The 11 songs for the final of Vidbir 2024 were revealed today by Ukraine’s state broadcaster Suspilne along with the running order for the final. The competing acts will now all seek to succeed Tvorchi as Ukraine’s representatives at Eurovision in Malmö in May.
Among the finalists are former Vidbir winners and contestants such as Mélovin, alyona alyona, Jerry Heil and YAKTAK.
The final of Vidbir 2024 will be broadcast live on 3 February for all Eurovision fans on Eurovision Ukraine’s YouTube channel.
As in previous years, the winner will be determined by the combination of jury and public vote. Ukrainians will choose the jury of the final by online voting with details to be announced soon.
Vidbir 2024: The 11 songs and finalists
1. YAKTAK – “Lalala”
2. INGRET – “Keeper”
3. NAZVA – “Slavic English”
4. ANKA — “Палала” (Palala)
5. Drevo – “Endless chain”
6. alyona alyona & Jerry Heil – “Teresa & Maria”
7. MÉLOVIN – “Dreamer”
8. SKYLERR – “Time is running out”
9. Ziferblat – “Place I Call Home”
10. YAGODY – “Tsunamia”
11. NAHABA – “GLASSS”
Who is your favourite in this year’s Vidbir? Can any of these get Ukraine another top result in Eurovision in Malmö? Let us know in the comments below.
Wow, “Slavic English” is the worst song I’ve ever heard. The worst lyrics ever too. It’s actually impressive how bad it is, I’m shocked. Anyway, ANKA and Alyona & Jerry are both very good options
Teresa & Maria is the first song released so far that I can actually see winning Eurovision.
Anka, Alyona & Jerry are undeniably the best options for Ukraine.
Anka going for a modern ethnic sound with a lot of staging possibilities that promises to make you dance meanwhile Alyona & Jerry go for a beautiful slow pop song with some rap that’s overall delightful for the ears.
Hopefully Ukrainians will choose wisely and the director of Vidbir won’t force his opinion to rig the show like last year
only song i like is the last, NAHABA with Glas
hopefully they can create something on stage
NAHABA ‘s song is about despair. It’s ful of pait, the lyrics is anbelievable… I’m Ukrainian and I’m speechless…..
“You asked me not to cry
While I was lying covered by glass during bombings”? “You hugs are becoming colder and it’s tears my soul apart”.
11.Melovin
Melovin for me personally stronger than under the ladder, which also was one of my faves back then tbh
but this is on a whole other level, such a bop and those vocals if he can pull that off live, hats off from me, i mean wow
Alyona & Jeri’s song is HAUNTINGLY ear candy. Those vocals and the melody during the chorus, wow. Ukraine need to send this, I could see them getting top 5 or even winning with it. Bravo.
Melovin all the way for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MÉLOVIN, alyona Altona & Jerry Heil and YAGODY are my top 3 here. Strong overall selection from Ukraine once again.
Strong Crystal Castle vibes from Nahaba.
Nahaba’s Glasss is really strong, love it!
Jerry Heil and alyona alyona’s song looks like to one produced by odesza, an US duo of electronic music which are amazing. That song gave me chills.
Chapeau, ???????!
Listened to all 20 songs, including those wild card entries, tonight – great selection of songs… but it seems like they put the more commercial songs in the wild card selection and the more out there songs in the actual selection. And in a way I did like that, despite there being at least a few of those wild card entries that definitely should have been in the final on behalf of some of the final ones… MY overall top 5 of all the Ukranian songs this year is: Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil – “Teresa & Maria”: 9/10 –… Read more »
Palala all the way! ANKA dominated the wildcard round and she’s ready to dominate the rest
Tsunamia ??? so unique and catchy. I believe it will do well at ESC if chosen.
There are several nice entries this year, most notably Place I Call Home, Time is running out, Teresa & Maria but I wasn’t expecting anything less from my favourite country in Eurovision. Very talented nation.
Here are my initial impressions: “Lalala” – This is okay. It’s a little unmemorable though, after the first listen. “Keeper” – Ooo, a dramatic piano-based song! I love these types of songs. This one resonates through dark undertones and really harsh clash notes. It’s hard-edged, which is exactly the point. Bravo. “Slavic English” – This has the potential to be a really funny piece of comedy when done live. I can’t wait to see it! “Palala (ANKA)” – I enjoyed the lightness of this song, though the lyrics seem to have a deeper meaning than the music would suggest. Short… Read more »
Oh Purple Mask, my favourite from this selection is the worst song you’ve heard in 11 years!
