The Wiwi Jury — our in-house team of music unprofessionals — is reviewing and rating the 37 competing songs in Eurovision 2024. Next we review Ukraine, who have chosen alyona alyona & Jerry Heil with “Teresa & Maria”.
Are we feeling the saintly spirit? Read on to find out!
alyona alyona & Jerry Heil – “Teresa & Maria” (Ukraine Eurovision 2024)
Review: alyona alyona & Jerry Heil – “Teresa & Maria”
William: This collaboration is truly inspired — and I’m not just talking about bringing together the saints Teresa and Maria. alyona alyona’s on-point rap balances Jerry Heil’s solemn tones; together, they’re ladies slaying in the lower register, giving this song resonance — both with its bass and meaning. All the divas were born as human beings, so we get to choose our path. And I’m choosing Ukraine. Musically, thematically, spiritually — this would be a very worthy winner.
Score: 10
Simon: Combining the Eastern European sound and a pop beat can go one of two ways, and for “Teresa & Maria” it really works. It might be this year’s strongest chorus. The almost monk-like chanting is very catchy and I wouldn’t see it impossible for Ukraine to make a sneak appearance at the top of the leaderboard in the Grand Final. Although a Top 5 result is more realistic, it still remains one of my top favourites this year.
Score: 8.5
Sebastian: At its core, “Teresa & Maria” is a solid song. You can feel the general unease that pervades the song, which is a clear representation of the sentiment of the Ukrainian people. Where the song lacks, however, is that it doesn’t execute any of its parts to its fullest. Vocally, Jerry Heil doesn’t quite hit the haunting notes – which is a shame, as her previous entries to Vidbir have been very enjoyable. The song’s production is repetitive and without elevation. alyona alyona is an absolute breath of fresh air, and perhaps the song would be stronger if she featured more solidly. It’s a strong song, but isn’t worth the sum of its parts.
Score: 5
Tom: If I were to choose a winner, it would be this. From the very first listen, I was moved, saddened and filled with hope. This feels like it is more than just a song. It feels like an anthem for what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen in the future with Ukraine. It is beautiful, powerful. I pray this gets the high result it deserves.
Score: 10
Ukraine Eurovision 2024 ranking
In the Eurovision 2024 Wiwi Jury, we have 17 jurors but only have room for four reviews. The remaining scores are below:
|
Antranig: 7 Cinan: 10 Deban: 9.5 Georgia: 8 Jonathan: 6.5 Lucy: 8.5 Pablo: 6 |
Ron: 4 Ruxandra: 10 Scarlett: 8.5 Suzanne: 5 Tomas: 7 Youyou: 6.5 |
We have removed the highest and lowest scores prior to calculating the average. This is to remove outliers and potential bias. We have removed a low of 4 and a high of 10.
Wiwi Jury verdict: 7.73/10
What do you think of Ukraine’s Eurovision 2024 entry? Share your own score and review for alyona alyona & Jerry Heil’s “Teresa & Maria” below!
Absolutely powerful, touching and inspiring! My #1 to win!
Nothing parricularly upliftimg, deep and/or touching about this one. If I were to be brutally honest, I’d say it’s all rather cheap (and I say this as an irreligious person who appreciates religious kitch).
I’m a gay pagan but some of the comments here are way off the mark.
It’s foolish to criticise Mother Teresa for not being something that she never set out to be. She was an elderly Catholic nun who’s been dead for nearly 30 years; a lot of criticisms are coming from people who seem to be shocked that her thinking wasn’t the same as very online, hashtag activists in 2024.
I’d like this song if it wasn’t singing favourably about a horrible human being. It should not win because of this! The melody is excellent though.
Too religious for esc fans
I love the song, and I think it deserves a top 10.
But I’m surprised that lyrics with such religious content are allowed under the contest rules.
