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Kalush Orchestra with frontman Oleh Psiuk (middle): »I would call it authenticity«
Photo: Maxim Fesenko / picture alliance/dpa/UAPBC/ESC
Rehearsals for the Eurovision Song Contest began in Turin at the weekend. The rap-folk band Kalush Orchestra will be there, representing Ukraine this year. The interview with frontman Oleh Psiuk takes place via video call while the band is still traveling through Europe and presenting their song "Stefania" in advance. The band left the country with special permission from the Ukrainian government.
SPIEGEL
: Oleh Psiuk, how does it feel to be out of the country?
Is it a privilege?
A relief?
Or would you rather be at home?
Psiuk
: Above all, I feel a huge responsibility.
We have to represent our country in such difficult times.
Therefore we must be as useful as possible for our homeland.
Many people have certain expectations and place their hopes in us.
A huge responsibility!
SPIEGEL
: Was it at all possible for you to concentrate on the music in the last few weeks?
Psiuk
: It was definitely a lot harder.
For a long time we couldn't even meet in person.
During this time we had to rehearse online.
Only recently we met again in Lviv.
And then we had to rehearse with a certain urgency.
SPIEGEL
: Why were you separated from each other?
Psiuk
: A lot of people in our country have been doing different things than before since the war started.
We made music, but then our MC KilimMen took part in the territorial defense of Kyiv.
And I started my own volunteer organization, "Ty de?" ("Where are you?"), which now has 35 members across Ukraine.
We help with the accommodation and transport of refugees, with medicine and many other things
SPIEGEL
: When you performed together again in Lviv, you collected money for bulletproof vests, reports say.
Psiuk
: Yes, we collect money at all events, including performances in Europe.
We collect money for the official coffers of Ukraine.
The largest fund is called "Help Ukraine", which is about humanitarian aid and medical support.
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Flying the flag for Ukraine: The Kalush Orchestra performing in Madrid
Photo: Patricia J. Garcinuno/Getty Images
SPIEGEL
: What were the reactions to the performances in Amsterdam, Israel or Madrid?
Psiuk
: I can say that above all we feel a strong support.
People give us a very warm welcome, share their emotions about the war in Ukraine and ask how they can help.
I also notice that they really like the music and our song.
Even before the war we were in fifth place in the ESC rankings for betting shops, which I thought was pretty high.
SPIEGEL
: You must have had a roller coaster ride of emotions.
First you competed in the ESC preliminary round, failed, then the winner withdrew because of a controversial trip to Crimea and you were still selected as a participant.
Then came the war.
Psiuk
: Well, actually my whole life is kind of a rollercoaster ride of emotions.
But it's true, there was quite a bit going on.
As far as Eurovision is concerned, everything ended well.
Unfortunately, the war tore us away in a terrible way.
It's hard to come to your senses when you're awakened by explosions and don't know if friends and acquaintances are still alive.
You call, you write to them.
We have a kind of saying now: "If you ask someone 'How are you?' it means the same as 'I love you'."
SPIEGEL
: Compared to the war, the Eurovision Song Contest must seem like a very small thing.
Psiuk
: The way I see it, the ESC is still a very important event.
A lot of people put their hopes and expectations in us, maybe even people who were never fans of us or the ESC.
At the moment it is very important for everyone how we represent our country this year.
SPIEGEL
: How would you describe the role of musicians in general in times of war?
Psiuk
: We have an important role to play, as influencers, as voices that can give people their own interpretation of the situation - and also information.
Music is good for this, and this is especially true for rap, which has a lot of lyrics.
SPIEGEL
: How is rap doing in the Ukrainian music scene?
Psiuk
: In many countries around the world, rap is now the number one mainstream genre.
This has not been the case in Ukraine so far.
But we're close, I'd say rap is in the top three.
And it's my mission to change that.
So far, Ukrainian rap has tended to be underground.
He's very cool, but only a few musicians are known to the general public at the moment.
SPIEGEL
: Did you have international role models at the beginning of your career?
Psiuk
: Yes, my first role model, maybe even my only one, was Eminem.
I've heard all his songs and a lot of people say I have a flow similar to his.
I still respect him, he's a great musician.
SPIEGEL
: Your own ESC song "Stefania" is first and foremost an ode to your mother, and of course it was written before the Russian attack.
Do you still think it's the right song for the current situation?
Psiuk
: The song was initially dedicated to my mother, that's true.
But since the war began, many people have read other meanings into it.
Some say that Ukraine would be like a mother, for example.
Other people just mourn their own mothers.
Anyway, the song went viral and is very popular in Ukraine.
We hope it will become famous in Europe too.
SPIEGEL
: You began your career as a rapper, and now you're mixing in folk elements with the Kalush Orchestra – is that a deliberate patriotic gesture?
Psiuk
: I would rather call it authenticity.
The folk elements reflect and focus on our Ukrainian culture.
SPIEGEL
: You also named the band after your hometown.
What kind of city is Kalush?
Psiuk
: Quite a popular one now, thanks to us.
But not many knew her before, she has just 70,000 inhabitants, a provincial town in the western Ukrainian region of Ivano-Frankovsk.
Nothing special, one would think.
But now many know about Kalush.
And I'm working on Kalush becoming a tourist attraction in the future.
SPIEGEL
: What will your ESC appearance look like?
What the public knows so far is that you almost always wear a pink bucket hat on stage.
Psiuk
: But that wasn't planned as an image at all.
I just wore it in the first video we shot for Kalush and everyone liked the way the hat looked.
I bought it at the flea market for a few hryvnias.
I liked it too, so I wore it in the second and then the third video and it became my signature.
SPIEGEL
: How many of them do you have?
Psiuk
: I have four of this kind.
I also have a few slightly different ones.
But this one I'm wearing right now was the first.
Otherwise, all the costumes of the Kalush Orchestra Band take on different folkloric elements, authentic elements from different eras, regions combined with each other on six people.
SPIEGEL
: During the Ukrainian preliminary round, carpet motifs could also be seen on the background screens.
Her fellow musician goes by the stage name MC KilimMen, "carpet man".
Is there a history of this?
Psiuk
: Carpets are actually something very Ukrainian.
Ten to 15 years ago you could find carpets in every hut, in every house, in every room, not just on the floor but also on the wall.
Nowadays young people are often ashamed of it.
They prefer to wear fake Gucci things to look cool.
But that's not cool.
We should show our true selves.
MIRROR
: Do you already have plans for the time after the ESC?
Psiuk
: We want to make Ukrainian music popular all over the world.
I see that as my mission.
That means it doesn't stop with the competition.
We have plans - and they are global.