As Russia continues its brutal war against Ukraine, Ukrainians continue to fight — on the frontlines and at home and abroad.
Go_A, the country’s Eurovision 2021 act, are making contributions in their own way — unleashing the power and beauty of their music to remind the world we must fight evil. Proceeds from their new song “Kalyna” will go to support Ukraine.
The title of the song refers to the Guelder Rose — a deciduous shrub that grows four to five metres tall. It derives its name from the Duth province of Gelderland, but can be found across Europe, northern Africa and central Asia. The flower evokes strong meaning in Ukraine, as the band explain on their Instagram account.
“Kalyna (guelder-rose) is a symbol that has been a part of Ukrainian culture since ancient times. Its meanings were transferred through the ages in legends and songs. A broken kalyna tree was a sign of trouble and tragedy; abuse of this tree was a shameful act. Ukrainian people carefully protected it because there was a belief that kalyna grew only next to good people. According to our ancestors, kalyna has a power that brings immortality and can unite generations to fight evil.”
“The song ‘Kalyna’ is a message to the World that should be united for the future of humanity. The song is available on all streaming platforms. All funds will go to Ukraine.”
The cover art tackles the stark reality Ukraine faces. A pair of hands clutch the plant’s small red berries, releasing red juice that mirrors blood. The berry cluster is an insignia of the Ukrainian Army. Together the cover is a testament to strength and resolve, but also the fact Ukrainians are paying the ultimate price as they fight for their very existence.
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Ok this *absolutely* needs to be one of the interval acts at the Grand Final. Brilliant.
I expected slow song but this is so unexpected and sounds insanly great. For me this is huge power beating from song and power to fight for freedom.
I deeply admire them for their courage <33 And no one should surrender to Putin! I just can't believe why anyone would do such things. Poor Sergey, he was against the war, but now he's been radio silent for a long time. Hope he's ok. And seriously it was just months ago that I was warming up to A Million Voices and feeling pity for Polina, but now I realise she did deserve all that. I can't believe she would actually sing at Putin's rally! I'm so disgusted. I'm so glad that lots of people are protesting against this damn… Read more »
And at the same time Polina Gagarina perfromed at Putin’s rally. Disgusting
I never liked her song
Same, also i found her peace song very inappropriate after they had just invaded Crimea a year before. I’m glad it didn’t win.
Waiting to see what will happen to her when Putin is gone and she will be reminded of all those “good deeds” of hers. I can imagine how she will squeal that she “didn’t know” or “had no choice”. Hope for the worst for her, the absolute worst.
They are amazing. Actually I wonder if they won last year, would Russia still try to invade Ukraine with all the attention on them? I mean Russia definitely didn’t expect this much of backlash, and we know how seriously Putin takes Eurovision. Just a thought.
Also I really liked Polina before, and it’s sad to see her celebrate such a cruel invasion and massacre over another sovereign country. We won’t forget.
Are they in Ukraine right now? Wow.
What is Polina thinking? Her career end is a matter of days. Nobody will work with her once people will be free of that guy.
OK, Go_A just won Eurovision 2022 season… ? ?
not because of the relevance that this song represents and the important cause that it supports ?? but because this song IS AN ABSOLUTE BOP ??
GO_A, YOU SLAY… AGAIN!!!
they ALWAYS deliver
Go_A has been one of the best recent Eurovision discoveries. Just as it happened with “Solovey” and “Shum”, “Kalyna” won me right on the first time listening to it. I hope they stay safe and I’m proud of them for using their art as a way to help Ukraine.
Go_A are fantastic artists and fantastic people! The new song is also very beautiful and powerful. Stay strong, Ukraine!
And Polina Gagarina actively singing on a rally, wearing a symbol of hate, while hundreds of children are dying or becoming homeless… no words. 🙁 I am angry at myself that I was feeling sorry when she was booed in 2015. Now I wish that people threw eggs at her as well. Should have NQd and finished last in the semi.
She should be disquaified for all times.
I agree! Now I feel like so many other countries would’ve deserved the second place.
I totally agree with you
Kalyna
iTunes:
#34 Poland (NE)
#89 Germany (NE)
#92 United Kingdom (NE)
#97 Italy (NE)
Well deserved. Should be an international hit. Since 2020 i´m a fan of Go_a and now i´m with them and the ukrainian people with all my heart and thoughts.
I saw images of Polina Gagarina at the Putin Nazi rally. It is really disturbing to see her supporting this awful war. Was she brainwashed too? Or she is aware of supporting evil?
I wonder when she turned evil. I imagine thousands of people booing her in Vienna only pushed her closer to Putin.
I mean in Vienna she was crying for getting booed but now she is supporting war?
