ESC United Mod Team
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Ukraine UKRAINE 2025 - Ziferblat - Bird of Pray
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RainyWoods
Croak-kay
Midnight Gold is my all time favourite Georgian entry, and it only made the final because of the jury support back then that doesn't exist now in the semis to help songs that are risky like it. I wouldn't compare Bird of Pray to Midnight Gold really either (besides them both being indie bands, their songs are very different.)
A recent entry Ukraine's choice this year is most akin to I'd say would be Azerbaijan's Tell Me More from 2023. 70s inspired flower power pop rock with pretty chamber pop elements, Beatle-esque chord progressions and harmonies. That entry flopped hard for Azerbaijan despite being charismatic and actually quite charming. Then there's other throwback rock ballad artists like The MakeMakes who quite ridiculously ended with 0 points, or left-field britpop sounding stuff like Circus Mircus' Lock Me In which came last.. and I think I could actually go on listing more if I could remember them (Three Minutes To Earth is another!). Stuff going down this throwback sort of lane seldom, if ever does well at the contest this century even when done very well. Portugal's Love Is On My Side is the only one I can think of and that was retro in more of a classic ballad kind of way that was easy listening. Heck, even contemporary indie tracks seem to struggle at the contest, like Latvia 2023 sadly, and I'd argue on paper that was a much easier entry to digest.
What I love about Ukraine as a Eurovision country is they're not afraid to be bold and daring at times. Shum was a great example of this when they ventured into the unknown with a sound that to Eurovision was new and almost entirely different to anything that had come before it. That paid off big time. The thing with Bird of Pray is that it's risky and we have receipts along with it for how this stuff usually fares, and it's not like Bird of Pray is doing something extra special for its genre. It's just nice, if a little tricky even for the average listener because of how ever so slightly prog rocky it is. Sil would have been very risky too but it had the potential to shock as we have no other examples of its genre at the contest.
Anyway, I do quite enjoy this song even if I'm not crazy for it. It's authentic and I do appreciate the risk Ukraine has taken here (even if I'm terrified for you). It makes me think a bit of The Lemon Twigs, another present day band that keeps this kind of music alive. This is your most dangerous pick to date, not counting dear Vasyl Lazarovich and his seminal, evergreen classic, I Love You
I'm going to give Bird of Pray
points for now. It hopefully will grow on me a bit more by Eurovision.
Spotify:
#3 Ziferblat (only 70 streams until #2 Gaga is unbeatable at #1 with outstanding numbers for international artist )
#6 MOLODI
#47 KHAYAT
#57 Masha Kondratenko (welp)
#67 DK Energetyk
#147 FIЇNKA
Khayat also benefited from better YT streaming than Masha. Total lack of promo before the show could cost him at least 2 points in televoting.
MOLODI said they will try one more time, maybe even next year.
#3 Ziferblat (only 70 streams until #2
Gaga is unbeatable at #1 with outstanding numbers for international artist )#6 MOLODI
#47 KHAYAT
#57 Masha Kondratenko (welp)
#67 DK Energetyk
#147 FIЇNKA
Khayat also benefited from better YT streaming than Masha. Total lack of promo before the show could cost him at least 2 points in televoting.
MOLODI said they will try one more time, maybe even next year.
njdevils94
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Why the hell did Khayat win the jury? 
I will never get that song. Only surprise is Ziferblat didn't get 20 points but still a comfortable win for them.
Its a very respectable entry for once again but it won't be high up for me like Teresa & Maria or Shum as Bird of Pray were in the middle of my Vidbir 2025 rankings. Hopefully they elevate the staging even more.The decision to include female backing dancers was a good choice.
If Masha ever tries again she's capable of an stronger song and hopefully a staging to match. Good for Fiinka finishing Top 5 as the wildcard selection. Abiye being placed 9th overall is a terrible robbery. :'( Molodi did a good job but was never crazy about their song.
As for placement I would say Top 10 very likely after the presentation gets upgraded for Basel. Top 5 is pushing it. There will be some big hitters in the Big 5 along with the current top 2 in the odds (Israel and Sweden) plus some surprises. It will need to be very high with the juries to go as high as Top 5.
