We at That Eurovision Site will be ranking national finals throughout this coming season. The next national final that the team have taken a closer look at is Vidbir 2025, which will take place on the 8th of February. UMK 2025 will select the Eurovision representative for Ukraine in Basel.
Who is taking part in Vidbir 2025?
There are ten artists taking part in UMK 2025. The ten artists taking part are as follows:
| Entrant | Entry |
| Abie | “Dim” (Дім) |
| DK Energetik | “Sil'” (Cіль) |
| FIЇNKA | Культура |
| Future Culture | “Waste My Time” |
| Khayat | “Honor” |
| Krylata | “Stay True” |
| Masha Kondratenko | “No Time To Cry” |
| Molodi | “My Sea” |
| Vlad Sherif | “Wind Of Change” |
| Ziferblat | “Bird Of Pray |
Who are our favourites from Vidbir 2025?
We ranked the songs taking part in UMK, using a 1-10 ranking. 1 being our favourite, 10 being our least favourite song. We then calculated the average of all our rankings. Right below, you can see our top three for this selection.
3rd. Khayat – “Honor” (3.80):
2nd. Abie – “Дім” (3.40):
1st. Masha Kondratenko – “No time to cry” (3.00):
What did some of our team members have to say about their favourite songs from UMK 2025?
Angus (Abie): Abie treats us to a combination of cultural heritage and modern pop sensibilities like we all expect and love from Ukraine, but without going down the now well-trodden path of standard folktronica or the likes. A whole range of traditional and folk Ukrainian influences are included in this song that still feels unmistakably current and cool. The most amazing thing about “Dim” (Дім) is that it manages to be tremendously emotional while still commanding your body to move.
Also: DK Energetik WILL do well in vidbir
Daniel (Masha): I was told to expect good things from Masha Kondratenko and I’m not disappointed, because this is fantastic. Whilst I’m not going to scream from the rooftops about how it will win Eurovision (Like I’ve done for my past three Vidbir favourites), I will say that the song blends the sounds I know and love from Ukrainian music really well with some international dark poppy sound in there for good measure. I’m really curious to see this performed live because I think it could be a big moment on stage
Rory (Khayat): Khayat’s return to Vidbir was massively hyped – and I can see why. Ukraine’s selection is rather weak compared to previous years, but this storms ahead as one of the most interesting and anticipated songs to look out for. I really want Ukraine to continue this experimental class they’re on at the moment, and with some minor tweaks to the lyrics, Khayat can really continue with the country’s fantastic streak!
What is Vidbir?
Informally known as “Vidbir”, Ukraine’s national selection has been around since 2016, when it picked a Eurovision winner–Jamala’s “1944”–right off the bat. It’s a small selection with generally between six to ten entries competing each year, and is traditionally held in February. Vidbir features a three-person jury panel, and this year an online vote as well.
Ukraine’s Eurovision Journey
Ukraine is one of the most successful countries to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. The country has scored nine top-five placements, with an extra four top-ten finishes. Ukraine won the Contest three times – in 2004, 2016 and 2022 respectively. Ukraine made history for being the first ex-Soviet country to win the Contest more than once.
In 2024 alyona alyona and Jerry Heil represented Ukraine in Malmö with their song “Teresa and Maria”. The duo finished in 3rd place, scoring 453 points – of which 146 points came from the jury, whilst the remaining 307 points came from the televote.
Who would you like to see represent Ukraine in Basel? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all things Czechia at Eurovision 2024!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit: Suspilne