After the results of national stage were announced several days ago, social media have exploded with a heated debate on the rock band and their chances of winning the international contest.
Two contestants were tied with the same number of points (ten) in the final: the O.Torvald band and the singer TAYANNA (Tetiana Reshetniak). The boys received 5 points from the judges and the same score from the audience. Reshetniak received 6 points from the judges, but the audience reduced her chances of winning by giving her only 4 points. The most love the audience gave to the singer Melovin (Kostiantyn Bocharov from Odesa), as high as 6 points. The final tally is as follows: O.Torvald and TAYANNA – 10 points each, Melovin – 8 points.
Therefore, the international singing competition will have O.Torvald band representing Ukraine with the song “Time.” A meaningful metaphor was the clock mechanisms, which were displayed in the song “Time,” counting down to... the explosion of social networks. The band’s frontman Zhenia Halych, as quoted by BBC Ukraine, says: “The song is about the need to value time in which one lives and to enjoy every moment of one’s life... because time can stop all of a sudden, and one would not be able to do everything postponed for tomorrow or for next Monday...”
The O.Torvald band was founded in Poltava in 2005. The line-up consists of Zhenia Halych (frontman), Denys Myziuk (guitar), Sasha Solokha (drums), Mykyta Vasyliev (bass), and DJ Polarnik. In 2006, the boys moved to Kyiv. The same year, their eponymous first album was recorded. Since then, four more records have been released according to tsn.ua. Now the band is touring extensively, gathering full houses and performing at various festivals with musicians such as Linkin Park, Garbage, Evanescence, and The Rasmus.
Today, some enthusiasts write that O.Torvald are modern and stylish, while others anticipate failure and recall the fate of Greenjolly, who took only the 19th place back in 2005...
“I like O.Torvald,” says Oleksandr Ksenofontov, music producer, singer, Ruslana Lyzhychko’s husband and co-author of her music and texts. “Zhenia Halych is an interesting singer. I heard some of his songs. They are original, memorable. But looking at the recording of their performance at the National Stage, I must say I’m not impressed by the song ‘Time.’ The charisma and authenticity of this rock band was lost. Maybe it’s because they sang in English. It is felt that the guys were not very comfortable performing. Maybe they had to make some compromise to prepare for the competition. The band has its fans, and they are outspoken in civic and patriotic position, and that attracts followers. But the song ‘Time’ is not the best of their repertoire and it seemed to me somewhat artificial; therefore their chances of winning the Eurovision, to my opinion, are very modest. It would not be talking even about the Top 3... although everything is relative. You can never give a 100 percent guarantee to something, the bookmakers are also wrong. It is important what will be the other circumstances. Perhaps the musicians will prepare better, perform more passionately and the European audience will appreciate it (because we can not vote for our own competitor). I would want O.Torvald to give a memorable performance. The guys are creative and I wish them best of luck!”
As the representative of Ukraine, O.Torvald will not take part in the semi-finals of the competition as Ukraine is the host of Eurovision-2017. It will go on to perform straight in the finals, which are to be held on May 13 in Kyiv.