I will never get that song. Only surprise is Ziferblat didn't get 20 points but still a comfortable win for them.Its a very respectable entry for
once again but it won't be high up for me like Teresa & Maria or Shum as Bird of Pray were in the middle of my Vidbir 2025 rankings. Hopefully they elevate the staging even more.The decision to include female backing dancers was a good choice.If Masha ever tries again she's capable of an stronger song and hopefully a staging to match. Good for Fiinka finishing Top 5 as the wildcard selection. Abiye being placed 9th overall is a terrible robbery. :'( Molodi did a good job but was never crazy about their song.
As for placement I would say Top 10 very likely after the presentation gets upgraded for Basel. Top 5 is pushing it. There will be some big hitters in the Big 5 along with the current top 2 in the odds (Israel and Sweden) plus some surprises. It will need to be very high with the juries to go as high as Top 5.
MopManMoss
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I would take you more seriously if you're weren't saying the things about Ireland and Malta you are
Fierro
Well-known member
Hot take: Serhii Tanchynets is the worst jury member we had on Vidbir, we need to get rid of him. Hate not even his comments, but HOW he's doing them. What a douchebag
Yusha103
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Oh I'm pretty sure we won't see him as a jury again. He got a lot of hate after his comments towards DK Enerhetyk
ESC94
Veteran
After so many user at ESC kompakt were happy about Ziferblats victory I wanted to hear their song and see if I can agree with that. In the end I listened to a pretty lukewarm Indie Rock song. 
Don´t get me wrong, the song isn´t terrible by any means, it just doesn´t do ANYTHING for me. Maybe it´s the melody that´s a bit too straightfoward without a climax for me or the singers voice which isn´t really my cup of tea, I listen to it and after it ends it doesn´t leave any impression on me.
In the end I give a , it exists and doesn´t bother me but nothing more. It will of course sail into the final and get loads of televotes (not sure about jurys) and end up in the lower end of the top 10. Musically it´s one of the less interesting Ukrainian ESC songs for me though.
Don´t get me wrong, the song isn´t terrible by any means, it just doesn´t do ANYTHING for me. Maybe it´s the melody that´s a bit too straightfoward without a climax for me or the singers voice which isn´t really my cup of tea, I listen to it and after it ends it doesn´t leave any impression on me.
In the end I give
a , it exists and doesn´t bother me but nothing more. It will of course sail into the final and get loads of televotes (not sure about jurys) and end up in the lower end of the top 10. Musically it´s one of the less interesting Ukrainian ESC songs for me though. NemesisNick
Well-known member
Tonight I’ve watched the Ukrainian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, Vidbir 2025 Final, on demand, online from the UK, having missed it Saturday 8 February 2025. Please note that a) I didn’t preview any of the songs, or look at the lyrics beforehand, so my on demand viewing tonight was my first time of seeing / hearing them, b) since I haven’t seen the lyrics, I’ve had difficulty identifying song parts in some cases, and c) since the show ended Saturday night, I’ve managed to avoid accidentally seeing the results anywhere online, so at the moment I still don’t know the scores, and have been able to judge the songs as if I’d been watching live Saturday evening. Here are some notes I made about the songs whilst watching:
Song 1: Vlad Sheryf – "Wind of Change"
It’s difficult judging the first song in a national final when one hasn’t previewed any of the songs beforehand, but anyway first in the line-up was a ballad, or power ballad. I like the way Vlad sang the opening verse and pre-chorus. It took until the first instance of the chorus for him to sing more powerfully, accompanied by a beat. Up until now, the background screen included wheels for some mysterious reason. The second verse and second instance of the pre-chorus were sung similarly to the first. After a second instance of the chorus, the bridge was noticeably different to the rest of the song; here the background screen was dark with stars. During the final instance of the chorus, heads could be seen on the background screen. Not bad as an opener, but I’m not sure this would be competitive enough for Eurovision.
Song 2: Abiye – "Dim"
This is very much an eastern style song, with a beat that can be heard from the start. Abiye has a beautiful voice which she was able to vary for the different parts of the song. I liked the way she was accompanied by dancers, and their movements before the bridge. Various eastern style sounds could also be heard, and I liked the various patterns on the background screen The bridge was noticeably different, Abiye performed on a predominantly dark stage in this part of the song. Finally, the stage was lit and the dancers could be seen again for the closing section. This would be a good choice for Eurovision; it would almost certainly reach the final.
