‘MOTHER, UKRAINE’

Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra Wins Eurovision Song Contest 2022 With Ode to Mother ‘Stefania’

“Some stuff in here was written long before the war, and it was dedicated to my mother,” Psiuk said. “After it all started...people started seeing it as their mother, Ukraine.”

Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra won Eurovision’s 2022 Song Contest Saturday evening with their flute-laden rap “Stefania.” The song was originally written in honor of frontman Oleh Psiuk’s mother but swiftly became an ode to Ukraine after the Russian invasion. “Some stuff in here was written long before the war, and it was dedicated to my mother,” Psiuk told the Associated Press. “After it all started with the war and the hostilities, it took on additional meaning, and many people started seeing it as their mother, Ukraine, in the meaning of the country.” Though the European Broadcasting Union initially agreed to allow Russia to participate in the annual contest, the decision was promptly reversed.