Verka Serducka, the Ukrainian Cinderella and this year's Eurovision Song Contest runner up, gave a rather outspoken interview to Metro where she talked about everything and everyone including the much debated “lasha tumbai” line and her views on bloc voting in the contest.
First, Verka was asked about the highs and lows of being a Ukrainian drag queen. Verka said that it is not easy to be one. "Occasionally there are people that bother me because I'm too successful." And she went on to talk about the "black PR campaign" organised against her in Russia. "They said I sang ‘Russia goodbye' but I was singing ‘lasha tumbai'".The Metro reporter insisted on that point telling Verka that the Mongolian embassy said that "lasha tumbai" is gibberish in Mongolian to which Verka answered that it is a newly coined phrase to sound like the word for milkshake. "This phrase caused a huge scandal in Russia and jealous people went to the Russian parliament to cancel all my Russian concerts. Everybody says that Verka sang ‘Russia goodbye' but it's not true. Next!"
When asked about her feelings when she came second in Helsinki Verka was quite frank about it: "There are a lot of benefits to coming second. The winner has to go to six countries and work for free for Eurovision. I do the same tour but I get paid for it."
As for the fact that certain countries keep voting for their neighbours in Eurovision, Verka believes that bloc voting does not ruin the contest. "If your performance is bad, no one will vote for you regardless of where you come from. Last year, the Ukrainian entry came 21st. No one, including Russia, voted for them. Next question!" she said. Ukraine, though, actually placed 7th in Athens, here possibly Verka refers to the 2005 ukrainian position towards the end of the scoreboard.
Verka was then asked about how tolerant Ukrainians are towards gay people with reference to the lead singer of Right Said Fred being attacked in the Gay Pride parade in Moscow back in March. She answered that Ukraine is very tolerant towards gays and lesbians "Ukrainians are very kind to one another. It's about who you are as a person, not your sexual orientation."
There are two kinds of people, according to Verka, those who love Verka and people who hide their love to her. "Suddenly, after Eurovision, members of the parliamnet who were against me started sending me letters with greetings. I don't like people who change their mind quickly!"
Is Verka looking forward to becoming a pop phenomenon in Britain? Well, it seems like she is aiming for far more than that : "I am an international artiste. I am a new symbol of peace for European countries, not just Britain or Ukraine. Next!"
Verka's official site has been launched and you can visit it here.