Song 3: Molodi – "My Sea"
Now for what I’d call soft rock. This was sung rather softly during opening section; white lines were shown, with white filler appearing between them, on the background screen. It took until first instance of the chorus to get powerful. The second verse was more powerful than first; blue lines appeared on the on the background screen, and blue light beams were used, in this section. Towards the end a side view of a pool of water was simulated on the background screen. At the end the title “My Sea” appeared on the background screen. Altogether quite a powerful song, the inclusion of a drumkit enhanced the performance, and the background screen images were a worthwhile addition. Soft rock fans may enjoy this, but this is low key compared to even The Rasmus "Jezebel" in 2022, let alone Blind Channel and Måneskin in 2021.
Song 4: Future Culture – "Waste My Time"
Well, I don’t know what this is. I’m not at all keen on this. It’s got some interesting graphics on the background screen though; coloured horizontal liens during the “waste my time with you” sections (which I take is a chorus), and tower blocks during the in between bits. For some mysterious reason, bubbles appeared at the end. Not my taste in music at all, but no doubt some people enjoy this style.
Song 5: Masha Kondratenko – "No Time To Cry"
This began with side view of Masha. The song became quite powerful, accompanied by flashing lights, during the first instance of the chorus. Various styles followed. I liked the way the three dancers held dolls whilst dancing, but I’m mystified as to the significance of the dolls. Finally, the closing section was impressive, this was accompanied by the graphic images on the background screen. Altogether quite an unusual song really, which seems to mix a variety of styles, but they work well together, and the background screen images and lighting effects are appropriate for the various parts of the song. Furthermore, Masha has a good voice, and the talent to sing in the various styles required for this composition.
Song 6: Khayat – "Honor"
Well, this began with singing in an unusual style. A filler section which followed featured dancers. After that, there was another sung section, and another dance section. The final section sounded like rap. The song was enhanced by the orange-yellow images on the background screen, and smoke / dry ice effects. Some bursts of strobe lighting were included at times. All in all, quite an unusual entry, it’s not the sort of thing I’d listen to out of choice. If this goes to Eurovision, will enough viewers want to vote for this to get this to the Grand Final, and a respectable placing once there?
Song 7: Fiїnka – "Kultura"
Another unusual sounding song; presumably this is Ukrainian folk, though it sounded like a bit of rap was added early on. The members of the group had some amazing outfits, and the background screen images (e.g. pictures which flipped over, captions) enhanced the performance. I’d like to know what language this was performed in at Vidbir as well.
Song 8: Krylata – "Stay True"
I’m not sure what style this is meant to be, but the song started slow, and part way through became really fast. Various images appeared on the background screen, and there was a good use of light, during this fast middle section. Near the end, Krylata slowed down, and she was on a dark stage, under a spotlight. Altogether this is a song which starts slowly, has a rapid, lively middle bit, and a slow end section. Afterwards, Krylata spoke; from the English version of what she said, it sounds to me as though she had a message to get across in the song, but one would need to analyse the lyrics, and do background reading, to understand the song and fairly judge it.
Song 9: Ziferblat – "Bird of Pray"
Another unusual song. There are some really over-powering sections, and some high-pitched moments. The centrepiece was the artificial mini garden, which was placed on stage, for the band to perform in. The drumkit and electric guitar feature in the performance. Various background screen images enhance this still further.
Song 10: DK Enerhetyk – "Sil'"
I like the music that formed the introduction, but once the singing started, it’s clear this is a form of rock, which I’m generally not keen on. This included various different images on the background screen. On the whole, this is a song which rock fans will enjoy, and it’s somewhat different to rock songs that have appeared at Eurovision before.
Anyway, the winner is Ziferblat – "Bird of Pray". After finishing second with 9 points in the jury vote, they won the public vote with 10 points and thus won overall with 19 points. Although I placed Ziferblat just 6th on My Eurovision Scoreboard, evidently plenty of Ukrainian viewers liked their entry more than me. Congratulations to Ziferblat for winning, they did well to win in a competitive national final. So Ziferblat will represent Ukraine with "Bird of Pray". at the at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel in May. Ukraine is drawn to perform in the first half of the First Semi-Final on Tuesday 13 May 2025. I won’t be able to vote that evening, as the United Kingdom doesn’t vote that evening. Good luck to Ziferblat in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 First Semi-Final, and in the Grand Final if they get there.
Well done to the other nine finalists who took part that night, no matter what their scores, and where they placed, in both halves of the voting and overall. I must admit, I think 4 hours and 40 minutes was too long for a national final that contained just 10 competing finalist entries. I thought the gaps between songs were too long for a start. There were plenty of impressive interval acts, but they too were spaced out by gaps with talking. In fact, I had a shock when I found the show on YouTube around 18:00 GMT this evening, and saw how long it was. At a push, I wouldn’t have minded so much if it was 3 hours, but I think 2.5 hours would have been enough for a national final containing 10 songs.
