On the night of May 14 in Turin, Italy, the grand final of the international song contest Eurovision 2022 was held, where the winner and the host country of next year's contest were known. After the jury and the public scores were tabulated, Ukraine band Kalush Orchestra has won the contest with the song "Stefania."
Forty countries represented the contestants. Armenia, which did not participate in the competition in 2021, and Montenegro, who has missed two editions, returned to the competition. At the same time, Belarus was disqualified last year, and Russia was not allowed to participate in the contest for its invasion of Ukraine and did not participate in Eurovision 2022.
The 2022 final
The Eurovision 2022 final featured 25 contestants: the ten winners of the first semifinal, the ten winners of the second semifinal, and representatives from the contest's founding countries: Great Britain, Italy, Spain, France, and Germany.
Voting results of Eurovision 2022
The viewers from different European countries were almost unanimous in giving the maximum points to Ukraine: Kalush Orchestra received 192 points from the jury and the highest point from the audience -439. It is a record for Ukrainian artists in the history of Eurovision. A maximum of 12 points were given to Ukraine by the jury of such countries as Poland, Lithuania, Romania, Latvia, and Moldova.
"Thank you to all the people who voted for us.
I can't tell you how happy we are that we managed to do it. Glory to Ukraine!" Oleg Psyuk, the lead singer of Kalush Orchestra, said from the stage of Eurovision after the victory.
What the song 'Stefania' is about
Kalush Orchestra's song "Stefania" is considered a "soundtrack of war" on social media. Users actively use it on Instagram and TikTok to show explosions and military action.
Although, in fact, the composition is dedicated to the mother of Kalush Orchestra leader, Stefania Psyuk.
Help Azovstal
After the Kalush Orchestra performance in the finals, the band's frontman called from the stage to help Ukraine, Mariupol, and Azovstal right now. The rules of the contest prohibited political slogans.
