Menoizikul; Midweek Musicalisms

The last of my picks from the Eurovision Song Contest - bringing you the one that, were I the sole judge, would definitely carry the award. Yes, Ukraine won it last year. On some musical merit, although it is quite likely there were some solidarity votes involved. This offering for the "host" country is entirely different from that of the previous one. This has a truly international sound and feel. To me, it was really rather fitting that one of (if not THE) strongest entries this year was again from the state under the greatest pressure. In the end, it ranked sixth in the competition (and, for the record, the Swiss entry came 20th, and the OZ song attained ninth - out of 26 finalists).

Jimoh Augustus Kehinde (also known as Jeffrey Kenny), 25, and Andrii Hutsuliak, 27, formed Tvorchi (trans; 'Creatives') in 2018 while they were both students at Ternopil National Medical University. The lyrics reflect on the inner strength and resilience that has manifested in their home nation. Let what comes, come, it can be withstood by the heart of steel. This proved to be so extremely pertinent on finals night, as Ternopil was being bombed just before they went on stage... (If you can watch the official vid, it shows you the exceptional staging and performance; definitely the most original of the bunch. However, I also include from their own channel the audition video, so hopefully, everyone gets to hear the song at least.)