Song 1: Vlad Sheryf – "Wind of Change"
It’s difficult judging the first song in a national final when one hasn’t previewed any of the songs beforehand, but anyway first in the line-up was a ballad, or power ballad. I like the way Vlad sang the opening verse and pre-chorus. It took until the first instance of the chorus for him to sing more powerfully, accompanied by a beat. Up until now, the background screen included wheels for some mysterious reason. The second verse and second instance of the pre-chorus were sung similarly to the first. After a second instance of the chorus, the bridge was noticeably different to the rest of the song; here the background screen was dark with stars. During the final instance of the chorus, heads could be seen on the background screen. Not bad as an opener, but I’m not sure this would be competitive enough for Eurovision.
Song 2: Abiye – "Dim"
This is very much an eastern style song, with a beat that can be heard from the start. Abiye has a beautiful voice which she was able to vary for the different parts of the song. I liked the way she was accompanied by dancers, and their movements before the bridge. Various eastern style sounds could also be heard, and I liked the various patterns on the background screen The bridge was noticeably different, Abiye performed on a predominantly dark stage in this part of the song. Finally, the stage was lit and the dancers could be seen again for the closing section. This would be a good choice for Eurovision; it would almost certainly reach the final.
Song 3: Molodi – "My Sea"
Now for what I’d call soft rock. This was sung rather softly during opening section; white lines were shown, with white filler appearing between them, on the background screen. It took until first instance of the chorus to get powerful. The second verse was more powerful than first; blue lines appeared on the on the background screen, and blue light beams were used, in this section. Towards the end a side view of a pool of water was simulated on the background screen. At the end the title “My Sea” appeared on the background screen. Altogether quite a powerful song, the inclusion of a drumkit enhanced the performance, and the background screen images were a worthwhile addition. Soft rock fans may enjoy this, but this is low key compared to even The Rasmus "Jezebel" in 2022, let alone Blind Channel and Måneskin in 2021.
Song 4: Future Culture – "Waste My Time"
Well, I don’t know what this is. I’m not at all keen on this. It’s got some interesting graphics on the background screen though; coloured horizontal liens during the “waste my time with you” sections (which I take is a chorus), and tower blocks during the in between bits. For some mysterious reason, bubbles appeared at the end. Not my taste in music at all, but no doubt some people enjoy this style.
Song 5: Masha Kondratenko – "No Time To Cry"
This began with side view of Masha. The song became quite powerful, accompanied by flashing lights, during the first instance of the chorus. Various styles followed. I liked the way the three dancers held dolls whilst dancing, but I’m mystified as to the significance of the dolls. Finally, the closing section was impressive, this was accompanied by the graphic images on the background screen. Altogether quite an unusual song really, which seems to mix a variety of styles, but they work well together, and the background screen images and lighting effects are appropriate for the various parts of the song. Furthermore, Masha has a good voice, and the talent to sing in the various styles required for this composition.
Song 6: Khayat – "Honor"
Well, this began with singing in an unusual style. A filler section which followed featured dancers. After that, there was another sung section, and another dance section. The final section sounded like rap. The song was enhanced by the orange-yellow images on the background screen, and smoke / dry ice effects. Some bursts of strobe lighting were included at times. All in all, quite an unusual entry, it’s not the sort of thing I’d listen to out of choice. If this goes to Eurovision, will enough viewers want to vote for this to get this to the Grand Final, and a respectable placing once there?
Song 7: Fiїnka – "Kultura"
Another unusual sounding song; presumably this is Ukrainian folk, though it sounded like a bit of rap was added early on. The members of the group had some amazing outfits, and the background screen images (e.g. pictures which flipped over, captions) enhanced the performance. I’d like to know what language this was performed in at Vidbir as well.
Song 8: Krylata – "Stay True"
I’m not sure what style this is meant to be, but the song started slow, and part way through became really fast. Various images appeared on the background screen, and there was a good use of light, during this fast middle section. Near the end, Krylata slowed down, and she was on a dark stage, under a spotlight. Altogether this is a song which starts slowly, has a rapid, lively middle bit, and a slow end section. Afterwards, Krylata spoke; from the English version of what she said, it sounds to me as though she had a message to get across in the song, but one would need to analyse the lyrics, and do background reading, to understand the song and fairly judge it.
