Poll: Who should win Ukraine’s Vidbir 2022?

Kyiv is ready to bring it. The final of Vidbir 2022 will take place on Saturday, 12 February at 17:30 CET.

Masha Efrosinina will host the show from the main stage, while Timur Miroshnychenko will oversee the green room.

But the real action, of course, will take place on the stage where the jury members Jamala (Eurovision 2016 winner), Tina Karol (Eurovision 2006 singer) and Yaroslav Lodygin (member of the Managing Board of UA: PBC) will offer their reviews and critiques to the eight finalists fighting for that one place at Eurovision.

The jury will decide 50% of the overall result, while SMS voting will determine the remainder.

Ahead of that, we want to know: Which of the eight acts is your favourite? You can review each of the finalists below, along with their official bios as supplied by the Ukrainian broadcaster. Then vote in our poll.

Vidbir 2022 Running order

1. Cloudless – “All be Alright”
2. Michael Soul – “Demons”
3. Our Atlantic – “Моя любов” (My Love)
4. Barleben – “Hear My Words”
5. Roxolana – “Girlzzzz”
6. Kalush Orchestra – “Stefania”
7. Wellboy – “Nozzy Bossy”
8. Alina Pash – “Тіні забутих предків” (Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors)

Cloudless – “All Be Alright” 

The band Cloudless was formed in 2017. It gained popularity after releasing the song “Mizh Svitamy” which became the soundtrack to the TV series “School”. The songs of this band are heard in many TV series and entertainment TV shows.

In 2017-2018, the band performed mostly electronic songs. In 2019, they released a conceptual pop-rock album “Mayak” about existential search and overcoming problems. 

In late 2019, Cloudless  was joined by a participant of The X Factor Yurii Kanalosh. The band became a participant of the national selection for Eurovision 2020 with a rock’n’roll and indie-pop music single “Drown me down”. In July, the band was joined by drummer Oleksandr Kovachov, and a year later by a new guitarist Viktor Zhukov.

The song “All be Alright” is about the imperfections of the world and about believing in the best. The band sings that despite all troubles – internal or external – everything will be fine. The main thing is to believe and work first of all on yourself. The band hopes that every listener will find their own meaning in this song, but the main message is that everything will be fine! All Be Alright!

Michael Soul – “Demons”

Michael Soul is a trendy English-speaking artist who works in the styles of r&b, pop and soul. Michael’s discography includes slow ballads and party tracks, as he follows emotional impulses in his work. 

Early in his career, Michael participated in The X-Factor (Ukraine) and The Voice (Ukraine). His performances started gathering millions of views on YouTube.

Michael Soul’s debut album “Inside” was released in 2018. It quickly found its listeners and ranked first in iTunes. In June 2019, the artist gave his first solo concert. In 2020, Michael Soul released the diptych “4U”, which marked a new musical story of the artist.

“Demons” is a social dark-pop song about Michael’s personal story of being in the darkness. If you replace the word “demons” with another like “people’, then you can get other meanings that can touch the heart in their own way. Demons are mistakes, and the track itself is about knowing oneself and is an appeal to others.

Our Atlantic – “Моя любов” (My Love)

Our Atlantic is a Ukrainian indie-pop band from Uman town, currently based in Kyiv. The history of the band dates back to 2017. While studying at Uman Music College, the band members began to write their first songs and assembled a band. In 2018, after moving to Kyiv, the band formed its musical style. This is a stylish Ukrainian-language indie-pop with a touch of disco, funk, soul inspired by Ukrainian “mustachioed” funk of the 70s-80s. The vocal feature of Our Atlantic is the frontman’s sweet melodic falsetto.

After the release of the EP “Entertainment Hour” in 2020, Our Atlantic was nominated for the 2021 YUNA Music Award in the category “Discovery of the Year”, and for the 2021 Aprize Music Awards from Radio Aristocrats in the nomination “Best Album”.

The band performs both in chamber halls and at festival venues, including festivals such as Faine Misto, ZAXIDFEST, Sofar Kyiv, Sofar Lviv, Myst Art Festival, Green Stage, Respublika Fest, Vertuha Art Festival, Dnipro Gogol Fest, Air Gogol Fest, Kyiv Picnic, Slavsko Funk.

The song “Моя Любов” (My Love) is a reflection on the topic of abuse. Anyone can become a victim of abuse. Abuse is a phenomenon that has no nationality. The musicians are convinced that this topic will resonate to viewers in Ukraine and all over the world.

Barleben – “Hear My Words”

Barleben (Oleksandr Barleben) started his creative journey by participating in The X Factor. Then he focused on songwriting and released his first solo track “The Meaning of My Life” in 2018.