It reminds me of 90s rave/trance mixed with angry rock music – two of my favourite genres so it was always going to work for me!
alyona alyona & Jerry Heil – “Teresa & Maria” it’s a standout, from the first listening. It can end up really high on Eurovision, if picked to represent Ukraine. The rest of the songs are incredibily weak, Melovin including (such a disappointment).
I agree – “Theresa & Maria” surprised me a lot! It is a very complete package and it will look absolutely amazing on the Eurovision stage for sure. And totally agree with Melovin – if it hadnt been for that it is Ukraine I would say that Melovin would be a sure non-qualifier from a Eurovision semifinal… but Ukraine will qualify even just with a fart… so thats never going to happen.
OK.. it is a disaster.. even Melovin!!! like.. WTH??
I’ve heard many songs this year from the other countries and there is no “Winner” song yet..
I am looking forward to Sweden & Israel..
disaster? that is a really strong word bro
Of course it is a disaster for people who ONLY likes generic pop songs! Ukraine’s selection is FULL of interesting and captivating sounds, but if one isnt into folk, electronica or any type of rock – then of course it is going to be a disaster…
Mélovin’s song is very generic though (in my ears anyway). Expected more of him.
I absolutely agree with you. Latvia also seems to be interesting, but I´m not yet through to listen all the songs.
It´s the strongest NF so far, compare it with Norway, Luxembourg and Malta. There are a lot of differences between them all.
Ma ata mezayen basechel? Al taase bushot
Very strong selection with some creative and original entries. Total opposite of Melodifestivalen.
Anka is my favourite. and Melovin’s melody really sticks in your head even though it’s not my favourite… Yagody could be good but could easily turn out repetitive… the rap in Skylerr is not bad either.
I prefer Mélovin, Ziferblat and Yaktak. Jerry Heil’s and alyona alyona’s song is a bit disappointing, and weren’t it for Alyona’s rap skills, it would be plain boring.
Vidbir has had stronger editions.
Prefering Melovin over Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil? That is insane! Stick to your generic swedish Mello-festival instead then. LOL!
Or to this childish trash in Norway….
Yes definitely some childish stuff in Norway, but at least it is well produced and different from Swedish mass produced generic pop with 8 names behind every song…
Can anyone please expand on what Teresa and Maria is about?Who are they?
“Mama” Teresa makes me think of Stefania, but maybe it is about Mother Teresa of Kolkata and the Virgin Mary for all I know.
J.Heil said this song is about women’s power and courage so looks like about them Mother Teresa of Kolkata and the Virgin Mary.
Thanks! I guessed as much, but it was only a guess. I posted my question just as you were posting the lyrics, which is most helpful.
Also, I know that Mother Teresa is perceived as a literal saint, but she was far from perfect…
Maybe it’s a plan to have more comments and reviews to sing about such a person
Yeah, kinda makes the song even worse for me. Fake saint worshipping.
I’m not too sure how the Virgin Mary could be seen as a paragon of feminist power, either… did she have any say or choice in her pregnancy? If I were her I would have given the Angel Gabriel a stern lesson on “consent” and told him to fcuk off.
And how is this poor soul a diva? Already a contender for the worst lyrics award.
I suppose it is admirable how she coped with this uninvited trauma, especially considering she was only 14 years of age. I shouldn’t judge victims. Anyway, as usual, I’m probably way overthinking this… but isn’t that what art should invoke?
A little overthinking those terrible lyrics wouldn’t have hurt those two tbh. But hi, we are all a human beings, apparently. Maybe San Mario’s AI can do a grammar check for free.
San Marino’s AI
In Ukrainian, “Virgin Mary” is literally read as “Diva Marya”. Perhaps imperfect knowledge of the language played a role.
The song is not about worship. A song about women at all times. About women’s fate. There are words “But there are saints in heaven. Their feet have seen this earth, you know”
The song is relevant for many Ukrainians, because for us it is a time of trials, because of what many have had to experience. You may be surprised, but when such terrible things happen, many people become disillusioned with science, analytics and skepticism
My hangups with Jerry’s entries are always with the lyrics. I really liked this on first listen, but this doesn’t sound good.
Teresa&Maria English lyrics: Sour-sour-source Making its way No matter no matter what The world is on her shoulders Deto-deto-detour Winding, rocky But you should know that in your hand Is your own happiness Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary are with us Barefoot, as if on a blade, they walked on the ground With us Mama Teresa, Diva Maria All the Divas were born as human beings Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary are with us Barefoot, as if on a blade, they walked on the ground With us Mama Teresa, Diva Maria All the Divas were born as human… Read more »
They’re singing born as A human beings. Too bad the lyrics are so messed up because the production is good.
