After finishing in sixth position at last year’s contest, Ukraine is ready to shine on stage once again at Junior Eurovision 2022. Zlata Dziunka is the one who will be waving the flag high, performing the song “Nezlamna (Unbreakable)”.
Scroll down for “Nezlamna (Unbreakable)” lyrics
Ukraine in Junior Eurovision 2022: Zlata Dziunka with “Nezlamna”
Since 2006, when Ukraine debuted at Junior Eurovision, the country has never missed a contest. This year is no exception, despite all the unfortunate difficulties caused by the war.
Zlata was selected to represent her country after winning the national selection Junior Vidbir. The result was determined by both a jury — comprised of Anzhelika Rudnytska, Krystyna Solovii and Myroslava Salii — and the public, who had the opportunity to vote for their favourite song online. Initially there was a tie for first place between Zlata Dziunka and Sofia Artemenko & DJ Polinka. The tiebreak was decided by the jury, which resulted in Zlata’s victory.
Zlata is 14 years old and comes from Rava-Ruska in the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. She started taking music lessons at the age of six and graduated from Rava-Ruska Children’s Music School last year. In this time, Zlata has already become familiar with international competitions, participating at Vistula Sounds 2022 (Poland), Prague Art Festival (Czech Republic) and Zvaigzdziu Sonata 2022 (Lithuania).
Speaking to Suspilne Lviv, Zlata and her mother noted that the idea of participating in Junior Vidbir was her mother’s idea. Neither Zlata nor her family expected the incredible result, but they wanted to try and take the chance. The final result came as happiness for everyone in her family. Zlata’s mother said she is ready to support her daughter in this journey, as the hardest part starts now.
Zlata declared: “When I won, we were all happy! At first I didn’t believe it, I was shocked that it happened! I think I’ve never felt such emotions in my life! Getting to Eurovision always seemed impossible to me. I watched it on TV and I could only dream about it.”
What do the “Nezlamna” lyrics mean?
Written by Zlata herself, together with her music coach ILLARIA, “Nezlamna (Unbreakable)” is a ballad with a very powerful anti-war message. It discusses the aggressions suffered by Ukraine in the last year, aggressions that affect the lives of the children too.
The lyrics reflect a dialogue with God. Zlata takes the voice of her nation and asks God what plans he has for her people. The negative effects of the war on innocent people are highlighted throughout the song.
In the second verse, Zlata introduces some lines in English. These speak about the way in which the young generation of kids are victims of the ongoing war.
The chorus then represents a strong patriotic message about not giving up, about defending their own land without losing hope. Once again, music becomes an expression of a nation’s pain and grief. But, it is also a way to enhance the faith that things will be over one day and to encourage the Ukrainian people to believe in the better times that are coming.
“Nezlamna (Unbreakable)” lyrics – Zlata Dziunka (Ukraine JESC 2022)
Lyrics by: ILLARIA and Zlata Dziunka; Music by: ILLARIA
Ukrainian transliteration
Bože, ye pytannya Znaty b tvoyi plany Kraplya po krapli O-o-o, ne-ne-ne nezlamna moya volya God, I have one question O-o-o, ne-ne-ne nezlamna moya volya Oh, I am unbreakable Look I stay alone Moya zemlya i more |
English translation
God, there is a question I wish to know your plans Drop by drop O-o-o, my will is un-un-un unbreakable God, I have one question O-o-o, my will is un-un-un unbreakable Oh, I am unbreakable Look I stay alone My land and sea |
What do you think of Ukraine’s song for Junior Eurovision 2022? Does the strong message of Zlata Dziunka’s “Nezlamna (Unbreakable)” resonate with you? Let us know in the comments below.
I support Ukraine, i like Stephania, and i’m happy that they are in. BUt this is not a song for Eurovision, and of course not for Junior Eurovision… !!! Rules said not war at the contest… And well… The lyrics are so explicit. This song should not compete.
