dima Bananov, Maryna Skomorokhova
Vivienne Mort "Iniy" (Іній) Daniela Zayushkina
Semi-finals

The three semi-finals took place on 4, 11 and 18 February 2017. In each semi-final eight acts competed and the top two entries determined following the combination of votes from a public televote and an expert jury advanced to the final of the competition, while the remaining six entries were eliminated.

In addition to the performances of the competing entries, guests in the first semi-final included 2017 Belarusian Eurovision entrant Naviband performing the 2017 Belarusian entry "Historyja majho žyccia" and a Belarusian version of the Eurovision 2016 winning song "1944" by Jamala, and 2017 Georgian Eurovision entrant Tamara Gachechiladze performing the 2017 Georgian entry "Keep the Faith", while 2017 Spanish Eurovision entrant Manel Navarro performed the 2017 Spanish entry "Do It for Your Lover" as a guest in the second semi-final.

Semi-final 1 – 4 February 2017
Draw Artist Song Jury Televote Total Place
Percentage Points
1 Skai "All My Love for You" 6 9.54% 5 11 4
2 Roman Veremeychik and Lumiere "Make It Real" 2 6.30% 3 5 6
3 Monochromea "Blue Bird" 3 4.35% 2 5 7
4 Laliko "Sugar Whisper" 1 4.29% 1 2 8
5 Salto Nazad "O, mamo!" 8 11.82% 6 14 2
6 MamaRika "We Are One" 5 8.76% 4 9 5
7 Tayanna "I Love You" 7 30.05% 8 15 1
8 Arsen Mirzoyan "Geraldine" 4 24.90% 7 11 3
Semi-final 2 – 11 February 2017
Draw Artist Song Jury Televote Total Place
Percentage Points
1 Letay "Svit chekaye" 1 5.76% 1 2 8
2 Mila Nytych "Mystery" 3 7.66% 3 6 7
3 Kuznetsov "Deep Shivers" 2 18.08% 7 9 5
4 Aghiazma "Synthetic Sun" 5 7.66% 2 7 6
5 Detach "Distance" 4 17.71% 6 10 3
6 Rozhden "Saturn" 8 11.18% 5 13 2
7 Panivalkova "Dokuchayu" 6 10.37% 4 10 4
8 Illaria "Thank You for My Way" 7 21.59% 8 15 1
Semi-final 3 – 18 February 2017
Draw Artist Song Jury Televote Total Place
Percentage Points
1 Payushchie Trusy "Singing Pants" 2 3.48% 1 3 8
2 O.Torvald "Time" 7 19.70% 7 14 1
3 Anastasia Prudius "Flow" 3 7.71% 3 6 6
4 Vitaly Kozlovsky "I'm Your Light" 1 5.27% 2 3 7
5 Kadnay "Freedom in My Mind" 8 14.50% 5 13 3
6 Mélovin "Wonder" 5 23.84% 8 13 2
7 Green Grey "Future Is On" 4 10.15% 4 8 5
8 Vivienne Mort "Iniy" 6 15.36% 6 12 4
Final

The final took place on 25 February 2017. The six entries that qualified from the semi-finals competed. The winner, "Time" performed by O.Torvald, was selected through the combination of votes from a public televote and an expert jury. Ties were decided in favour of the entries that received higher scores from the public televote.[10] 193,622 votes were registered by the televote during the show. In addition to the performances of the competing entries, guests included 2017 French Eurovision entrant Alma performing the 2017 French entry "Requiem" and 2017 Polish Eurovision entrant Kasia Moś performing the 2017 Polish entry "Flashlight". O.Torvald and Tayanna were tied at 10 points each at the end of the show but since O.Torvald received a higher score from the public they were declared the winners.

