TURIN, Italy
Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra’s upbeat, melodic entry for this month’s Eurovision Song Contest was written as a tribute to the frontman’s mother.
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Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has become an anthem to the war-ravaged motherland.
“Stefania” is the most-watched song on YouTube among the 35 national entries that will compete in the Eurovision Song Contest next week in Italy’s northern industrial city of Turin. While some oddsmakers and data analysts have pegged others to win, the song by Kalush Orchestra is quickly becoming a sentimental favorite.
“I’ll always find my way home, even if all roads are destroyed,” Kalush Orchestra frontman Oleh Psiuk wrote in “Stefania.”
The lyrics have become more poignant as Russian missiles pound Ukrainian cities and villages, forcing over 11 million to flee the country already.
“Indeed, some stuff in here was written long before the war, and it was dedicated to my mother,” Psiuk told The Associated Press at his hotel in Turin, wearing a bright bucket hat that makes him instantly recognizable to anyone who has streamed “Stefania.”