I was raised in a conservative family and in a strongly conservative and Christian country. Religion was never my choice. For example, usually, in Lithuania, we are forced by parents to accept the first communion at the fourth to fifth grade (at the age of 8-9). How can you expect a child would be able to disobey his parents as such and make a logical and independent choice at the age of 8? You simply cannot. When, at the age of 14 to 15, we are again forced to accept the sacrament of confirmation. Gladly, I was smart enough at… Read more »
I mean, I do live my best. Regardless of how terrible my story sounds, I tend to see the world in a bright light and I feel free from Christian chains. Most time I struggle is when society expects me to do something because we do so. But I guess, everyone is facing the pressure once in awhile. In my case, it’s only a few times more than usual. Thanks for the good wishes though.
When did you make your first confession? Go into a dark little room with an elderly man aged six and tell him all your dark secrets. Yeah, seems healthy.
Oh, you kinky Jonas! 😀
Hm, maybe “sick” would be a better word for it.
Two hail Marys and you’re good. Maybe a decade of the rosary if you get a grumpy priest.
You’re talking Satan-crap!
Their own little files in the Vatican are not worth worrying about. Sign “no religion” on a census form and that’s all that really matters.
People still put “Catholic” or whatever else, just because that’s how they were brought up, even if they haven’t been to mass in years. Then when the results come out, it looks like most of the country is devout, which means clout for the church. Sad.
I would not trust census, at least not the 2021 Census. Due to pandemic, no verbal communication with the population was done – everything was digital. I wonder how they collected such a sensitive information as religion, ethnicity without bothering to ask people. I know I was not asked to. Churchill was right, the only statistics you can trust are the ones you have falsified yourself. 😀
Well, Article 26 of Constitution guarantee us freedom of belief. Article 10 of EU Charter of Fundamental Rights reinforce freedom of belief too. The tricky part is – we lack of an actual institutionalized way of “Declare no interest into doing business with Vatican”. As I wrote, in theory, you can submit a request to your place of birth bishop asking to be removed from the list, but they reject your requests and claim you’re under the influence of Satan. And yeah, we are forced to pay, sorry, priests say donate, €20 each per head of the household per year.… Read more »
The Catholic Church is run by men only. Why should women be expected to pay for it?
Is “churching” still a thing? Where women were considered “unclean” after giving birth, and not allowed into a church until a priest had cleansed her of her sin?
God, a man. Jesus, a man. All twelve apostles, men. New Testament, written by four men. The whole split between Catholic and Protestant is about if Mary was a virgin or not. This is what we’re supposed to worship.
Did Jesus ever have a girlfriend in his 33 years?
Wasn’t it Mary Magdalene?
I think she was just a lady who wore red, and then Jesus came along and told her white was more in style. No romance.
That hasn’t stopped the shippers from putting them together lol.
Judas was obviously jealous.
My knowledge of Bible stories is limited to those used as the basis for the many Jewish holidays I celebrate.
I want to how religious minorities are treated in Lithuania. I know Lithuania used to have a large Jewish population but then World War II happened… I wish I could say the reason I champion Lithuania a lot in Eurovision is because of personal ancestral connection, but the truth is I don’t really know If I am descended from Lithuanian Jews. I’m probably more likely Polish/Russian Jewish to be honest, But that’s what happens with the border changes over the centuries. My family often jokes that our ancestors were either living in Russia or Poland depending on the year of… Read more »
People, there is no religious persecution in Lithuania. All I was pointing at is that at least for the Christian Catholic community, once you’re in, I was told, it’s impossible to fully cut the links, and you still need to “donate” the church yearly or else (whatever or else is – purely a speculation on what the mafia will decide). I, for one, think that it’s against my right to not being able to choose what I believe or not. However, it seems that criticizing the church in Lithuania is a taboo topic. For example, despite all the scandals of… Read more »
Well… history is complex. For example, from 1319-ish to 1795 Brest was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Who knows who and when mixed for so many times really. DNA test can be the only solution, I think. 🙂
I am ashamed to admit that I knew nothing about the Grand Duchy of Lithuania or the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth or Lithuanian history and the Baltics in general Until I got into Hetalia of all things. My AP European class certainly didn’t cover it; I never learned about the baltics as individual countries, Only as country names for a map quiz, and the only time Poland was mentioned was a brief passage about the Partitions and WWII. Great American education, huh? Who knew that it would take a satiric Japanese web comic/anime about personified countries that would introduced me to different… Read more »
Under canon law you writing the bishop is what matters. Regardless of their reaction, you are no longer considered a member of the Catholic Church now. That’s what I did a couple of years ago.