Detailed Jury Votes
Draw Song K. Meladze Jamala A. Danylko Total Points
1 "O, mamo!"11 1 3 1
2 "Wonder"32 6 11 2
3 "Time"26 5 13 5
4 "Thank You for My Way"44 4 12 4
5 "I Love You"65 2 13 6
6 "Saturn"53 3 11 3
Final – 25 February 2017
Draw Artist Song Jury Televote Total Place
Votes Points
1 Salto Nazad "O, mamo!" 1 21,978 3 4 6
2 Mélovin "Wonder" 2 60,455 6 8 3
3 O.Torvald "Time" 5 49,514 5 10 1
4 Illaria "Thank You for My Way" 4 14,388 1 5 5
5 Tayanna "I Love You" 6 32,319 4 10 2
6 Rozhden "Saturn" 3 14,968 2 5 4

Promotion

O.Torvald made several appearances across Europe to specifically promote "Time" as the Ukrainian Eurovision entry. On 2 April, O.Torvald performed during the London Eurovision Party, which was held at the Café de Paris venue in London and hosted by Nicki French and Paddy O'Connell.[11] On 8 April, O.Torvald performed during the Eurovision in Concert event which was held at the Melkweg venue in Amsterdam, Netherlands and hosted by Cornald Maas and Selma Björnsdóttir.[12]

At Eurovision

O.Torvald at the Eurovision Song Contest opening ceremony

All countries except the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) and the host country, are required to qualify from one of two semi-finals in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. As the host country, Ukraine automatically qualified to compete in the final on 13 May 2017.[13] In addition to their participation in the final, Ukraine is also required to broadcast and vote in one of the two semi-finals. During the semi-final allocation draw on 25 January 2016, Ukraine was assigned to broadcast and vote in the second semi-final on 11 May 2017.[14][15]

In Ukraine, both the semi-finals and the final were broadcast on UA:Pershyi with commentary by Tetyana Terekhova and Andriy Horodyskyi.[16] The three shows were also broadcast via radio on Radio Ukraine with commentary by Olena Zelinchenko and Roman Kolyada.[17] The Ukrainian spokesperson, who announced the top 12-point score awarded by the Ukrainian jury during the final, was 2013 Ukrainian representative Zlata Ognevich.

Final

O.Torvald during a rehearsal before the final

O.Torvald took part in technical rehearsals on 5 and 7 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 10, 12 and 13 May. This included the semi-final jury show on 10 May where an extended clip of the Ukrainian performance was filmed for broadcast during the live show on 11 May and the jury final on 12 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.[18] As the host nation, Ukraine's running order position in the final was decided through a random draw that took place during the Heads of Delegation meeting in Kyiv on 14 March 2017. Ukraine was drawn to perform in position 22.[19] Following the second semi-final, the shows' producers decided upon the running order of the final rather than through another draw, so that similar songs were not placed next to each other. While Ukraine had already been drawn to perform in position 22, it was determined that Ukraine would perform following Germany and before the entry from Belgium.[20]

The Ukrainian performance featured the members of O.Torvald performing on stage in a band set-up in black costumes together with a backing vocalist. The stage featured a head that transitioned from grey to blue colours, with its eyes lit up in light blue and changed to red towards the end of the performance. The LED screens displayed predominately turquoise colours that turned into black at points, accompanied by a mountainous imagery that extended upwards showing a sunrise before the conclusion of the song.[21][22] The backing vocalist that joined O.Torvald on stage was Dasha Mineyeva.[23] Ukraine placed twenty-fourth in the final, scoring 36 points: 24 points from the televoting and 12 points from the juries.

Voting

Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding two sets of points from 1-8, 10 and 12: one from their professional jury and the other from televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent, with their names published before the contest to ensure transparency. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The individual rankings of each jury member as well as the nation's televoting results were released shortly after the grand final.

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to Ukraine and awarded by Ukraine in the second semi-final and grand final of the contest, and the breakdown of the jury voting and televoting conducted during the two shows:

Points awarded to Ukraine

Points awarded to Ukraine (Final)[24]
Score Televote Jury
12 points
10 points
8 points
7 points  Azerbaijan
6 points
5 points
4 points  Georgia  Israel
3 points  Portugal
2 points  Poland
1 point  Belarus  Bulgaria

Points awarded by Ukraine

Detailed voting results

The following members comprised the Ukrainian jury:[26]