Song 9: Ziferblat – "Bird of Pray"
Another unusual song. There are some really over-powering sections, and some high-pitched moments. The centrepiece was the artificial mini garden, which was placed on stage, for the band to perform in. The drumkit and electric guitar feature in the performance. Various background screen images enhance this still further.
Song 10: DK Enerhetyk – "Sil'"
I like the music that formed the introduction, but once the singing started, it’s clear this is a form of rock, which I’m generally not keen on. This included various different images on the background screen. On the whole, this is a song which rock fans will enjoy, and it’s somewhat different to rock songs that have appeared at Eurovision before.
Anyway, the winner is Ziferblat – "Bird of Pray". After finishing second with 9 points in the jury vote, they won the public vote with 10 points and thus won overall with 19 points. Although I placed Ziferblat just 6th on My Eurovision Scoreboard, evidently plenty of Ukrainian viewers liked their entry more than me. Congratulations to Ziferblat for winning, they did well to win in a competitive national final. So Ziferblat will represent Ukraine with "Bird of Pray". at the at the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel in May. Ukraine is drawn to perform in the first half of the First Semi-Final on Tuesday 13 May 2025. I won’t be able to vote that evening, as the United Kingdom doesn’t vote that evening. Good luck to Ziferblat in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 First Semi-Final, and in the Grand Final if they get there.
Well done to the other nine finalists who took part that night, no matter what their scores, and where they placed, in both halves of the voting and overall. I must admit, I think 4 hours and 40 minutes was too long for a national final that contained just 10 competing finalist entries. I thought the gaps between songs were too long for a start. There were plenty of impressive interval acts, but they too were spaced out by gaps with talking. In fact, I had a shock when I found the show on YouTube around 18:00 GMT this evening, and saw how long it was. At a push, I wouldn’t have minded so much if it was 3 hours, but I think 2.5 hours would have been enough for a national final containing 10 songs.
Fact check: Both Ireland and Malta are ranked higher on the scoreboard app than this entry.
Seems my taste is more in line with the consensus.
Perhaps the real question is, should “I” take you seriously?
han-g
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Because we eurofans are known for our taste in quality and we don't value slay girl bops over everything else /s
Kant is amusing and very well sung and performed, but the construction and flow is in need of work, which hopefully will be fixed in the revamp
Laika Party has a good song construction with a decent hook but is very dated, its literally an early 00s song with no modern twist, some 2020s flare in a revamp would help it along, but its much less in need of one. (I will keep my personal opinion on the lyrics aside id like this song if it was about almost anything else).
Now am I saying Ukraine is perfect, no that too could benefit from a revamp, to make the genre mixing flow better but also let each part standout more. Plus the singer definitely needs to work on his diction in english and get rid of his nerves when performing
All those are personal tastes that cannot be a topic of debate, to each their own.
However, my point is that we should take each other seriously even if our opinions on entries differ.
han-g
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Trust ne they're not personal tastes I hate laika party with a passion but as I stated it the best constructed song of the 3, just a touch dated.
My actual opinion is 1 malta 2 Ukraine 3 Ireland but kant really does need a revamp to sort it out more so than bird of pray
What you originally did was express your opinion on the Ukrainian entry you stated it as fact which is why mopmanmoss replied to you over any of the other negative comments (of which there are plenty)
i thought i was not obliged to mention "in my opinion" after each post of mine, as it's obvious that every single thing we post here is ultimately a personal opinion?
if you are looking for negative comments you can find plenty on the threads of my personal favorites every year: cheap, trash, dated, cheesy, lacking 'quality' etc etc... and i would have to quit my full time job to respond to all of those.
MopManMoss
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San Marino was at the top of the app for most of 2021 lol
NemesisNick
Well-known member
I've made a review video of the Ukrainian national final, Vidbir 2025 Final, which took place on Saturday 8 February 2025. This video includes my opinions on all ten finalist songs, in order of performance (based on Vidbir 2025 Final performances), and my ranking from tenth to first in My Eurovision Scoreboard.
Nemesis Nick Talks Eurovision: Vidbir 2025 Final Review
The Ukrainian national final, Vidbir 2025 Final, took place on Saturday 8 February 2025. I watched Vidbir 2025 Final, online from the UK, on demand, three d...
youtu.be
SpiritofKeiino
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Not a winning song, however will probably be top 10.