Ukraine mixes traditional and contemporary on Go_A’s ‘Solovey’
Last year, Ukraine’s national selection for Eurovision Vidbir, turned into a national disaster after winner Maruv was denied the ticket to Eurovision because of her past performances in Russia. It lead to the country withdrawing from Eurovision for a year, but this year they organized Vidbir once more and it seems that this year, the winner is actually going to Rotterdam. Ukrainian band Go_A won the whole thing with getting the maximum points from both the juries and the televoters for their song ‘Solovey’.
The band Go_A formed in 2012 and they released their debut record back in 2016. Their Eurovision entry ‘Solovey’ will definitely stand out amongst the 40 other competitors in May. The song mixes elements of Ukrainian folk with contemporary beats and prominent percussion. Lead singer Katerina Pavlenko’s vocal style is very traditional and might be quite hate-it-or-love-it with the rest of Europe. Her style is somewhat similar to last year’s Polish entry Tulia, which failed to make the final. At the same time, ‘Solovey’ is a way more instantly catchy composition and the modern beat under the folklore might appeal to a bigger audience.
Katerina’s performance is quite captivating and the subtle dance moves she does actually add something to the performance. If you ask me, they should lose the guitar spitting fire, because it does not fit the song, nor the aesthetic of the rest of the performance, which looks like it is ready for the Eurovision stage. The traditional and modern elements are visible in their stage show too. ‘Solovey’ will definitely not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Ukraine actually sends an authentic entry that represents their musical roots this year, which I applaud. It might be too divisive to compete for the win, but a decent result in the final should be possible.
MORE EUROVISION 2020 REVIEWS: ALBANIA – ARMENIA – AUSTRALIA – BELARUS – BELGIUM – BULGARIA – CZECH REPUBLIC – ESTONIA – FRANCE – GEORGIA – GERMANY – GREECE – ICELAND – ISRAEL – ITALY – LATVIA – LITHUANIA – THE NETHERLANDS – NORWAY – POLAND – ROMANIA – SLOVENIA – SPAIN – SWITZERLAND – UNITED KINGDOM