Ukraine’s search for their next Eurovision representative is well and truly underway following the announcement of the country’s national selection, with Ruslan Kvinta being appointed as the music producer for the forthcoming Ukrainian competition.
As has been tradition over the past 2 years, Ukrainian national broadcasters STB and UA:PBC will collaborate once again in order to host the third consecutive national selection for the nation, the winner of which will go on to represent Ukraine at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest.
Whilst the names of the selected jury members are expected to be unveiled in due course, STB has today announced that songwriter and composer Ruslan Kvinta has been given the role of music producer for the nation’s upcoming national selection.
Producer with previous Eurovision experience
Speaking of his newly appointed role, Kvinta revealed:
I have been in show business for 20 years, 10 of them have been spent watching this contest closely; I once had a connection with the contest as a composer. It is very interesting for me to take part in the selection as a representative of Ukraine as a music producer. There is certain experience that I want to share with the artists.
Kvinta continued with his thoughts on the ever-growing Ukrainian music industry today:
Today, the Ukrainian music industry has made tremendous progress; there are a lot of interesting young names – singers, groups, authors – who can adequately represent us outside of the country.
At this national selection, I want to see the most talented Ukrainian artists working in different musical genres, and also those who are ready to participate in the contest, not just wanting to make themselves known […] Eurovision is a very serious competition requiring some preparation; there are no random variants and victories.
The role of music producer
Excited for his newly-found project, Kvinta will have the responsibility of dealing with the compositions of each of the participants in the semi-final stages, with additional help being provided with arrangements and reworkings if and when necessary.
Applications for the competition were opened earlier today, with each application being assessed by the music director himself. Unlike with previous years, the online voting proportion of the selection process, which saw one act being chosen to compete in the selection via a popular vote, has been dropped.
National selection dates
- 10/02/2018: Semi-final 1
- 17/02/2018: Semi-final 2
- 24/02/2018: Grand final
Further details regarding the number of participants are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.
The winner of the Ukrainian national selection will be determined via a combined public and jury votes, as seen with previous years, with the highest-scoring act going on to represent the nation at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest. Who will follow in last year’s Ukrainian representatives footsteps, O.Torvald?
The 2018 Eurovision Song Contest will take place on the 8, 10 and 12 May in the host city of Lisbon, Portugal, following Salvador Sobral and Portugal’s first ever victory at the grand event.
