Ukrainian singer Zlata Ognevich shares her complex experience at Eurovision 2013, detailing unexpected challenges and disappointments despite achieving third place.
Zlata Ognevich, who represented Ukraine at Eurovision 2013 in Sweden with the song “Gravity,” recently opened up about her complicated experience at the competition and the disappointment she felt following her performance. In an interview with Ukrainian TV channel KanalDim, Ognevich revealed the unexpected changes she was forced to make to her performance at the last minute, after the production decided to cancel the key elements that had been planned and promised to her in advance.
Promises Broken at the Eleventh Hour
When the Eurovision production team initially approved Ognevich’s original concept for the performance, she and her team prepared a detailed plan with graphics and special effects that were supposed to appear on stage. However, upon arriving in Malmö for the competition, the singer received a surprising announcement: her entire program had been canceled.
During the interview, Ognevich recalled the difficult moments: “They led us to believe that everything was ready and approved, and that our graphics would appear as we had planned. But when we arrived in Sweden, they simply told us – there’s nothing. We had to start from scratch, and it was a complete shock.”
Forced to Redesign Under Pressure
The disappointment with the production led Ognevich and her team to face a real emergency situation. Not only did the production cancel everything they had prepared, but they also had to find a new rehearsal hall for an additional two weeks and use additional financial resources to reorganize. “It was very exhausting,” the singer explained. “We started to rethink how we could improvise and execute the performance, despite the limitations.”
The quick reorganization was not easy for Ognevich, and she testifies that she went through a particularly tense and stressful period. According to her, this experience left a deep impression on her, and her decision as a result is to avoid participating in Eurovision again in the future. “It’s an experience I don’t want to repeat,” she said.
Success in Results, but a Sense of Missed Opportunity on Stage
Despite everything, Ognevich managed to captivate the audience and reached third place in the final with 214 points, a significant achievement for Ukraine. However, the singer shared that the feeling of disappointment from the performance itself overshadows the success. “I’m proud of the result I achieved,” she says. “But when the performance itself doesn’t go as you planned, it just hurts.” The singer noted that even after the event, she was left with a bitter taste due to the disappointing production and what she considered unprofessional conduct.
Ukraine in Eurovision 2024
Jerry Heil and Alyona Alyona represented Ukraine at Eurovision 2024 with the song “Teresa & Maria.” The duo won the Ukrainian national selection “Vidbir 2024” and finished third in the Eurovision final with 453 points.
Their entry is notable for being the first since 2002 to place in the top 5 while performing second in the running order, a position traditionally considered challenging in Eurovision statistics.
Source: DimTV
Eurovision 2025: This will be Ukraine’s 20th participation in the Eurovision Song Contest. Ukraine joined the competition in 2003 and has won it three times. Ukraine’s last victory was in Eurovision 2022 with the song “Stefania” performed by Kalush Orchestra.
