They’re the duo that were supposed to represent Belarus at Eurovision 2020. Alas, thanks to Covid-19, VAL won’t be in Rotterdam in May. But the song contest’s cancellation hasn’t stopped the pair from spreading their song’s message locally.
VAL and Lyalki Corporation – “Da vidna” folk mash-up
On Saturday, VAL performed a special version of “Da vidna” on Makaenka 9 — Belarus’ main weekend chat show. For the occasion, they were joined by Lyalki Corporation — a vocal group that melds pop sounds with traditional folk techniques.
Dressed in traditional attire, the Lyalki foursome opened by singing the Eurovision 2020 entry in the white voice style accompanied by some light folk instrumentation.
About half way in, old meets new as VAL — aka Valeria Gribusova and Vladislav Pashkevich — step on stage to conclude with the version of “Da vidna” we’re more familiar with.
Lyalki Corporation remain on stage to provide some backing vocals.
VAL “Da vidna” (acoustic)
VAL have actually had a number of live TV performances in recent weeks. And they haven’t been shy to experiment.
In early March, when Eurovision was still on the cards, they gave a stripped back acousitic rendition of their national final winning number.
Here, all of the electro beats are replaced by a simple guitar.
VAL have also recorded a studio cut of this version, which is available to stream on Spotify and other platforms.
VAL and Eurovision 2021
So far, the Belarusian broadcaster has yet to comment on its plans for Eurovision 2021. However, it would seem that VAL are up for a return. On the day Eurovision 2020 was officially cancelled, they shared the following message on social media.
Dear friends! We want to thank everybody for your amazing support in this hard day for every Eurovision fan and participant. EBU had to make a difficult choice to postpone the contest till 2021. We hope that every artist who was chosen to represent their country this year will make it to the next Eurovision. It’s currently unknown if the songs are gonna be changed or not. Anyway, we are looking forward to writing and producing new songs ASAP!
What do you think of the different versions of “Da vidna”? How do they compare to the original? Let us know in the comments.
I loved Da Vidna from the first listen, really hoping VAL will be back next year with an equally good tune. Belarus’ entries in Belarusian are by far my favourites they’ve selected!
Jeez these earrings… 😀 I didn’t know Yazoo did their Comeback in Belarus.. just kidding. I love Da Vidna <3
I love how Belarus just doesn’t care about Coronavirus.
Also pleased to see the keyboard on wheels make another appearance.
Fantastic mash-up! We really need VAL at Eurovision 2021, with another song in the beautiful Belarusian language!
I just don’t get the admiration for this song
Can I recommend you listen to Major Lazer DJ Snake MO Lean On and compare the rift. I’m not saying they are the same its the vibe of both songs. Lean On was a world wide hit. Da Vinda is a contemporary dance hit for me and the hook is there. Deban critique of this song is way off.
Deban’s opinion is just his opinion. Who cares? Sometimes people talk because they like to listen to themselves.