05/17/2025
Ukraine is once again in the Eurovision final – and again loudly! The band
Ziferblat tore up the stage of the song contest in Basel, Switzerland, with the soulful and expressive number Bird of Pray, performing at number 7. Their performance was one of the most anticipated this year – and for good reason.
The trio of Valentin and Daniil Leshchinsky and Fedir Khodakov captured the audience’s attention from the first seconds. The hall exploded with applause, and social networks with emotions. OBOZ.UA followed the events live.
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At first, the gentle “drawing” of the backing vocalist sounded, like a voice from heaven, and then the stage came to life in the style of the 70s – with light, smoke, electronics, and modern theatrical drama.
However, unlike the National Selection, there were no flowers and greenery on the stage – the production became more futuristic, although sustained in retro aesthetics. The director of the performance was Maria Korostelova, who is already well known for her work with Kazka, The Erised, Fo Sho and Krutь.
The scenography, dynamic lighting and pyrotechnic effects created a hypnotic atmosphere. Every movement of the participants was thought out to the smallest detail – with extraordinary plasticity and inner meaning. The culmination was the end of the song in a cloud of pink light, to the thunderous ovation of the audience.
“Europe, thank you very much. Glory to Ukraine!”, said Ziferblat vocalist Daniil Leshchynsky from the stage.
Interestingly, social networks are flooded with images and collages of Daniil Leshchinsky, who is massively compared to the Little Prince from Saint-Exupéry’s book. Threads even featured a collage created by artificial intelligence, where the image of Daniil is combined with an illustration of the cult hero. Users note the fabulous tenderness of his image and note that after such a parallel they even changed their opinion about the band. By the way, Leszchinsky himself admitted in a recent interview: “Believe me, the Little Prince will surprise you.”
How did the Ukrainian representatives perform in the first semi-final? Read here .
Also read how Ukrainians presented themselves at the opening of Eurovision 2025. However, the world-class event was not without scandal. The Israeli delegation appealed to the police with a complaint about the aggressive behavior of pro-Palestinian demonstrators.