| "Stefania" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byKalush Orchestra | ||||
| Language | Ukrainian | |||
| Released | 7 February 2022 | |||
| Genre | Alternative hip hop,folk | |||
| Length | 2:59 | |||
| Label | Sony Music Entertainment | |||
| Composers |
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| Lyricists | ||||
| Kalush Orchestra singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Stefania" onYouTube | ||||
| Eurovision Song Contest 2022 entry | ||||
| Country | ||||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Semi-final result | 1st | |||
| Semi-final points | 337 | |||
| Final result | 1st | |||
| Final points | 631 | |||
| Entry chronology | ||||
| ◄ "Shum" (2021) | ||||
| "Heart of Steel" (2023) ► | ||||
| Official performance video | ||||
| "Stefania" (First Semi-Final) onYouTube "Stefania" (Grand Final) onYouTube | ||||
"Stefania" (stylized initalic script,Ukrainian:Стефанія,romanized: Stefaniya,pronounced[steˈfɑn⁽ʲ⁾ijɐ]ⓘ) is a song by Ukrainian folk-rap groupKalush Orchestra, co-written by all group members alongsideIvan Klymenko and was released throughSony Music Entertainment. Itrepresented Ukraine in theEurovision Song Contest 2022 held inTurin, which it won.
"Stefania" has been described as analternative hip hop andfolk song. It is the third song sung entirely inUkrainian to represent Ukraine at Eurovision, but the second to compete at the contest following the cancellation ofEurovision 2020.[1] The song won the contest with 631 points, becoming the first replacement song, the first rap song and the first song sung entirely in Ukrainian to win. "Stefania" charted in twenty-two music markets, topping the charts in Ukraine and Lithuania, while also reaching the top ten within Finland, Croatia, Iceland, Hungary and Sweden.
In 2022The Independent ranked "Stefania" as 15th best Eurovision winner,[2] and in 2023The Guardian ranked the song as 24th best Eurovision winner.[3]
"Stefania" was co-written by allKalush Orchestra members alongsideIvan Klymenko. It has been described as an ode to a mother, with the narrator speaking of good memories of his own mother. The song initially talks about how much his mother has aged, invoking a nostalgic past. The song later addresses the hardships of a mother, with the narrator realizing how much the mother has done for him. A "lullaby", within the end of each rap verse, brings the narrator back to when his mother took care of him.[4] The song is dedicated to frontmanOleh Psiuk's mother, who is also named Stefania.[5] Two traditional Ukrainian woodwind instruments are featured in the song: thesopilka and thetelenka.[6]
"Stefania" was an entry inVidbir 2022, the televised music competition organised by thePublic Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC) to determine its entrant for the66th edition of theEurovision Song Contest. The selection of the competing entries forVidbir took place over three stages. In the first stage, artists and songwriters had the opportunity to apply for the competition through an online submission form.[7] Twenty-seven acts were longlisted and announced on 17 January 2022. The second stage was a scheduled audition at designated dates and featured the twenty-seven acts in the longlist. Eight acts were selected to advance, which were announced on 24 January 2022. The third stage was the final, which took place on 12 February 2022 and featured the eight acts vying to represent Ukraine in Turin. The winner was selected via a 50/50 combination of votes from a public televote and a three-member expert jury,[8] consisting of2006 and2016 Ukrainian entrantsTina Karol andJamala, alongsideYaroslav Lodyhin [uk] a board member of UA:PBC.[9][10]
Artists and composers had the opportunity to submit their entries between 14 December 2021 and 10 January 2022. Only artists that had not performed in a concert inRussia since 2014 or entered theterritory of Crimea since 2014 were able to apply for the competition.[7] A selection panel including the music producer of the show, Mykhailo Koshevy, and the television producer of the show, Oleksiy Honcharenko, reviewed the 284 submissions, and twenty-seven entries that had been longlisted were announced on 17 January 2022.[11][12] Auditions were later held at the My Dream Space venue inKyiv where eight entries were shortlisted to compete in the national final.[12] On 24 January 2022, the eight selected competing acts were announced.[13] In theVidbir final, held on 12 February,Alina Pash emerged as the winner with the song "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors", but she ultimately declined her position after being involved in a controversy for having breached the rule barringVidbir competitors from having traveled to Russia or Crimea.[14] As a result, UA:PBC offeredKalush Orchestra to represent Ukraine in replacement of Pash.[15][16] On 22 February, the group accepted the offer, so "Stefania" became theUkrainian entrant for Eurovision.[17]
