Saturday 8th February will see Ukraine select their entrant for the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest using their national final Vidbir. Last year produced another impressive result for Ukraine, seeing them place third with ‘Teresa & Maria’ by alyona alyona and Jerry Heil. Therefore, Ukraine will be hoping to continue their streak of strong results, including remaining the only country in Eurovision to have qualified for the grand final in every year they have competed.
This year has seen some slight changes, with 2006 entrant Tina Karol now acting as the new music producer of the competition. This means she was responsible for whittling the 374 submissions down to just 20 entries. These 20 artists then auditioned their songs live in December 2024, where 9 artists made the shortlist. The remaining 11 were then eligible for the wildcard vote which members of the Ukrainian public voted for using the Diia app. However, longlisted entrant Teslenko withdrew before voting commenced.
The Vidbir jurors for this year were also chosen by the public using the Diia app. They chose 2016 Eurovision winner Jamala, 2020 and 2021 Eurovision representative and Go_A frontwoman Kateryna Pavlenko, and musician and producer Serhiy Tanchynets. Their votes will make up 50% of the overall score, with the remaining 50% being determined by televote, again using the Diia app.
Let’s meet the 10 artists hoping to go to Basel!
Vlad Sheryf – Wind of Change
Starting off proceedings is Vlad Sheryf who will be familiar to Ukrainian audiences from his time on the 13th season of Holos Krainy, the Ukrainian edition of The Voice in 2023. Vlad wowed the judges in his blind audition, performing a rendition of 2023 Eurovision winner ‘Tattoo’ which caused all four judges to turn their chairs for him. He made it as far as the show’s battle rounds before being eliminated from the competition.
Vlad will be competing in Vidbir for the first time with the song ‘Wind of Change’ which he wrote alongside producer Nikita Shkuropat who has produced songs for a number of Ukrainian artists, including last year’s Eurovision representative Jerry Heil. Is this a good omen for Vlad? You can listen to his song below:
Abiye – Dim
Abiye is the stage name of Nataliia Shevchenko, a Ukrainian singer-songwriter who has previously made music under her birth name before adopting her stage name in late 2024. As well as making music, Abiye uses her platform as an activist, speaking out against domestic violence and performing for soldiers defending Ukraine in the war.
Abiye will be performing the song ‘Dim’ (‘Home’) which she wrote herself and which lyrically touches on the oppression of women. Through her Instagram, Abiye has revealed that her performance will be choreographed by Kyiv-based choreographer Dmytro Prystash and will feature dancers. Will she be able to leave a lasting impression onstage? You can listen to ‘Dim’ below:
MOLODI – My Sea
MOLODI are a band consisting of Kiril Rogovyi and Ivan Stepanishchev. The pair met at a technical school in Mariupol where they were studying to be electricians. They started their career as street musicians before moving to Kyiv to develop their craft. Since their formation in 2022, MOLODI have released a number of singles and collaborated with other well-known Ukrainian musicians, including Michelle Andrade, who was part of the Ukrainian jury for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest last year.
Making their Vidbir debut, MOLODI will be competing with the song ‘My Sea’ which has been co-written by the band alongside songwriter Andriy Parfenov and producer Anton Chilibli, the latter of whom helped to co-write ‘Teresa & Maria’ last year. You can listen to ‘My Sea’ below:
Future Culture – Waste My Time
Future Culture are a Kyiv-based band who have been making music together since 2022. Their music contains a blend of different genres, including hip-hop, soul and funk.
The band will be making their Vidbir debut with the song ‘Waste My Time’. According to the group’s Instagram page, the song is “a message about valuing life’s simple moments, mental resilience, and taking time for yourself.” Could it allow Future Culture to put their name on the map? You can listen to their song below:
Masha Kondratenko – No Time To Cry
Masha Kondratenko is an actress and singer who first shot to fame starring in the TV series ‘Shkola’ (‘School’) in 2018. In 2020, she participated in Holos Krainy where she reached the finals. Masha is probably best known for her 2022 Europop single ‘Vanka Vstanka’, the Russian name for the weighted doll that cannot be pushed over. The song’s lyrics were used to poke fun at the Russian soldiers invading Ukraine and it also popularly accompanied footage of the war.
