On 24 August 2020, Ukraine celebrated the 29th anniversary of its independence — and its many glamorous Eurovision stars joined the festivities. In an almost 20-minute long performance, popular Ukrainian singers and performers honoured forty-two songs that are part of the country’s rich musical history.

Eurovision 2017 semi-final opening act Monatik kicked off the star-studded compilation, before other artists dance through 1980s Ukrainian ballads and more contemporary songs.

Eurovision and Vidbir stars honour Ukraine’s musical history

On top of a large LED screen, The Hardkiss frontwoman Yulia Sanina performed Jamala‘s Eurovision 2016 winning entry “1944”. Soon after Jamala herself interpreted the band’s hit single “Make-Up”. Next to that the Crimean-Tatar singer performed the Nina Matvienko song “Kvitka dusha”, dressed beautifully in white.

Meanwhile, Olya Polyakova — Ukraine’s answer to Lady Gaga — had the responsibility of singing Ruslana‘s “Wild Dances”. The Eurovision 2004 winner herself also sang two songs at the Sofiiska Square in Kyiv. First, “Ty podobayeshsya meni”, while calmly sitting at a cafe table, and then “Vesna” — with a powerful dance routine for which the Carpathian star is famous.

In between that pop diva Tina Karol showcased her rather strong pipes while singing classics such as “A ya plyvu u chovni” and “Misyats”. Ukraine’s first Eurovision entrant Oleksandr Ponomaryov brought all the feels with a rendition of “Stari fotohrafiï”.

Perhaps one of the most iconic moments of this performance full of highlights was the entrance of Eurovision legend Verka Serduchka. The 2007 runner-up drove into the Sofiiska Square on top of a tin foil-coloured train.

But when all the artists, including Vidbir stars Tayanna and Serhii Babkin, gathered in the heart of the square and belted out Antytila‘s “TMDE” and subsequently Volodymyr Ivasyuk‘s never-dying “Chervona ruta”, even President Volodymyr Zelensky had to stand and sing along. What a showman!

Go_A meet the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ukraine

Independence Day is not only used as a celebration of the country’s freedom but also as a way to foster relationships with other countries. In that framework, Go_A met the Dutch ambassador in Ukraine, Jennes de Mol.

The Ukrainian Eurovision 2021 entrants were invited to the Dutch embassy to talk about the relationship between the Dutch and Ukrainian cultures.

At the embassy, ambassador Jennes de Mol presented frontwoman Kateryna Pavlenko a classic Ukrainian-style embroidered shirt with Dutch cultural elements on it. The design included, amongst others, an old-style wind mill and the Dutch tricolour. In exchange, Go_A gifted the ambassador their CD. It’s far more personal than a Spotify link!

What do you make of the iconic Sofiiska Square performance? What was your highlight? Let us know in the comments below!

Read all our Ukraine news here.

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Esc addict
Esc addict
3 years ago

I love this country so much, they are always very original in a good way.