In his post, Yasinsky mentioned the Ukrainian singer Jerry Heil, who represented Ukraine at Eurovision 2024 together with the Ukrainian artist alyona alyona, and this year is again trying to win the national selection as a solo performer. At Eurovision 2024, Ukraine took third place.
The producer also spoke about the singer Khayat, who has repeatedly participated in Ukrainian national selections, but has never become a winner.
In addition, Yasinsky commented on the participation in the national selection of the lead singer of the group Go-A Katerina Pavlenko, who was also included in the longlist of the national selection as a solo singer of Monokate. At Eurovision 2021 the group took fifth place.
“The main task for the Jerry Heil team is to convince a wide audience that it has never been at Eurovision,” Yasinsky wrote. “The main task for Suspilny is to convince the audience that the selection will take place for some magical advertising money and this is very important for all Ukrainians, especially those in the trenches.”
He added that for the Pavlenko fan club the main task is to convince each other that “there is no life if Katerina does not win,” and for the Khayat singer, “as always, hope for a miracle.”
“The main task for all other artists is to do everything so that their names sound correctly and so that someone remembers it,” he noted.
Yasinsky’s position regarding Ukrainian national selection
On November 27, in a conversation with Ukrainian blogger Slava Demin, Yasinsky said that although the Ukrainian national selection for Eurovision positions itself as a platform for the launch of new artists, the longlist published by the organizers is a refutation of this thesis.
“If this is a platform for creative youth, then what are the artists doing there who have already been to Eurovision, while others are already going to this selection for the fourth or fifth time? This has been going on since 2019,” he noted.
Yasinsky called on the organizers not to waste money on the national selection, but to take responsibility and themselves choose the representative of Ukraine who will go to Eurovision 2026. He added that this year the competition in the final of the national selection will take place between artists who have already gone to Eurovision – Jerry Heil and Monokate.
“This is strange and not entirely logical and correct,” he said.
Context
“Eurovision 2026” will take place in the Austrian capital Vienna. The first semi-final of the competition is scheduled for May 12, the second – for May 14, and the grand final will take place on May 16.
The Ukrainian national selection began on September 3. You could apply until October 27 on the website of the national selection organizers. To the long list included 15 groups and performers, including Jerry Heil, Khayat, Laud, Marta Adamchuk. The national selection final will take place in February 2026.
As reported “Suspilne Kultura” On October 31, the organizers received 451 applications from 313 solo performers and 79 groups to participate in the national selection for Eurovision 2026.