Maria Magdalena was allowed in 1999 (but was later disqualified for very obvious “pre-recorded backing vocals”)
I’d be surprise if Ukraine doesn’t end up in the top 5. They excel on how to blend traditional and modern music. Emotional and epic, I would’ve prefer this to win instead of “Stefania” because this one is actually good. 7.5/10 1. Czechia (8.25/10) 2. Ireland (8/10) 3. Spain (7.75/10) 4. Norway (7.5/10) 5. Ukraine (7.5/10) 6. Belgium (7.25/10) 7. San Marino (7.25/10) 8. Sweden (7.25/10) 9. Poland (7/10) 10. United Kingdom (7/10) 11. France (6.75/10) 12. Australia (6.75/10) 13. Finland (6.75/10) 14. Greece (6.75/10) 15. Azerbaijan (6.75/10) 16. Armenia (6.75/10) 17. Slovenia (6.75/10) 18. Serbia (6.5/10) 19. Portugal (6.25/10) 20. Georgia (6/10) 21. Denmark (6/10) 22. Germany (6/10) 23. Israel (6/10) 24. Moldova (5.5/10) 25. Latvia (5/10) 26. Malta (4.25/10) 27. Luxembourg (4/10) 28. Cyprus (4/10) 29. Albania… Read more »
Folk, religion, rap, plus a bit of Jamala-esque vocalising, all performed by a duet of well-known artists; these are the ingredients for a contender. The most talked about element of the song is its whole concept of putting Theresa and Maria (Mary) alongside each other as symbols, when actually Mother Theresa was a polarising figure for many. The music has quite a divine structure, and I really appreciate the details of it. There’s something a bit unique for the juries to note: Soon after the Intro, this song has a Bridge BEFORE the first Chorus! (Typically the Bridge would appear… Read more »
televotediaspora winner.Diaspora? Those are refugees from a horrific war. I’m so baffled of how sensitive Eurofans can be towards P8lestinians but in the meanwhile seems like they lost all the sympathy for the fellow Ukrainians. Diaspora, as if those people just happened to be scattered all over Europe by chance.
I second Ana’s comment, but I have to add that most Ukrainians hate this song (or so I’ve gathered on Twitter and Telegram Ukraine)
I dunno. I just don’t get it. I love the beat but it kinda slips away into the background of other songs this year. It’s like a 6/10 for me.
First time I heard it, I thought it was special. 2nd time it went worse with this heya heya heya that feels flat. And now it makes me feel indifferent. La noia.
Amazing song. This will be too 3 or even a surprise winner.
I dont know what y all think., but Ukraine are my winners of ESC 2024 ? Love from Latvia! ??
Mother Teresa was not a friend of the poor. She was a friend of poverty. She said that suffering was a gift from God. She spent her life opposing the only known cure for poverty, which is the empowerment of women and the emancipation of them from a livestock version of compulsory reproduction. Her intention was not to help people and she lied to donors about how their contributions were used.
She was a nun, born when there was literally still an Ottoman Empire. Why on Earth would anyone judge her through the lens of 2024 Revolutionary Marxism?!
Sounds like an exam question – discuss!
Why on earth would anyone hold her up as a role model to emulate?
Again, she was a nun who went around doing things that nuns do. Religious people (and quite a few people who aren’t) are very into nuns being nuns. Personally, I wouldn’t spend my life the way she did but there’s no mystery as to why people thought her a role model.
I wonder if Verka Serduchka’s mother is modelling herself on Mother Theresa?
I love Ukraine and this song has good parts that make it decent overall, but it’s far from deserving top 5.
The “all the divas were born as a human beings” and the rap part were cringe af, and if this had been sent by anybody else it would be butchered into oblivion.
Oh I think those elements are wonderful! The sentiment about divas being born as regular human beings is wonderful! ?
This is a nice song, worthy of top 10. It does feel a little like Stefania # 2 though and I wonder if people are factoring in the sad situation. I am still explaining to people that I voted for Heart Of Steel last year because I loved the track, not out of “sympathy”.
