Ukraine takes third place at Eurovision 2024

With their song "Teresa & Maria," Ukraine's Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil received a total of 453 points, securing a third place in the Eurovision finals in Sweden's Malmo overnight on May 12.

Switzerland has won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest with the song "The Code" performed by Nemo.

The two Ukrainian artists said their song is dedicated to strong women who persevere in the face of adversity. "We are talking about the importance of unity," they told the Ukrainian outlet Rubryka.

"Even though, as Ukrainian women, we wrote this song about Ukraine, everyone in the world can see themselves in the lyrics."

Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil, whose real names are Aliona Savranenko and Yana Shemaieva, respectively, have become popular artists in Ukraine in recent years.

Shemaieva is a known singer, songwriter, and YouTuber, while Savranenko has been described as "the new rap start of Ukraine." They began performing together after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.

Ukraine has participated in Eurovision 18 times since its first entry in 2003, becoming the first country outside of the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Spain, the U.K., and Italy) to qualify for the finals each time.

Ukrainian artists have won Eurovision three times: Ruslana in 2004 with "Wild Dances," Jamala in 2016 with "1944," and Kalush Orchestra in 2022 with "Stefania."

Read also: From Eurovision to international advocacy: Kalush Orchestra’s journey to promote Ukrainian culture

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