Nice selection, but it feels like some Wildcard Round entries deserved a spot here.
Btw, Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil have the best song this year here! And that’s great bc I didn’t expect the former to take part of Vidbir if it weren’t with a fire song
Let the best win!
Alyona Alyona/Jerry Heil have the best song by a mile in my opinion. Melovin very disappointing considering how great Under the Ladder was (did not expect a 90s Euro Trash sounding song from him). Yagody wonderful, Ingret wonderful singer, intriguing song. Nahaba quite interesting. Quite a strong Vidbir year in general!
Article updated with running order of the final
Ukraine will be in the top 10 for sure with their quality but winner doesn’t hit me from any of these. Jerry heil I think is the best.
So far my top 3 of all songs heard
1. 5miinust and puuluup Estonia
2. Baby lasagna Croatia
3. Poland the witch woman can’t spell her name
You should definitely check Damir Kedzo from Croatia. His song is probably the best not only in the former Yugoslavia, but the whole Balkans, including even Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary.
Will check it out
Justyna Steczkowska is the witch
Wow – those will also be in my top 10 this year for sure, if they go to Eurovision. 5miinust and puuluup’s song was the first that gave me a perfect vibe and which I gave a 10/10 score this year!!! and Baby Lasagne was the most grabbing one in DORA24 as well. And Justyna will be amazing if she gets selected back to Eurovision as well! Throw in Margaret or Gåte from Norway and Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil from Ukraine and we got our top 5 of this years Eurovision there !
5miinust are really great !
Without a doubt, Alyona & Jerry with “Teresa & Maria” is my winner.
And I know, it’s very soon…but with a nice live performance it can achieve high place in the ESC final. Top 5 for sure
It has something so unique, cool and modern at the same time
As usual Ukraine doesn’t disappoint, although they had better selections in the past. I think alyona alyona & Jerry Heil are the obvious winners here, followed probably by Anka. Yagody and Nahaba are interesting. I really dislike Melovin’s song. Anyway, I’m looking forward to Vidbir.
They can send what ever they want, its gonna be a top 3 anyway. Its Ukraine
I am shocked that so many people on Youtube accuse Nahaba of being Tatu-wannabes. And those people are mostly Ukranians themselves……. When will people understand the difference between an “influence” and things like “plagiarism”, “copy”, “rip off” etc?
Yagody for me. Sounds distinct and authentic. I certainly prefer a song entirely in Ukrainian, the ones singing in English really need a language tutor, pretty much all of them.
I do not like returning acts usually, but Melovin just sounds like the best option for my perfect ESC. Especially when I know he will deliver live. All other songs are amazing too! Best national final this year!
I have nothing against returning artists but Melovin was already bad the first time.
Absolutely – this time he delivers horrible lyrics…. “I wanna feel your body”. No, thanks !
It’s definitely Jerry’s year. Wasn’t a fan of her last 2 songs but this one sounds really good. Top 5 material for sure. Also Ingret’s and Anna’s songs are nice too. Yagody’s song sounds a bit messy but maybe live ll be better. Others are just mid at best. Yaktak’s song is a cheap copy of Stromae’s song and Nahaba’s song is a copy of Tatu’s song. Most of Wildcard songs deserved to be here.
Pretty lackluster over-all, in the selection. The instrumentals and backing vocals are often better than the cringy lyrics. Way too literal lyrics. Overall I think these are all young artists still trying to find their sound and the lack of maturity shows.
I like most of these but not enough to want to vote for any of them. I like NAHABA most but I’d like to hear it without altered vocals.
“Teresa & Maria” is insanely well produced, pretty obvious choice for Ukraine but other entries are great as well. The strongest national final ever.
Did you watch Vidbir 2016? Compared to it, all the following years look like auditions for a talent show. I doubt that Vidbir will ever reach the level of 2016.
In 2016, there was already a hybrid war in our country, but there were no full-scale military operations with bombing across the country. Consider that what you see is happening during a full-scale war, with large human losses in the east and south of the country, where the Russians are restrained by our military forces. Do you understand that in such conditions, show business is not an industry that will develop well? It’s really not as high as in 2016, but it’s still at a good level.
A full-scale war is not the reason for the lack of interest of major stars in Vidbir. This was already the case from 2016 to 2022. In 2016, Vidbir was something new, it reached a new level, so many famous singers agreed to participate. Most likely this won’t happen again.I love discovering new names, but I still sometimes want to be able to choose from someone with fame and experience. Imagine how interesting the competition could have been if such stars as The Hardkiss, Antytila, Artem Pivovarov, Tina Karol, OE, Dzidzio, Polyakova appeared on the Vidbir stage. I hope this… Read more »
My favorites are Nahaba-Glasss and Yaktak-Lalala (this one is very Stromae-Alors on danse, love it) !