13th place – Ukraine I have to say I like this song, even though some parts of it are weak in my opinion. The rap part is very underwhelming and I don’t understand why people hype it so much. Generally the song is nice, but I definitely don’t see this being so strong. If this wins out of sympathy again I’ll definitely stop watching Eurovision. Of course this song will qualify and most likely will be in the top 10 which I don’t mind, but I don’t think it should win. There are better songs than this one that deserve… Read more »
What is 13th place?
This is from my personal ranking, I put it on 13th place in my scoring board 🙂
A little bit boring – 6/12
This song doesn’t particularly speak to me which is a weird feeling since it’s Ukraine but best of luck to them!
It does not grab me in the way other people are reacting to it. That is to say it is not an awful song i just think it is meh.
UKRAINE – In a way, I feel like this is a majestic piece of music. It evokes deep, spiritual feelings, and the two performers feel fully invested in delivering it. Jerry’s deep voice goes well with the chanting earworm of a chorus, while Alyona has an incredible capability of rapping fast and maintaining the rhythm without any trouble. The instrumental doesn’t change a lot, and has a cyclic nature, but it really works with a song whose main asset is to be mystical and atmospheric. It’s a modern song, but it managed to transport me to medieval times in a… Read more »
In my top 5 for sure.
Generally I’m not Ukraine fan I think it’s an overrated country in the contest. This entry however is their very best since they first joined. I don’t think it will win but it would be great if they sent this the year they won with Stefania. Or Jamala.
Had this been any other country with the same song, it would have been butchered for the rap part, which obviously feels so bad, it’s almost as bad as the first part is good.
“All the divas were born as human beings” is an incredibly powerful line. There are no limits to what anyone can become. Gold star.
It is not bad song overall. The audio sounds much better. The live performances I have seen have indeed been uncomfortable to watch. If they can get a chemistry going with the two performers on stage then this has a chance to get a good result. Otherwise it just looks awkward with the two performers just performing their part of the song. There is no cohesion and doesn’t gel well together on stage.
it doesn’t scream winner at the moment.
This has grown on me. Did prefer Melovins song. But nonetheless this isn’t too shabby. Now I’ve given this a shot, I like its builds, the message and the mix of traditional ballad with rap. It’s well written. This will translate well to stage with some high quality production.
Score 8/10
This can fly REALLY high with proper staging
Almost immediately after landsliding the Vidbir televote and being locked in as Ukraine’s representative, Jerry Heil and Alyona Alyona were installed as strong favourites to win Eurovision. A combination of the tone of the song, the country that was sending it, and the empowering message behind everything, seemed to justify such a position. Then, suddenly, it began to drop in the odds, a little at first, but it wouldn’t stop. And the reason is simple, for all the hype, not many people actually love this song. In almost every form of public ranking, Ukraine sits outside of the songs that… Read more »
Ukraine is the best.
Best song
I love Ukraine in Eurovision, but this year… I can’t help but feel disappointed by Ukraine’s selection, and the chosen entry reflects that. I find the song misses significant instrumental impact, and while the two singers have good chemistry with each other, I find myself skipping the song as it just doesn’t manage to retain my interest as I’m constantly left wanting something more out of the song. The broken English like “All the divas are born as a human beings” is also a showcase to me that this entry would’ve worked better had it been in Ukrainian wholly. For… Read more »
Nice song but doesnt deserve to be in top5
Amazing song, spiritual and anthemic, kinda underrated in the odds since a few weeks (peaked too early?). I think it’s a locked top5 for Ukraine.
I love this song but Jerry Heil doesn’t sing it well live. I wonder why they didn’t give such a great song to a more competent singer?
Strongly disagree i love Jerry’s vocals, nothing too much, just very sweet voice what she got
I am against those who use too much adlips, too over the top screaming
Strongly disagree. Both women are incredibly strong performers.
This is the best song ever made omg
I really like this. I like the mix of rap and folk, something Ukraine does well at Eurovision. It’s in my top 10, but I would agree with those who say it’s overrated.
