The group beat five other acts for the right to represent Ukraine on home ground in May, Eurovision.tv reports.
O.Torvald is composed of lead singer Zhenia Halych, guitarist Denys Myziuk, drummer Sasha Solokha, bass guitarist Mykyta Vasyliev, and DJ Polarnik. The band was founded in the city of Poltava but relocated to Kyiv in 2006 where they began performing to large venues with thousands of spectators. They released their first album in 2008.
As with last year, the winner was decided by a combination of jury and public votes. The jury for 2017:
Konstantin Meladze – Composer and producer
Jamala – singer-songwriter, winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest for Ukraine
Andriy Danylko – comedian and singer, represented Ukraine in 2007 as the drag artist Verka Serduchka.
Ukraine made its debut at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Hasta la Vista performed by Oleksandr Ponomariov, finishing in 14th place. The next year Ruslana with her song Wild Dances took Europe by storm scoring the first victory for Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest. Jamala won the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest for Ukraine earlier this year with the song 1944, providing the country with its second victory in the competition.
From sand artists to drag acts, Ukraine has sent a variety of musical styles and performers to the Eurovision Song Contest over the years. The video below features the ten most successful Ukrainian entries in the Eurovision Song Contest.