The enemy is among us
I have qualms about religious themes in songs for children.
AWOMEN!
It’s not God I’m worried about, it’s the indoctrination of children. Enjoy your cake. Do this in memory of me.
Religion would probably become extinct if it was made illegal before the age of 18.
Powerful song from Ukraine, its not in my personal top 10. I dont get the feeling it’ll win because the televote for jesc is the online vote and I feel like theres a general consensus that people prefer other songs. Jurors might reward the song but I dont think the online vote will reciprocate that.
This song is not bad but it don ‘t belong to my favorites for this year.
I heard they’re revamping the song for the contest hence why the music video for it hasn’t been uploaded.
At least lyrically-speaking, this is close to being too direct and too much. In Eurovision this year, there was the backdrop of the Ukrainian situation that gave its song an extra meaning or dimension but this is literally putting the war as the core component of its entry. I feel from a competitive standpoint, this is a bit unfair to the other contestants, particularly as it is a children’s contest. At the least, it gives the Ukraine a substantial advantage over an entry from the likes of France or the Netherlands…and at worse, it makes those entries look frivolous in… Read more »
They could send any ballad tbh. This one has “war” in the begining
Songs like Netherlands ARE frivolous, even if there were no wars in the world. The presence of such songs in a contest reflects the common sentiment that there’s value in not being serious all the time. I myself am not into parties. I am too mentality intense by nature, and I cannot mentally “escape” to a situation without tension. So a song like “La Festa” is not going to get my top points because I don’t personally relate to it. I still have a sense of humor though. If you lose your sense of humor, you lose everything. So, yes,… Read more »
I’m not much of a fan of this, as are many others. She has a very over the top vibrato – which I don’t like when singers do that – and well, they really didn’t bother trying to conceal the message in the slightest. Yet again, the fandom doesn’t like this enough for it to win. Unlike the adult contest, the online voting in JESC is mostly made up of members of the fandom. In other words, I don’t see Ukraine pulling a double this year, no matter the war or not. Ever since 2018 every year the online vote… Read more »
This girl has my vote, and as we can’t vote for Ukraine without being suspected (by a part of this fandom still thinking Ukraine didn’t deserved their victory in May and mainly from a country thinking they are the real winners instead of Ukraine being not even the runner up, hilarious and ridiculous) to give a pity or a sympathy vote to them, no I vote for her because this girl is talented, her revamped song will be beautiful and her voice is stunning, period.
You can say whatever you want, Ukraine won because of sympathy vote (I prefer to call it this way because pity vote is a really strong word). Don’t mistake me, I’m not saying that Ukraine’s song was bad. It was a good song that deserved a top 10 (6th in my top), but winning the competition with such a lead in the audience was laughable. As for the fan base you are targeting in your comment, I won’t defend their sometimes aggressive behaviour, but your words should also be taken with a pinch of salt as you come from a… Read more »
I agree, theres no way that people at home gave them 439 points thinking that song was the best they had ever heard in their lives. No other country will ever reach that score in a regular context, its undeniable and it would be foolish to put the war aside of their victory
Slomo was not a worthy winning song, 6 months later it’s time to admit it and to stop this useless propaganda made by some spanish eurofans and youtubers screaming they are the moral winners even 6 months later. They are unbearable towards Ukraine, they are even hateful and it’s a shame, only for an esc result and only for that, lol seriously, get a life and stop your obsession, this behavior is so ugly to see, and really some of these fans are sick. I don’t see UK fans complaining that much, no always the same weirdly.
Once again, question of taste. I loved Channel’s performance and it seems a lot of other people too. Same for Sam Ryder. Imo both would have been great winners.
Some fans are toxic as usual but I don’t think it’s a propaganda to be proud of a great song and performance from the artist that represent your country.
“Rival to theirs” lol really! The spanish eurofans have an issue, they take this contest a little bit too seriously I guess…