Eurovision 2023 // Kalush Orchestra anticipates a "Ukrainian-flavoured" performance
A member of last year's Eurovision winning band, Kalush Orchestra, said he is grateful for Britain's support in organising this year's music competition, saying he is looking forward to a "Ukrainian-flavoured" performance, DPA/PA Media reported on Sunday, as reported by Agerpres.
Tymofii Muzychuk, one of the seven members of the Ukrainian group, said he believes "something incredible" will happen when the city of Liverpool hosts the music competition next month.
The UK has taken over hosting duties on behalf of Ukraine, a country still affected by Russia's invasion.
The Kalush Orchestra will perform at the grand final on 13 May, alongside British star Sam Ryder, runner-up in the 2022 edition.
Asked about Britain hosting Eurovision 2023, Muzychuk said:
"We are grateful to the UK for this support and we are also grateful to them for hosting this year's competition. We think something incredible awaits us in Liverpool of course, with a Ukrainian flavour."
Muzychuk added that he and the Kalush Orchestra are supporting this year's participation of Ukrainian electronic music group Tvorchi, praising the duo's track, "Heart Of Steel".
Kalush Orchestra has released a new song, "Ushme Uturbe", which Muzychuk claims was created to "distract" people from the present moment.
"We didn't try to put any specific meaning into the song. We want people to listen to our new song, to be distracted from the moment, from any thoughts and simply feel the atmosphere. Every moment is important, now more than ever," the musician added.
The new song was written and recorded in Austin, Texas, where the band performed at SXSW in March. On this occasion, the band members hung the Ukrainian flag in various places in Austin as a symbol of gratitude to the city.
"We don't want the world to forget what's going on in Ukraine right now and (we want) them to continue to support us in all aspects. The fact that we left the Ukrainian coat of arms around the city indicates that we left a part of Ukraine far away in the US. And that we are grateful to the city for accepting us," he added.
The UK will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 on behalf of Ukraine.
The grand final will take place at the Liverpool Arena on 13 May 2023, with semi-finals on 9 and 11 May 2023. The BBC, together with the European Broadcasting Union, will organise the contest in partnership with Ukraine's public broadcaster and this year's winners. Liverpool was chosen after considering the venue; the capacity to host thousands of delegates, the infrastructure and the cultural offer of the host city, reports euronews.co.uk.