Exactly what I was thinking about Yaktak! Definitely one of my faves of the selection
My runaway favorites are Alyona & Jerry and NAHABA
One of them going to Eurovision would be perfect for me, MÉLOVIN would be fine as well
INGRET has some Elsie Bay vibes to her, I really like it
Surprisingly I really like most of the songs. YAKTAK has a radio-friendly track for local Ukrainian consumer but nothing more. Foreigners also won’t get NAZVA’s song either. DREVO unfortunately has really bad English pronunciation (much like Melovin in 2018) the song is nice though. Speaking of Melovin, I’m surprised but his song is actually my #2 out of these 11. It may sound dated but I don’t mind it. Overall a very strong NF. It’s too early to say before the live show, but this might actually be one of the strongest Vidbirs in my opinion. Also great variety.
Before we listen to the songs, lets see if any of these people visited Crimea maybe
Totally accurate ahaha
I don’t think this joke is appropriate after 24 February 2022.
(It wasn’t even appropriate before that but oh well)
why is it not appropriate? it’s a valid point, since there have been a lot of unnecessary drama about it the last couple of years in vidbir
It wasn’t “unnecessary drama”, it was war launched by Russia in 2014. Unfortunately no one really acknowledged it and many laughed about it, so 2022 happened.
if there is a rule that you cannot visit crime, then as a minium you should also check that the artists have not been there. checking it after first creates unnecessary drama and chaos. saying they should check it first has nothing to do with the war. it’s just common sense
crimea*
I love all the downvotes, but what i’m saying is true. checking if the artists follow the rules beforehand is common sense y’all
it was ‘unnecessary drama’ – in that it should not have happened as part of the selection process in 2019 and 2022. Had the broadcaster done their due diligence, they would have known that neither of those artists were suitable to be selected, and would have held a fair contest.
Or perhaps, they chose to stage the ‘drama’ in order to score political points?
you are so right!!!
Because a full-scale war made the removal of undesirable persons without the participation of the organizers. Everyone made their choice – to stay despite the danger, or to run away. Those who remained after everything they experienced will never perform in Russia.
it was never a “joke” – it was a comment on the fact that the broadaster hadn’t done their due diligence correctly before selecting a song to compete.
I mean… most Ukrainians visited Crimea at some point in their lives. It’s was a popular resort before it became one massive military base.
There was no ban on visiting Crimea. It was forbidden to enter Crimea through Russian customs and to give concerts for the occupation authorities.
Tsunamia would be a great cultural showcase for Ukraine especially after last year’s international sound they went for. Rooting for this one.
Wow Ukraine! This is how you do Eurovision and national final, I basically like all the songs except “Slavic English”.
My favourites are:
Melovin – “Dreamer”
INGRET – “Keeper”
alyona alyona & Jerry Heil – “Teresa & Maria”
ANKA – “??????”
NAHABA – “GLASSS”
YAGODY – “Tsunamia”
YAKTAK – “Lalala”
Actually “Slavic English” is kind of a guilty pleasure 😀
I see Ukraine getting a top5 result with Jerry Heil & Alyona.
this is the weakest Vidbir for years – Jerry Heil and NAHABA are the standout but it’s still mid of the table in the final. A bit of a letdown.
Totally disagree
for me it’s ingret or alyona alyona and jerry
amazing songs
Theresa and Maria sounds the most promising, but that rap part is just a huge let down, so i hey should get rid of it asap. Kalush (rap) won only thanks to the war, but that time has passed, and rap is only going to suffer at Eurovision. If this one end up winning Vidbir, and they don’t erase that rap part at Eurovision, I can see them 20-26th with juries easily.
so they should get rid+
the rap part is literally the best imo
Not really. I was amazed by the song until the rapping started out of no where, it destroyed the enjoyment all at once for me. It’s not a song for rapping!
for me it was the opposite. the first listen I was a little bored at the beginning, but when the rap part came it became much more powerful for me. second listen I started to appreciate it as a whole song. it’s fits very well and Eurovision fans need to start understand that rap is also a genre.
The rap part is really good. Eurofans stop hating rap episode 2452
agree
In 2019 a rap song got the 2nd place and it had nothing to do with any war, in 2021 a song that combined rap and rock won the entire thing. The fact that you don’t like rap doesn’t mean it can’t do well in ESC.
I really love the rap part in Teresa & Maria
The ukranian Stromae, yaktak for me! Also Nahaba is giving nice t.a.t.u throwback vibes with the garage sound.