Ukraine wins Eurovision 2022 with Kalush Orchestra’s Stefania

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Ukraine has won the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest by a landslide, with Kalush Orchestra 193 points ahead of its competition for its folk-hip-hop performance of Stefania.

The group claimed a total of 631 points after getting a whopping 439 points from public televotes, added to the judges’ 192 points from 40 countries in Europe and Australia.

Kalush Orchestra’s performance of Stefania, which was written about frontman Oleh Psiuk’s mother, struck a chord with viewers, with the song becoming a hymn to war-torn Ukraine with lyrics such as, “I’ll always find my way home, even if all roads are destroyed”.

Kalush Orchestra said their victory was a “victory for every Ukrainian”.†AP: Luca Bruno†

In second place was Sam Ryder from the UK who earned 466 points for his performance of Space Man, followed by Spain’s Chanel who stunned the audience with her singing and dancing skills during her performance of SloMo.

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Australian Sheldon Riley took 15th overall, with 125 points for his emotional performance of Not The Same.

Kalush Orchestra with Ukrainian flags, fists against their hearts. One member has the Eurovision trophy
Ukraine beat the UK to take first place.†AP: Luca Bruno†

Artists share tribute to Ukraine on stage

With small gestures on stage, Eurovision performers paid tribute to Ukrainians fighting back against a Russian invasion.

Germany’s Malik Harris, who finished last in the grand final, shared a tribute to Ukraine at the end of his performance when he flipped his acoustic guitar to reveal a Ukrainian flag with the words peace written on it.

Malik Harris raises his fist and shows a Ukrainian flag with the words peace written on it on the back of his guitar.
Malik Harris from Germany shows his support for Ukraine while singing Rockstars.†AP: Luca Bruno†

Icelandic Systur also had Ukrainian flags on their guitars and hands.

Three women have small Ukrainian flags of tape on their guitars and hands.
Systur from Iceland sings Meo Haekkandi Sol.†AP: Luca Bruno†

At the end of their performance, Kalush Orchestra shared a message with their audience.

World reacts to Ukraine victory

Eurovision fans took to social media to congratulate Kalush Orchestra on their win.

Italian rock group Måneskin, which won Eurovision last year, said Ukraine’s victory was “even more than a well-deserved victory”.

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In a post on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Kalush Orchestra’s courage “impresses the world”.

“Next year Ukraine will host the Eurovision Song Contest,” said Zelenskyy.

The official Twitter account of the Ukrainian government also congratulated the group.

“You have melted our hearts, friends… and it matters to us at this time,” the post read.

“We send all your love and support to our brave freedom defenders in Azovstal and along the front lines.”

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