During the first season of Vidbir in 2016, Ukraine wound up selecting a Eurovision winner in the form of Jamala, whose “1944” drew international headlines before the contest had even ended.
And now commercial broadcaster STB has revealed that Ukraine will select its Eurovision 2018 act through the show once more, looking past O.Torvald’s lacklustre 24th place finish in May.
STB and cash-strapped state broadcaster UA:PBC began broadcasting television commercials for Vidbir 2018 last weekend.
Accompanied by dramatic music and plenty of images from Eurovision 2016 and 2017, the tv spot officially opens casting for the 2018 national selection.
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Casting for the #Vidbir2018 is starting now! pic.twitter.com/UhVzpUTTTc— UA:Eurovision ?? (@uapbc) October 1, 2017
In September the European Broadcasting Union called out the Ukrainian government for underfunding UA:PBC, so it’s no surprise that commercial broadcaster STB will organise and finance the show for the third consecutive year.
Interested candidates can register by telephone. Details about the selection, what form the show will take and deadlines remain unclear, though more information is expected in the weeks ahead.
UA:PBC worked with STB for the actual Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv this May. The commercial broadcaster took over some national activities such as promotional programs and was the “National Media Partner” for the event.
Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest
The country, which will celebrate its 15th appearance in Lisbon, debuted at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2003. Ukraine has managed to reach the grand final every single time and boasts nine top ten finishes.
Their first victory came in 2004 when the loin-clothed Ruslana served “Wild Dances”, which honoured traditional Carpathian mountain music. After the country sat out of Eurovision 2015, Jamala brought the country back to the Eurovision stage with the touching breaking beats ballad “1944”.
O. Torvald’s 24th place finish the following year marks Ukraine’s worst result ever.
Are you excited for Vidbir 2018? What acts do you want to see hit the stage? Let us know in the comments box below.
This time the selections didn’t live up expectations after 2016, but juries’ work was even worse. Despite threat-in-face critics may work, it happens to be just overdramatic, not elaborated well and as result slightly unfair to various artists from time to time. Yet it bothers me that there’s often not enough judgement about visual part of perfomances. Gladly though that stage changes are allowed.
Dunno what artists to expect but there may happen an aim from judges for a mother tongue, that’s the only little prediction /and I’d be happy with that/.
Even if they won’t find another Jamala, at least I hope they won’t find another O.Torvald.
Erm – Time was a brilliant song, and a very much needed rock song this year. Regardless of The very unfair result. It should have been more rock this year. Rock on Ukraine!
Melovin should definitely try out again! He was the publics choice in 2017
I just want Mélovin back
Please something like 2009
THE HARDKISS please!
Hopefully Tayanna will return. She was literally robbed in Feburary. Her final performance was’t that good, as her semi final performance, but she could’ve improved.
She would’ve brought Ukraine another TOP 10 place
So, hopefully, she’ll return, with a great entry such as “I love you”
I think she would’ve be bottom 6 as well, maybe bottom 10. Her song was just another ballad in the middle of a sea of ballads, quite generic and predictable. But of course, that’s just my opinion.
I agree. It was very much the way you described it. “Time” was brilliant, a worthy winner. Regardless of the result in ESC. Maybe the controversy around Ukraine backfired them in the voting this year. I was very happy when Time beated the very boring “I Love You”
Melovin should try again. He was the public’s choice this year. He was robbed!
I’m sure Ukraine doesn’t want to host Eurovision again due to all the financial problems and the political tensions with Russia but I hope they don’t do what Denmark did in 2015 after they hosted Eurovision the previous year by organizing a weak national final with 10 pretty bad songs in order to avoid hosting again due to budget overruns and then failing to qualify as a result.
I really hope ILLARIA comes back, she really deserved to win this year (even more so in 2014!)
I hope it will be as good as it was in 2016. I still listen to 1944, Helpless and Love Manifest.
Both 1944 and Amar pelos dois have been wonderful winners I think. Some controversy around 1944, but still a very well crafted song
And Time desvered a lot more than it got this year
1944 makes me want to replay the miniserie Doctor Zhivago 2002 with Keira Knightley, even if it’s a Russian novel.
I know the producers claim that the selection was going to be great this year but since they were hosting, I think we all knew it would be a bit lacklustre (although songs like TAYANNA and Melovin would’ve made decent entries imo). I think they’re going to be competitive again this year and I personally cant wait. Ukraine is my fave ESC country 🙂