A very welcome surprise collab from two of our favorite groups of Eurovision 2022!
‘Oh-ohh, oh-ohh!’ Last Friday, Eurovision 2022 winners Kalush Orchestra released a collaboration between them and fellow-Eurovision 2022 act The Rasmus on ‘ In The Shadows of Ukraine’ . To many people, the song will sound all too familiar. ‘ In The Shadows of Ukraine’ is a new version of the popular hit single from 2003 by The Rasmus themselves, ‘ In The Shadows’.
In a press release. Lauri Ylönen, frontman of The Rasmus, mentioned how the band was immediately inspired by the original sound of Kalush Orchestra.
” It was inspiring to hear how this song can be reborn like that! And the lyrics are unfortunately even more relevant to what is happening now, in Ukraine and around the world.”
Lauri Ylönen, The Rasmus
We were also treated to a music video alongside the song’s release. The focus in the music video is the current war happening in Ukraine and the courage of the Ukrainians. Frontman of Kalush Orchestra said about about the music video:
” We decided straight away that we wanted to make a video for the song, so people could not only hear, but also see everything that we want to convey to the world with our new work. “
Oleg Psiuk, Kalush Orchestra
The music video was directed by Leonid Kolosovsky and was created with huge influences from a Ukrainian creative team.
Take a look at the music video here.
Kalush Orchestra in Eurovision 2022
Kalush Orchestra was victorious in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022. Their song “Stefania” received a total of 631 points. This was comprised of an impressive total of 439 televoting points out of a possible 468, which is a record-breaking feat.
This is Ukraine’s third win at Eurovision. Their previous wins came in 2004 and 2016, with Ruslana’s “Wild Dances” and Jamala’s “1944” taking the trophy in both editions respectively. Since the introduction of the semi finals in 2004, they are the only country that has not failed to qualify to the Grand Final of each contest that they have participated in, excluding the Big Five. You can relive Kalush Orchestra’s memorable and emotional performance of “Stefania” below!
The Rasmus in Eurovision 2022
The Rasmus finished 21st in the Eurovision 2022 Grand Final, representing Finland. They performed 1st in the second-semi final, qualifying in 7th and performed 4th in the Grand Final. They performed the song ‘Jezebel’ on a stage filled with a backdrop of yellow balloons. Check out their Grand Final performance here!
What do you think about ‘In The Shadows of Ukraine’? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, make sure you follow us on Spotify for the latest music from your favourite Eurovision acts.