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.
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 are slated to compete when the Eurovision contest takes place this week in Turin, an industrial city in northern Italy.
While some oddsmakers and data analysts have predicted other contestants will win, the song by Kalush Orchestra is quickly becoming a sentimental favorite.
Oleh Psiuk, frontman of Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra waits before an interview in Turin, Italy, on May 5, 2022. (Antonio Calanni/AP Photo)
“I’ll always find my way home, even if all roads are destroyed,’’ Kalush Orchestra frontman Oleh Psiuk wrote in the lyrics for “Stefania.”
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