We are happy to present you our interview with one of the most popular band from Ukraine, Kalush Orchestra, they decided to compete in the Ukrainian selection for Eurovision Song Contest 2022.
The National Final will take place on 12th February at 17:30 CET. Kalush are participating with the song “Stefania” and we had the chance to ask them a few questions about  their participation in Vidbir.

Hello, KALUSH! Thank you for taking the time for ESCBubble! First of all, how was your reaction when you heard that you were selected for Vidbir 2022 final?
Like in any music contest, all participants take part in order to gain the new experience, compete with others and compete for the first place. When we found out that we had reached the Final of the National Selection, we were certainly happy.

How did you guys meet and form this group?
We had the band KALUSH, but we understood that we wanted to try ourselves in a different style of sounding and develop other areas of our creative work. When wetried rap music in combination with the Ukrainian folklore, we realized that it was worth a separate group with the appropriate images, works and ideology. The group consists of three professional folklorists who want to convey the Ukrainian ethnicity of people as much as possible.
Both groups co-exist and have common members. Multi-instrumentalists Tymofii Muzychuk and VitaliiDuzhyk joined us – me (Oleg Psiuk, vocals, lyrics), Kilimmen (DJ) and Johnny Dyvnyi (backing vocals) in the KALUSH Orchestra. Another musician Ihor Didenchuk played in KALUSH from the very beginning.

Was it hard to decide what music style will you sing as a group, because it’s an unique mixed of music. Who came with the idea of performing this type of music?
I like to experiment in my creative work. I get the unrealistic thrill and pleasure when I manage to realize myself in new genres. On one of these impulses, while working in the studio, it had appeared the idea to combine the several instruments in a live performance at the same time. When we started to implement thisidea, the whole team got the goosebumps from how cool the first tracks sound.

One of your member has already performed at Eurovision with GoA, Ihor Didenchuk, was his idea of entering Vidbir? How did you decide to compete in the Ukrainian selection?
Ihor Didenchuk is a multi-instrumentalist who is a member of KALUSH band and KALUSH Orchestra, but now he focuses more on the “orchestra”. Of course, taking into account Ihor’s experience from the last year, our team has a good adviser on the National Selection, who had already been there. However, in fact, the participation in the National Selection of this year was a surprise for him. For Ihor Didenchuk it is a nice déjà vu, and for the whole band it is a new interesting experience and an opportunity to share their music with a larger audience.

Your song for Vidbir 2022 is called “Stefania”, what’s the story behind it and why do you think it’s a good choice for Ukraine in Eurovision?
This track, like all works by KALUSH band and KALUSH ORCHESTRA, is based on the own band’s life stories and experiences. “Stefania” track is about the dearest person, Mom, which was written by the whole band. My mom hasn’t heard this track yet. It would be very cool if it wins, and I would sing this song live for her again. At KALUSH ORCHESTRA, we focus on hip-hop with folk motifs and Ukrainian authenticity that is welcomed in Europe. I want to show the today’s youth that it is important to follow their traditions, but nobody prevents them from offering something of their own to modernize it.

Vidbir is a great selection, have you already planned your ideas for the staging? What can we expect from your performance in the final?
Now KALUSH band has a tight concert schedule in the cities of Ukraine. We perform concerts every day, sometimes even two concerts per day. Of course, it is quite difficult to combine it with the preparation for the National Selection. We forgot about our sleeping for this time. In the final of the National Selection you will hear the live performance of several instruments simultaneously. It will be the combination of the Ukrainian folklore and rap and a lot of drive. I do not want to reveal more details now. After all, as the saying goes: it is better to see once than to hear a hundred times. Therefore, on February 12, join us and be with us on the same wave.

And any other plans for 2022? Can we expect new music from the Kalush Orchestra?
2022 has already begun very busy. Of course, we already have in our music arsenal a selection of new tracks for both KALUSH band and KALUSH ORCHESTRA, which will be heard by everyone soon. There are also plans to create several music albums, one of them for KALUSH ORCHESTRA.

In the end, I want to thank you for your time and please, if you have a message for your fans and our readers here on ESCBubble?
Please, support KALUSH ORCHESTRA with your votes. If our track wins in the final of the National Selection, it will be the best gift for my mother. And, of course, listen to KALUSH band and KALUSH ORCHESTRA.

You can listen to their song down below: