Blast from the past: Ukraine 2010

We know a lot about Eurovision and we want to share this knowledge with you! Therefore we’d like to bring you a blast from the past. Today we look back at Alyosha‘s “Sweet people”, the Ukrainian song in 2010.

Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest

The first Ukrainian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest was “Hasta la vista”, sung by Olexandr Ponomariov in 2003. Already a year later, the country had it’s first victory with Ruslana and her “Wild dances”. Ukraine is the only country that always reached the final so far. Ukraine managed to win the contest even three times already: with Ruslana, in 2016 with Jamala and her “1942” and in 2022 with Kalush Orchestra’s “Stefania”.

Evrobachennya. Ukrayina-2010

Vasyl

The road that lead to “Sweet people” being the Eurovision song was quite a complicated one. In December 2009, Ukrainian Television announced that the artist representing the country was selected internally. It was the 28 years old singer and performer Vasyl Lazarovych who got the job. The national final Evrobachennya. Ukrayina was held on March 5. Vasyl sang a total of 5 songs. The winning song was “I love you”, written and composed by Brandon Stone and Olga Yarinich. However, a storm of criticism came up, especially about the idea of giving only one artist the chance to perform.

20 songs

After 10 days, Ukrainian broadcaster NTU decided to have a new national final. “I love you” was now one of 20 songs. 

  • Vitaliy Kozlovskiy sang “”I-L@VE?”
  • Vasyl Lazarovych sang “I love you”, 24 pts, 7th
  • SH and BB sang “Ne zhurys”
  • OIeksiy Matias sang “Angely ne umirayut”, 32 pts, 3rd
  • Zaklyopi sang “Anybody home?” 23 pts, 8th
  • Ivan Berezovskyi sang “No doubt”, 21 pts, 10th
  • Stereo sang “Ne shkody s uma”, 22 pts, 9th
  • Irina Rosenfeld sang “Forever”, 29 pts, 6th
  • Shanis sang “Lechu k tebe”
  • Max Barskih sang “White raven”
  • Vladyslav Levytskyi sang “Davay, davay!”
  • Miya sang “Vona”
  • DaZzle Dreams sang “Emotional lady”
  • Masha Sobko sang “Ya tebya lyublyu”, 36 pts, 2nd
  • Zlata Ochnevich sang “Tiny island”, 30 pts, 5th
  • Mira Gold sang “Crazy lady”
  • Natalia Valevska sang “Europe”, 31 pts, 4th
  • Juliya Voice sang “Zavyazhi mne glaza”
  • El Kravchuk sang “Fly to heaven”, 21 pts, 10th
  • Alyosha sang “To be free”, 36 pts, 1st

A new song

Accusations of plagiarism were made about the winning song “To be free” immediately after the contest. Also, it was said to be published already in 2008. While NTU wanted to investigate this, the final deadline of submitting a song was so close that NTU decided that Alyosha could sing another song in Eurovision: “Sweet people”.

Alyosha

Olena Oleksandrivna Kucher, known as Alyosha and later by her real name, Olena Topolia, is a celebrated Ukrainian singer, songwriter, and composer. Born on May 14, 1986, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, she grew up in a hardworking family; her father was a traffic officer, and her mother worked at an aviation plant. From a young age, Olena was passionate about music, singing in school choirs and attending the “Youth” music studio. She later graduated from the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts with a degree in Pop Vocal.

Olena’s career began to take off after she won the international competition Yalta 2006. In 2010, she gained worldwide attention when she represented Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Sweet People,” . Olena quickly became a prominent figure in the Ukrainian music scene. She has written and composed many of her own songs, as well as for other artists.

Over the years, Olena has released several successful albums, such as A World Outside Your Door and Tocka na karte. In 2023, she returned to Eurovision as an interval act, performing a duet with Rebecca Ferguson. That same year, she started performing under her real name, Olena Topolia, marking a new chapter in her career.

Sweet people

The song “Sweet people” was composed by Alyosha, alongside Borys Kukoba and Vadym Lisitsa. It was written in response to environmental concerns, carrying a strong message about the negative impact of human actions on the world. The lyrics call for awareness and responsibility, warning about the destruction caused by pollution and the need to protect the planet for future generations.

At the Eurovision Song Contest, “Sweet People” represented Ukraine after the forementioned last-minute change from Alyosha’s original song, “To Be Free,” due to plagiarism accusations. In the grand final, Alyosha delivered a powerful performance of the ballad in Oslo, Norway. The song finished 10th out of 25 participants, scoring a total of 108 points. “Sweet People” stood out for its emotional message and Alyosha’s strong vocal performance, gaining widespread recognition across Europe.

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Weekly Update

It’s Tuesday, February 17, 2026, and time for another weekly update! This week saw a major event postponed, multiple national selections conclude, and key developments on the road to Eurovision 2026. The EBU decided to postpone the planned Eurovision Live Tour, five countries crowned their Eurovision entrants, and the UK revealed its act for Vienna. Also making headlines: public figures in Cyprus urged a song withdrawal, Romania unveiled its national final lineup, and fans enjoyed new music from Eurovision alumni. Here are this week’s top stories: Eurovision Live Tour Postponed The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced that the Eurovision Song Contest Live Tour 2026 has been postponed. Organizers cited “unforeseen challenges” that could not be resolved despite their best efforts. Thousands of fans who purchased tickets will receive full refunds, and the EBU plans to relaunch the tour later when a “world class experience” can be ensured. In the meantime, the focus shifts to delivering an incredible 70th Eurovision Song Contest this May in Vienna. source: eurovision.com 🇩🇰 Denmark Denmark has selected its Eurovision act. Søren Torpegaard Lund won the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2026 with his song “Før Vi Går Hjem”, securing the honor of representing Denmark in Vienna. The national final took place in Frederikshavn’s Arena Nord on February 14. Lund achieved a unanimous victory, topping both the jury and public votes with 39 points. Denmark will now hope Lund’s dynamic stage experience brings them success at the 70th Contest. 🇱🇻 Latvia Latvia has chosen its Eurovision entry through the Supernova 2026 final. Emerging victorious was singer Atvara with the song “Ēnā”. Ten acts competed in the Supernova final on February 14, after two semi-finals earlier in the month. Atvara won thanks to a combination of jury and public votes, earning the ticket to represent Latvia at Eurovision 2026. The electro-pop track “Ēnā” will fly the Latvian flag in Vienna this May. 🇪🇪 Estonia In Estonia, a familiar name is headed back to Eurovision. The popular girl band Vanilla Ninja clinched victory at Eesti Laul 2026 with their song “Too Epic To Be True”. The national final on February 14 featured 12 competitors, and Vanilla Ninja triumphed in a two-round voting process (jury + public, then a superfinal public vote). The group, which previously represented Switzerland in 2005, will now represent Estonia in Vienna. “Too Epic To Be True” will be performed in the first semi-final on May 12. 🇬🇷 Greece Greece finalized its Eurovision selection through the show Sing For Greece. Akylas won the Greek national final with his song “Ferto”, beating 13 other entries in the February 15 final. After two semi-finals earlier in the week, the 14-song final used a combined vote (50% public, 50% jury split domestic/international) to decide the winner. Akylas emerged on top, securing the opportunity to represent Greece at Eurovision 2026 with the uptempo track “Ferto”. The song will take the stage in the first semi-final in May. 🇭🇷 Croatia Croatia held its national final Dora 2026 and selected the ethno-pop group LELEK as its Eurovision act. LELEK have won Dora 2026 with their song “Andromeda”. The Dora final took place on February 15 after two semi-finals narrowed the field from 24 to 16 songs. LELEK’s performance was the unanimous favorite, earning top marks from both the jury and televote. “Andromeda,” blending traditional Croatian folk elements with modern pop, will represent Croatia at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. 🇨🇾 Cyprus In Cyprus, controversy erupted over the country’s Eurovision entry “Jalla” by Antigoni. Dozens of public figures signed an open letter urging broadcaster CyBC to withdraw Cyprus’ entry “Jalla” from Eurovision. The signatories argue that both the song and its music video present an “unacceptable image” of Cyprus abroad. The letter, addressed to CyBC’s president and board, expressed shock at the entry and called the participation “insulting” to the country’s image. CyBC has not publicly responded yet, but the debate has drawn significant media attention in Cyprus. source: CyBC 🇷🇴 Romania Romania is gearing up for a national final comeback. Broadcaster TVR has revealed the 10 finalists of Selecția Națională 2026 after three days of live auditions. A jury selected the finalists out of 68 semi-finalists, and an additional wildcard entrant will be chosen based on online views before the final. The final of Selecția Națională is set for March 4, where a jury will decide who represents Romania in Vienna. This marks Romania’s return to Eurovision after a two-year absence. Their last entry was in 2023. source: TVR 🇧🇪 Belgium Belgium will soon unveil its Eurovision entry. RTBF, the Francophone broadcaster, announced it will reveal Belgium’s artist and song on February 19. The presentation, including the official music video, will air on La Une at 18:21 CET that day. Belgium rotates its Eurovision selection between broadcasters (RTBF and VRT) each year. After VRT’s turn in 2025, RTBF is in charge for 2026 and has chosen an internal selection. Rumors over the summer about singer Loïc Nottet’s return were denied by RTBF. source: RTBF 🇵🇱 Poland Poland has detailed an ambitious format for its Eurovision selection, Finał polskich kwalifikacji 2026. TVP confirmed the national final will run over two days, with a mix of online and SMS voting. Voting opens on February 28 via the TVP VOD app and continues through March 7. The live show will air on March 7, but notably, the winner will be announced the next morning (March 8) on TVP’s breakfast show Pytanie na Śniadanie. The Polish entry will be decided entirely by the public’s votes. Eight finalists (including past national finalists like Alicja and Basia Giewont) have been announced, and a wildcard act could still be added by February 27. Poland aims to build on its strong 2025 result (14th place in the final with Justyna Steczkowska’s “Gaja”) as it seeks Eurovision glory. source: TVP 🇬🇧 United Kingdom The United Kingdom has internally selected its Eurovision 2026 act. The BBC revealed that experimental electronic artist Look Mum No Computer (real name Sam Battle) will represent

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Weekly Update

It’s Tuesday, February 17, 2026, and time for another weekly update! This week saw a major event postponed, multiple national selections conclude, and key developments on the road to Eurovision 2026. The EBU decided to postpone the planned Eurovision Live Tour, five countries crowned their Eurovision entrants, and the UK revealed its act for Vienna. Also making headlines: public figures in Cyprus urged a song withdrawal, Romania unveiled its national final lineup, and fans enjoyed new music from Eurovision alumni. Here are this week’s top stories: Eurovision Live Tour Postponed The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced that the Eurovision Song Contest Live Tour 2026 has been postponed. Organizers cited “unforeseen challenges” that could not be resolved despite their best efforts. Thousands of fans who purchased tickets will receive full refunds, and the EBU plans to relaunch the tour later when a “world class experience” can be ensured. In the meantime, the focus shifts to delivering an incredible 70th Eurovision Song Contest this May in Vienna. source: eurovision.com 🇩🇰 Denmark Denmark has selected its Eurovision act. Søren Torpegaard Lund won the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2026 with his song “Før Vi Går Hjem”, securing the honor of representing Denmark in Vienna. The national final took place in Frederikshavn’s Arena Nord on February 14. Lund achieved a unanimous victory, topping both the jury and public votes with 39 points. Denmark will now hope Lund’s dynamic stage experience brings them success at the 70th Contest. 🇱🇻 Latvia Latvia has chosen its Eurovision entry through the Supernova 2026 final. Emerging victorious was singer Atvara with the song “Ēnā”. Ten acts competed in the Supernova final on February 14, after two semi-finals earlier in the month. Atvara won thanks to a combination of jury and public votes, earning the ticket to represent Latvia at Eurovision 2026. The electro-pop track “Ēnā” will fly the Latvian flag in Vienna this May. 🇪🇪 Estonia In Estonia, a familiar name is headed back to Eurovision. The popular girl band Vanilla Ninja clinched victory at Eesti Laul 2026 with their song “Too Epic To Be True”. The national final on February 14 featured 12 competitors, and Vanilla Ninja triumphed in a two-round voting process (jury + public, then a superfinal public vote). The group, which previously represented Switzerland in 2005, will now represent Estonia in Vienna. “Too Epic To Be True” will be performed in the first semi-final on May 12. 🇬🇷 Greece Greece finalized its Eurovision selection through the show Sing For Greece. Akylas won the Greek national final with his song “Ferto”, beating 13 other entries in the February 15 final. After two semi-finals earlier in the week, the 14-song final used a combined vote (50% public, 50% jury split domestic/international) to decide the winner. Akylas emerged on top, securing the opportunity to represent Greece at Eurovision 2026 with the uptempo track “Ferto”. The song will take the stage in the first semi-final in May. 🇭🇷 Croatia Croatia held its national final Dora 2026 and selected the ethno-pop group LELEK as its Eurovision act. LELEK have won Dora 2026 with their song “Andromeda”. The Dora final took place on February 15 after two semi-finals narrowed the field from 24 to 16 songs. LELEK’s performance was the unanimous favorite, earning top marks from both the jury and televote. “Andromeda,” blending traditional Croatian folk elements with modern pop, will represent Croatia at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest. 🇨🇾 Cyprus In Cyprus, controversy erupted over the country’s Eurovision entry “Jalla” by Antigoni. Dozens of public figures signed an open letter urging broadcaster CyBC to withdraw Cyprus’ entry “Jalla” from Eurovision. The signatories argue that both the song and its music video present an “unacceptable image” of Cyprus abroad. The letter, addressed to CyBC’s president and board, expressed shock at the entry and called the participation “insulting” to the country’s image. CyBC has not publicly responded yet, but the debate has drawn significant media attention in Cyprus. source: CyBC 🇷🇴 Romania Romania is gearing up for a national final comeback. Broadcaster TVR has revealed the 10 finalists of Selecția Națională 2026 after three days of live auditions. A jury selected the finalists out of 68 semi-finalists, and an additional wildcard entrant will be chosen based on online views before the final. The final of Selecția Națională is set for March 4, where a jury will decide who represents Romania in Vienna. This marks Romania’s return to Eurovision after a two-year absence. Their last entry was in 2023. source: TVR 🇧🇪 Belgium Belgium will soon unveil its Eurovision entry. RTBF, the Francophone broadcaster, announced it will reveal Belgium’s artist and song on February 19. The presentation, including the official music video, will air on La Une at 18:21 CET that day. Belgium rotates its Eurovision selection between broadcasters (RTBF and VRT) each year. After VRT’s turn in 2025, RTBF is in charge for 2026 and has chosen an internal selection. Rumors over the summer about singer Loïc Nottet’s return were denied by RTBF. source: RTBF 🇵🇱 Poland Poland has detailed an ambitious format for its Eurovision selection, Finał polskich kwalifikacji 2026. TVP confirmed the national final will run over two days, with a mix of online and SMS voting. Voting opens on February 28 via the TVP VOD app and continues through March 7. The live show will air on March 7, but notably, the winner will be announced the next morning (March 8) on TVP’s breakfast show Pytanie na Śniadanie. The Polish entry will be decided entirely by the public’s votes. Eight finalists (including past national finalists like Alicja and Basia Giewont) have been announced, and a wildcard act could still be added by February 27. Poland aims to build on its strong 2025 result (14th place in the final with Justyna Steczkowska’s “Gaja”) as it seeks Eurovision glory. source: TVP 🇬🇧 United Kingdom The United Kingdom has internally selected its Eurovision 2026 act. The BBC revealed that experimental electronic artist Look Mum No Computer (real name Sam Battle) will represent

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