Two days after they accepted,Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and "Stefania" subsequently became a popular wartime soundtrack on social media.[18][19] On 2 April, UA:PBC confirmed that Kalush Orchestra and the rest of its delegation were given permission from state authorities to leave the country to participate in the contest, adding that the group would also take part in promotional events across Europe to raise donations for war relief efforts.[20][21][22]
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On 10 May 2022, the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest was held at thePalaOlimpico inTurin hosted byRadiotelevisione italiana (RAI) and broadcast live throughout the continent and abroad. Kalush Orchestra performed "Stefania" sixth in a field of seventeen songs, and qualified for the grand final. After the grand final it was revealed that it had achieved first place, based on a combination of first placing from televote and third from jury.[23][24]
On 14 May 2022, Kalush Orchestra performed again "Stefania" twelfth in a field of twenty-six in the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest. At the end of the jury vote, the song finished in fourth place with 192 points. It received then 439 points from the televote, the highest number in the contest's history to date, receiving points from every country (with all butMalta,North Macedonia, andSerbia giving the country 10 or 12 points). The combination of the points from the jury and the televote resulted in 631 points, placing "Stefania" first, and winning the contest.[25][26]
After winning Eurovision, Kalush Orchestra collected 54 millionhryvnias in support of Ukraine through its concerts, charity meetings and auctions. This amount does not include funds from joint concerts with other artists. The group subsequently embarked on a promotional tour across Europe and North America to collect donations in support of Ukraine.[27][28][29] European viewers were urged to donate to the "Save Ukrainian Culture" initiative, created with the support of theUkrainian Ministry of Culture.[citation needed] During their time at theGlastonbury Festival in June 2022, Kalush Orchestra performed "Stefania" for female volunteers who helpUkrainian refugees in London. The group additionally performed the song at the Royal Horse Guards Parade in front of thePalace of Whitehall incentral London.[citation needed]
In August 2022, Kalush Orchestra performed in the Italian city ofMonopoli at the Madonna della Madia festival, with the participation of Ukrainian immigrant children,[30][31] who danced and sang "Stefania" on stage.[32][33] On the eve ofUkrainian Independence Day, 23 August, Kalush Orchestra announced a 24-hour fundraiser of 24 hryvnias for the rehabilitation of Ukrainian soldiers inMariupol.[34]
As the winning broadcaster, theEuropean Broadcasting Union (EBU) gave UA:PBC the responsibility to host thefollowing edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. As the broadcaster was unable to host the event due to the Russian invasion, theBritish Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) acted as host broadcaster on its behalf. The grand final, held on 13 May 2023 inLiverpool, was opened by Kalush Orchestra performing "Stefania" and their new single "Changes". They also presented the trophy to the winner.[35]
On 10 March 2022, the video of the performance of "Stefania" fromVidbir 2022 was posted on the Eurovision YouTube channel. The music video for the song, directed by Max Ksjonda, was released on 15 May, shortly after the song won Eurovision.[36] The video was filmed in April in the cities ofBucha,Irpin,Borodianka, andHostomel, all of which had been attacked during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The video depicts military women in destroyed cities taking numerous children away from burning and bombed-out buildings, and returning them to their mothers.[37]
"Stefania" charted in twenty-two music markets, topping the charts in Ukraine and Lithuania, while also reaching the top ten within Finland, Croatia, Iceland, Hungary and Sweden.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Monthly charts[edit]
Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Poland (ZPAV)[69] | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
[T]he upbeat track heavily features traditional Ukrainian woodwind instruments; the sopilka, and the telenka.
Ieri Monopoli ha ospitato il concerto della Kalush Orchestra nell'ambito della festa patronale in onore della Madonna della Madia. È l'unica tappa italiana di un lungo tour.
| Preceded by | Eurovision Song Contest winners 2022 | Succeeded by |
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