Kalush Orchestra rapper and band leader Oleh Psiuk confirmed at a press conferene at the European Parliament yesterday that the winners of Eurovision 2022 will return to the stage in Liverpool, and will release a new single, called Changes, in early March.

Speaking to a representative from Ukraine National News, Psiuk also repeated his desire for Ukraine to host the Contest soon:

“Yes, Eurovision will be held in the UK, but we very much hope that it [our victory] will still be taken into account and there will be some of our Ukrainian identity. And I think there’s going to be a pretty good atmosphere for us there. I know that there will also be Ukrainians performing there. And, in fact, us. Therefore, we very much hope that everything will be fine, and we hope that Ukraine will win, like last year, and that next year we will host Eurovision in Ukraine.”

(Oleh Psiuk, as reported in UNN, 16/02/23)

The performer didn’t mention whether the whole band, who are currently serving as volunteers in their native Ivano-Frankivsk region, would be present.

The Contest is being held in Liverpool this year in a joint hosting agreement between the BBC and UA:PBC, following Kalush Orchestra’s victory in Turin, but also in light of the ongoing war in Ukraine. The folk rap sextet won the 2022 Contest after receiving 631 points in total, 439 of which came from the public, including 28 twelve points out of 40.

The group has gone on to record songs with fellow 2022 competitors The Rasmus and Ochman, raised $900,000 for the purchase of combat drones, and performed at venues in Europe and worldwide, including at the MTV EMAs awards ceremony in the US.

Following the Ukrainian national final Vidbir, held in December 2022, it was decided that Electropop duo Tvorchi will represent the first of two host nations with the song Heart of Steel.

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