Now, with her song ‘No Time To Cry’, Masha is taking her music in a new direction. While the song references the ongoing war, its tone is much more serious than ‘Vanka Vstanka’, with Masha explaining the meaning of the song to Wiwibloggs:
“My song is about the state of each of us today. When everything seems to be okay, but inside, there are emotional swings, a constant struggle with despair, pain from losses and a sense of injustice because of what we have to live through. At the same time, light and hope are fighting for a place in our hearts, because we have no right to give up.”
Masha Kondratenko, Wiwibloggs
Masha has said she feels “ready” to represent Ukraine at Eurovision but will she get the chance? You can listen to her song below:
KHAYAT – HONOR
KHAYAT is the stage name of Andriy Oleksandrovych Khayat who was born in Znamianka in central Ukraine. He released his debut album ‘KHMIL” in 2019 and also competed in Vidbir with the song ‘Ever’ which unfortunately did not progress to the final. However, in 2020 KHAYAT returned with the song ‘Call for Love’, reaching the final and placing second to Go_A’s ‘Solovey’.
Now KHAYAT is back with the song ‘HONOR’ which the singer wrote himself and which contains both Ukrainian and English. Will he be third time lucky? You can listen to ‘HONOR’ below:
FIÏNKA – Kultura
FIÏNKA is the stage name of singer and actress Iryna Vykhovanets who is the author and host of the satirical YouTube channel Lizhnyk TV (Sleeper TV). She will be best known to eurofans for her participation in Vidbir 2023, where she placed 4th with the song ‘Dovbush’.
Now FIÏNKA is back with her 2025 entry ‘Kultura’. Unlike the other entries, FIÏNKA’s song was chosen as this year’s wildcard entry, proving far and away the most popular choice with the Ukrainian public to make the final. Will this stand her in good stead? You can listen to ‘Kultura’ below:
KRYLATA – STAY TRUE
KRYLATA is the stage name of Anastasiia Zavadska who may be a familiar face to some Vidbir fans. She was one of the longlisted entries for Vidbir 2024 with her entry ‘Queen’ but unfortunately was not chosen as the wildcard entry for that year. Instead, this accolade went to ANKA with her song ‘Palala’ which placed 8th in the final.
Undeterred, KRYLATA has made the shortlist for Vidbir 2025 and will be performing her entry ‘STAY TRUE’. Sung in both Ukrainian and English, the song implores listeners not to lose themselves in times of darkness. You can listen to the song below:
Ziferblat – Bird of Pray
Ziferblat are an art rock band consisting of twin brothers Danyil Leschinsky (vocals) and Valentyn Leschinsky (guitar), as well as drummer Fedir Khodakov. They released their debut EP in 2017 before competing in the Ukrainian edition of The X Factor in 2019. In 2023, the band made it to the longlist of Vidbir 2023 but did not progress to the shortlist. However, in 2024 Ziferblat would prove far more successful in the contest. Competing with the song ‘Place I Call Home’, Ziferblat proved to be the juries’ favourite, receiving the maximum 11 points from them and 8 points from the televoting public. This placed Ziferblat second to alyona alyona and Jerry Heil.
Ziferblat are back again with their song ‘Bird of Pray’ which is sung in both Ukrainian and English. Having proven successful with the juries last year, can the group win the hearts of both jurors and televoters enough to secure the trophy this year? You can listen to ‘Bird of Pray’ below:
DK Enerhetyk – Sil
DK Enerhetyk are a Ukrainian post-punk band consisting of members Yakiv Marnyi (vocals), Vsevolod ‘Seva’ Shutka (guitar) and Oleksandr ‘Fol’ Folyanskyi (bass). Their name is derived from the Palace of Culture Energetik in Prypiat, which is located in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and is also where the music video for their debut single ‘Energetyk’ is filmed. Since forming in 2022, the band have released three studio albums: ‘Yunist’ (‘Youth’), ‘Shliakh’ (‘Path’) and ‘Zavtra’ (‘Tomorrow’).
DK Enerhetyk are making their Vidbir debut with the song ‘Sil’ (‘Salt’). If they were to win, this would mark the first time a song in the post-punk genre would compete in Eurovision. Will they get the chance? You can listen to ‘Sil’ below:
So there you have the 10 artists hoping to represent Ukraine at Eurovision! Who gets your vote? Let us know in the comments and be sure to follow our socials!
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