In November 2019, Barleben released his debut music video for the song “At Depth”. In December 2019, he released the track “Release” and a music video for it. In 2020, he presented the project “Stop the war”.

Barleben performed at various concert venues, including Leopoliss Jazz, Freedom Hall, New Year’s Concert “Main Christmas Tree 2019” and Jazz Club “Domicile” in Dortmund, Germany.

The song “Hear My Words”  is about important words that need to be heard right now. In times of fear and hatred, tension and aggression, we need to remember love, fill our souls with it and remember what it is like to love ourselves, others, our cause and our country. In an age of constant change, only love is constant and only it can heal your heart. 

Roxolana – “Girlzzzz”

​ROXOLANA (Roksolana Syrota) was born in Lviv, and is based in Kyiv. She was a contestant of The Voice Ukraine (Season 9). 

In 2021 ROXOLANA created an art project “Ukraine Is” featuring contemporary pop music and lyrics of renowned Ukrainian poets. Her first music video Ochyma (Eyes) was viewed over 1 mln times on YouTube and ranked among the top 10 radio hits in Ukraine.

She became the first Ukrainian singer to release a sign language music video with interpretation by Ksenia Oliynyk. The video was dedicated to the International Day of Sign Languages.

The song “Girlzzzz” – is all about finding your inner self – brave, free from social pressure and labels, simply dancing and living your best life. Our true power lies in our realness. Being true to yourself is the most important thing, and it manifests most when we are dancing, singing and taking care of ourselves.

Kalush Orchestra – “Stefania”

Kalush Orchestra is a Ukrainian hip-hop band that combines ethnic motifs with the modern sound using folk instruments.

Oleh Psiuk is a Ukrainian rapper, founder and frontman of the bands Kalush and Kalush Orchestra.

Ihor Didenchuk plays more than 30 musical instruments, a member of the bands Go_A, Kalush and Kalush Orchestra.

Vitalii Duzhyk is a beatboxer that plays the bagpipe and the organ virtuously.

Tymofii Muzychuk was a solo instrumentalist in the Kyiv ensemble of Ukrainian music “Dnipro”, performed as part of the folk ensemble Kralytsia, and now is a member of the bands KALUSH and Kalush Orchestra.

Danyil Chernov is a rapper, DJ, and dancer of the bands Kalush and Kalush Orchestra . 

The song “Stefania” is about the most important person – mother. Like all other songs of the bands KALUSH and KALUSH ORCHESTRA, it is based on a life story and feelings of the band. The band leader Oleh Psiuk shares that this song is about his mother. This is best thing that he has ever done for her, as she really deserves a song. She will hear the song named after her only in the live show.

Wellboy – “Nozzy Bossy”

Wellboy (Anton Velboi) was born on June 9, 2000 in the village of Grun, Sumy region. In 2021, he graduated from Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts with a degree in show and mass celebration directing. While a student, Wellboy was a participant of The X Factor where he reached the final.

In the summer of 2021 Wellboy released his first single “Geese”, and in autumn of the same year the second single and video “Cherries” were released.

The song “Geese” became the first Ukrainian-language trackto reach the TOP 100 of the year in Apple Music Ukraine. Both hits “Geese” and “Cherries” were in the TOP 10 of Apple Music Ukraine and in the TOP 50 of Spotify Ukraine. Spotify named Wellboy the main hitmaker of the year.

“Nozzy Bossy” is a song about the energy of the earth. The earth is the only thing that has value, the only thing that is eternal. It gives strength and a sense of homeland. The single has a deep sense of the value of your homeland, and bare feet are the roots that always absorb all the energy from the earth and move us through life. 

Alina Pash – “Тіні забутих предків” (Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors)

Alina Pash is a Ukrainian singer, songwriter and actress. Her music combines elements of R’n’B and Hip-Hop, intertwining them with facets of Carpathian ethnicities. 

Released in 2018, Alina’s hit single “Bitanga” introduced her talents to a wider spectrum of audiences. This success was followed by two solo albums called “Pintea:Gory/Misto” (2018) and “Rozmova” (2021) and two EPs “Amerikraine Dream” (2019) and “Norov” (2021). 

Pash’s live shows can be found on most continents of the Earth, as she regularly performs solo concerts and takes part in major music festivals, including Atlas Weekend, Brave Factory!, Sonar, Calvi On The Rocks, ESNS, Electric Castle etc.

The song “Тіні забутих предків” / Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is about our ancestors, about artists that shaped us. The main message of the song is that thanks to our ancestors we are moving forward. We need to remember them, gain strength from them and confidently step into the future.