She always looked like the puppet of a regime to me: pretty face but feels dead inside, singing about world peace while the conflict in Ukraine had already started. I’ll take a strong, opinionated, vocal woman like Manizha *any day* over an empty shell like Polina.
But Manisha doesn’t support the war why should Putin get her to sing there?
terrible news: polia gagarina sang in putins fiesta encouraging the war!
And shame on Macron , France Football team still not repudiate the World cup title celebrated on that same stadium.
Well said. I feel that urgency as well.
Unrelated to the significance of this song to current events, it is objectively a fantastic song!! Brilliant stuff as always from Go_A!!
Slava Ukrayini! Off topic tho but 11 of the ASC songs were just released and Oklahoma has sent a K-pop version of Witch woods.
ooh I am intruiged now!
But right now it mostly feels like ESCZ scaled up
honestly it reminds me of eesti laul. and i love eesti laul! 😉
I knew that wiwibloggs would post it! Thanks you are great. I got notified about the song via my Go_A youtube Abo.
Another masterpiece from Go_A! And if the song quality isn’t already a great reason to stream it, the cause that it is supporting is! Let’s all stream this a bunch of times and support Ukraine!
Stay strong Ukraine and Go_A!
ps. Polina Gagarina with Z letter on her clothes sang today for Putin…I have no words
Those fake tears she shed in Eurovision are symbolic for how some Russians see themselves as victims when they in fact attack others that are completely innocent.
Most of Russians are supporting war and Putin, sad but true. Including Gagarina
There are independent polls too, as there has been polling for decades. These are the people who consistently elected pu*in while they still had a democracy, those who cheered on the war in Georgia, occupation of Crimea, who glorify Stalin, who either patronize or spew hatred on Ukrainians and other nations they believe “belong” to them, who insist we’re Nazis as ofc were Crimean Tatars who Stalin deported and so on and so on. These are the silent bystanders, the ones who mock, report and ostracize those who dare to protest, the moms who tell their sons “go kill those… Read more »
No one knows how many russians actually support the war. There is no reason to believe in the “most accurate” official polls, even independent polls cannot show reality, it is practically impossible in such regimes. As I know, there are 25-30% of those who wholeheartedly support putin and will cheer for use of nukes, as well as 25-30 european Russians who are against, the rest of the population is mostly conformist and apathetic
Yes, the Russians are victims too, but most of them seem not to understand that it’s their dear president Putin and not Western countries who has made them victims.
Yes, but it doesn’t help the Ukrainians that some Russians are victims. There are brave ones that go out and protest, some that are afraid and try to cope, others that actually support what is happening. The last part are actually partaking in war crimes. There is no excuse.
What a relief Russia came 2nd and not 1st in 2015. Imagine if they had won that year!
does anyone have any updates about sergey lazarev? he originally posted on instagram condemning the invasion and days after he disappeared from social media completely. i worry for him
This! Though some fan pages have still provided updates, but I can’t read Russian that well. It’s still odd
He didn’t condemn the invasion, that’s how you could read it. He said “war is bad”. It was before the Russian fast takeover failed and the pro-war state propaganda machine fully kicked in
how is saying in essence “war is bad” different from explicitly condemning an ongoing invasion by your home country? why else would he be saying war is bad if not for russia’s aggression? sergey said a lot and was really brave to say what he did given his status and fame, the fact he has just vanished is troubling
She should have been booed harder.
The only Russian act I’ve ever liked was Manizha.
Wow. I was really trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. Very very disappointed in her.
I keep thinking of the second Shum video which was filmed near Chernobyl. That land is probably inhabited by Russian troops now.
They’ve already done that by cutting the power. It could have been worse, but that was insane enough already.
There’s no “probably” necessary, sadly. The two hundred Ukrainian workers at the plant, who keep us all safe, are trapped there – they don’t have enough food, they can’t see their families. They are forced to do what the Russians tell them to do.
Btw, Polina Gagarina has now showed herself in support of Putin’s actions… shame on her
We are the worst people, different but we’re the same, we believe in Putin’s dream.
Ah…what a c*** Polina is.
Poloser Garbagerina
Can you share a proof of this, please?
Putin’s henchmen rounded up thousands of people, and put them on buses to Luzhniki Stadium. These unfortunate souls were then treated to Polina singing a Kino song. Russian flags waved, Ukrainian flags were thrown to the ground.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/18/europe/russia-putin-ukraine-invasion-rally-intl/index.html
But when I said back in 2015 that she‘s Putin‘s puppet and that all her attitude was fake (also true for Yulia Samoylova), I was ROASTED! I never had as many „righteous“ people coming after me as then, calling me racist, ignorant, naive, bad spirited, intolerant and many many other things.