Bookies have inflated it
A good song, but totally overrated
strong once more from ukraine. wasn’t my favourite in the pre-selection but it’s grown on me so so sooo much. 9/10
Bronze star.
People, can you suggest two alternative honourees? I’ll start.
Marie Curie and Emmeline Pankhurst.
Mary Shelley and Ada Lovelace
Divine and Britney
Anna Politkovskaya and Daphne Caruana Galizia
Ah, bravo. The syllables of the names you chose would also fit into the rhythm of the existing song.
OK, even praising a fake hypocritical religious figure Mother Teresa and using religions in that way in general aside (it already kills the whole entry for me), where’s the anthem, best chorus of the year, authenticity and etc here? Just because it mixes 3 genres? In terms of an empowering meaning, there’re better Eurovision songs even this year. The song stays at the same safe level for the whole 3 minutes.
8) Ukraine – After last year’s Vidbir, I am happy to see Jerry Heil at Eurovision. She and Alyona work really well together and in particular the melody of the chorus is one I occasionally hum along to, even when I don’t have the song playing. While it has gone down a few places in my ranking, I still really enjoy it and I believe Ukraine will keep its 100% quali record going. 8.5/10
Gonna fling this here for no reason: the runner-up from Vidbir this year, Place I Call Home, has been such a nice song to listen to especially when I was travelling last month. I know that not many folks liked it, but it’s really been a grower on me. Deserved 2nd place.
Kinda struggle to fall for Ukraine this year as I usually fall for them almost every year. I can’t see this winning, but won’t be surprised if so. It is just not my track to replay it, and sometimes skip it.
Correction: my points to Ukraine is 9.5 instead of 6.5 (there might be a mistake when I uploaded my points). Amazing song!
Does this change the average? Somebody do the sums!
i make it 7.93/10 instead of 7.73
A comfortable lead!
@William Lee Adams can you update the article and the average? 🙂
Voting Scandal!
amazing song, very authentic, heartfelt genuine beautiful lyrical composition, Jerry’s angelic vocals and Alyona’s sassy rapping skills is a perfect combination of sweet yet confident and empowering
this is definitely top 2 in the televotes i think, but i think even with the juries there is some potential either
this could win, not saying it will win (against powerhouses like croatia, netherlands, italy, switzerland or cyprus) but yet another contender
It’s quite bold to call Cyprus a powerhouse this year
of course, Liar is such a ethnic bop!! greece could never
I hope once when the war is over we will again have entries like Verka or Shady Lady from Ukraine. Or something like Maruv. This is good song, deserves top 10….but let’s be real, Ukraine is capable of much more. Full support for the country though, i understand the struggle…
7.73/10…. Ridiculous!!! Twice maximum score ..Is this out of sympathy or….
6TH PLACE: UKRAINE: This song has a mystical and captivating quality, especially in the chorus. Once again Ukraine tries to mix ethnic with modern elements (specifically rap) and does so in a much more convincing way for me than they did with Kalush Orchestra. Jerry’s voice is a highlight for me: I absolutely love it, and though the rap part isn’t my favourite part of the song it doesn’t put me off as much as I thought it would. Ukraine’s stagings are also more often than not on point so I trust them on this. My only problems are that… Read more »
And with that, only one place in my top 10 (2nd place) is yet to be reviewed and I have got some unpopular opinions coming up
There are no ethnic elements in this song. Where did you see any?
The general spirituality made me make that conclusion. I mean the verses contain a kind of chanting and the chorus also. In general the singing here seems outlandish to me and reminded me of Eastern European ways of singing. Could wrong of course since I am not an expert in Eastern European ethnic music.
Song isn’t really that exciting, and Jerry Heil is kinda the least charismatic performer ever. I have no idea how this was the number one favorite to win for a while.
Scoring this a 10 seems a bit generous when it pales in comparison to something like Kolyskova, which achieves exactly what this entry was trying to, and so much more…