Eurovision in Vienna is just less than a month away. In the lead-up to the start of rehearsals, we will get to know a bit more about this year’s artists, their discography, and their Eurovision 2026 journey so far. The next artist in this year’s preview is Ukraine’s LELÉKA.
LELÉKA’s Eurovision journey so far
LELÉKA managed to scoop the win at Ukraine’s national selection Vidbir on February 7th, beating out former representatives Jerry Heil and Monokate (of Go_A). She will now perform at the Eurovision Song Contest, representing Ukraine in position number 12 at the second semi-final.
Viktoriia will sing her Eurovision song “Ridnym” in Vienna. The song was written by Viktoriia herself, as well as Adama Cefalu, Jakob Hegner and Yaroslav Dzhus.
What do we think of “Ridnym”?
The team at That Eurovision Site has reacted to LELÉKA’s entry for Vienna. Nicklas gave his thoughts on “Ridnym”, which you can check out below.
Who is LELÉKA?
LELÉKA is the stage name of Viktoriia Leleka, a 35-year-old singer and composer born in Shakhtarske. Music and performing have been key to Viktoriia’s life, having trained at one of Kyiv’s most prestigious universities dedicated to the performing arts. She then moved to Berlin, where she honed her craft as a jazz singer. She also set up her own band, also named LELÉKA, which has released three albums since first forming in 2016.
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 2025, Ziferblat represented Ukraine in Basel with their song “Bird of Pray”. The band finished in 9th place, scoring 218 points – of which 60 points came from the jury, whilst the remaining 158 points came from the televote.
What do you think of “Ridnym”? Are you excited to see what LELÉKA will do in Vienna? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Tumblr, Threadsand Bluesky as we gear up for Eurovision 2026!
News Source: That Eurovision Site / Suspilne
Photo Credit: LELÉKA