  • Yurii Rybchynsky (jury chairperson)  poet, dramatist, scriptwriter
  • Sergii Grachov  composer, arranger
  • Yana Pryadko  producer
  • Sergii Gagarin (Serzh Gagarin)  radio presenter, producer
  • Kateryna Sereda (Illaria)  singer, songwriter
Detailed voting results from Ukraine (Semi-final 2)[25]
Draw Country Jury Televote
Y. Rybchynsky S. Grachov Y. Pryadko S. Gagarin Illaria Rank Points Rank Points
01  Serbia11111513121518
02  Austria1212917111412
03  Macedonia13138338313
04  Malta141457161217
05  Romania1533897465
06  Netherlands657465614
07  Hungary1644124756
08  Denmark1715121071315
09  Ireland36149109211
10  San Marino18161818181816
11  Croatia1211686583
12  Norway5915421074
13   Switzerland781314141192
14  Belarus47221112112
15  Bulgaria21611538210
16  Lithuania81817151717101
17  Estonia10171616151638
18  Israel91010121310147
Detailed voting results from Ukraine (Final)[24]
Draw Country Jury Televote
Y. Rybchynsky S. Grachov Y. Pryadko S. Gagarin Illaria Rank Points Rank Points
01  Israel23181817192017
02  Poland4162419241814
03  Belarus3312311238
04  Austria22202124132422
05  Armenia811122071316
06  Netherlands94141198323
07  Moldova211652074112
08  Hungary1083123874
09  Italy24251113232113
10  Denmark11241516161620
11  Portugal52261210210
12  Azerbaijan12651265611
13  Croatia6584144715
14  Australia1313101049219
15  Greece7142318171521
16  Spain18232525222525
17  Norway2110981012101
18  United Kingdom14192014151718
19  Cyprus16121921211912
20  Romania179415111183
21  Germany15222222182324
22  Ukraine
23  Belgium192163510165
24  Sweden2015137121447
25  Bulgaria2571723252292
26  France1177986556

References

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  3. "Eurovision 2015: Ukraine announces exit". bbc.com. BBC News. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  4. "СТБ и UΛ:Перший проведуть другий національний відбір на "Євробачення-2017"". stb.ua (in Ukrainian). STB. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  5. Artigas, Joel (1 September 2016). "Ukraine kicks off its national selection". escxtra.com. escXtra. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  6. "ПРАВИЛА проведення в Україні національного відбору учасника Пісенного конкурсу "ЄВРОБАЧЕННЯ – 2017" ( (далі – Правила)". stb.ua (in Ukrainian). STB. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  7. "Определены имена полуфиналистов Национального отбора на "Евровидение-2017"". stb.ua (in Ukrainian). STB. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  8. "Стало відомо ім'я другого члена журі нацвідбору "Євробачення-2017"". stb.ua (in Ukrainian). STB. 13 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  9. "Eurovision 2017 - O.Torvald (Ukraine / Украина)". ESCKAZ. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  10. "Time to fly the Ukrainian flag in May". eurovision.tv. 25 February 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  11. "The London Eurovision Party 2017". Eurovoix. 2 April 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  12. Jordan, Paul (29 March 2017). "Eurovision in Concert sets a new record with 33 acts". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  13. Brey, Marco (24 June 2016). "Search for 2017 Eurovision host city has started". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  14. Jordan, Paul (21 January 2016). "Semi-Final Allocation Draw on Monday, pots revealed". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  15. Jordan, Paul (25 January 2016). "Allocation Draw: The results!". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  16. "Щоденник Євробачення-2017. Випуск №3". UA:Перший (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  17. "Українське радіо транслюватиме Міжнародний пісенний конкурс Євробачення-2017". Radio Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  18. "Kyiv 2017: Rehearsal Schedule". eurovisionworld.com. 18 April 2017. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  19. "Heads of Delegation gather to be briefed ahead of Eurovision 2017". eurovision.tv. 14 March 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  20. "EXCLUSIVE: Running order for the 2017 Grand Final released!". eurovision.tv. 12 May 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  21. Cobb, Ryan (5 May 2017). "Day 6: O.Torvald complete their first rehearsal for Ukraine – REVIEW". escXtra. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  22. Outerson, Michael (5 May 2017). "First rehearsals for the Big Six: Ukraine, Italy, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom and France". EuroVisionary. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  23. "Ukraine". Six on Stage. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  24. "Results of the Grand Final of Kyiv 2017". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  25. "Results of the Second Semi-Final of Kyiv 2017". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  26. Jordan, Paul (29 April 2017). "Who will be the expert jurors for Eurovision 2017?". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
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