Ukraine at Eurovision: From Hasta la Vista to Wild Dances (What Really Happened at Eurovision, Episode 3)

Wiwibloggs: The Eurovision Podcast

It’s been twenty years since Ukraine joined the Eurovision Song Contest. Today they're known as one of the most successful countries in the contest with three wins and a 100% qualification record.

But two decades ago it was a different story. In this episode we chart their course into the contest (with Oleksandr Ponomariov's "Hasta la Vista") and onto their first win (with Ruslana's "Wild Dances") just a year later.

Ahead of Eurovision 2003, a group of young and inexperienced Ukrainians convinced the broadcaster to join the contest. We hear from Vasyl Myroshnychenko, one of those early team members who is now Ukraine's ambassador to Australia. He recounts the broadcaster's many hurdles, which included major debts to the EBU. He also describes the strategic vision that helped Ruslana win Eurovision 2004.

We also hear from Philip Vella, the Maltese composer who wrote Ira Losco's "Seventh Wonder". He was drafted in to write Oleksandr Ponomariov's Eurovision 2003 song....only to have it replaced at the last minute. Philip gives us an exclusive listen of the song Ukraine had originally planned to send. He travelled with Ukraine's team to their debut contest anyway and recounts his experiences.

Featuring:

Freddy: https://instagram.com/freddyt234

William: https://instagram.com/williamleeadams