Public broadcaster of Ukraine and singer MARUV did not sign an agreement on the participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. Negotiations for the next candidate start tomorrow morning. Logicly it would be runner up Freedom Jazz, but also they have performed in Russia last year apparently..... same goes for 3rd placed Kazka.
Update: UA:PBC to consult EBU lawyers to consider withdrawal from the contest before approaching other candidates. If decision will be taken to participate after all, the representative will be chosen among the Vidbir acts.
Update 2: Runner up Freedom Jazz has rejected the offer.
Update 3: 3rd placd Kazka also rejected thee offer....
Update 4: Ukraine officially confirms withdrawel. However they will broadcast thee shows and hope to be back in 2020.
Update: UA:PBC to consult EBU lawyers to consider withdrawal from the contest before approaching other candidates. If decision will be taken to participate after all, the representative will be chosen among the Vidbir acts.
Update 2: Runner up Freedom Jazz has rejected the offer.
Update 3: 3rd placd Kazka also rejected thee offer....
Update 4: Ukraine officially confirms withdrawel. However they will broadcast thee shows and hope to be back in 2020.
UA:PBC statement:
“The public broadcaster and MARUV, who won the national selection for the Eurovision, did not agree on the terms of participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 due to a number of reasons.
Singer Hanna Korsun (stage name - MARUV) won the National Selection show as a result of a fair competition and received the maximum score from the audience. Her performance was highly appreciated by music experts, representatives of show business and the audience. However, the performer, who will represent Ukraine in the international arena, also has obligations: after signing an agreement with UA:PBC during the contest, the performer becomes the cultural ambassador of Ukraine and conveys not only her own music, but also becomes the spokeswoman for Ukrainian society in the world. After the negotiations, UA:PBC and MARUV did not find a common decision regarding the mission of the representative of Ukraine at the international song contest.
Also, according to the rules of Eurovision the participating broadcaster must ensure the non-political nature of the contest. The situation that has developed around this year's national selection has signs of politicization. Public resonance, attempts of pressure from various political forces, interference in the discussion of cultural figures and information structures of the aggressor country actually led to the politicization of the results of national selection.
The Public Broadcaster also sees in this situation the danger of escalation of the split of the Ukrainian society, which contradicts the tasks of the Public Broadcaster (according to the Law of Ukraine on Public Broadcasting, one of the main tasks of UA:PBC is to facilitate the consolidation of Ukrainian society).
A few important things:
Thanks to the cooperation of UA:PBC and STB, for four years Ukraine has discovered many new and talented performers.
UA:PBC believes that this year's National Selection for the the Eurovision Song Contest was held honestly. But the selection revealed another major social problem that lies in the political plane, not in the musical: the concert activity of many artists in the aggressor country. And this caused a negative resonance in the part of society. And at the same time - defence of the result, along with the advocacy of this right by another part of society. And the task of the Public Broadcasting is not to split a society at all.
It is in order to avoid excessive politicization of the contest (which is also a requirement of the Eurovision Song Contest), the UA:PBC has written in the Contract conditions (equal for all participants) that would help to resolve this painful issue.
In particular: the refusal of the representative of Ukraine at the international contest from the tours in Russia (three months after the contest).
As well as attentive attitude towards the public statements of the performer regarding the territorial integrity of Ukraine, or any statements that may harm Ukraine at the international level (the rest of the conditions regarding rights, for example, are the standard terms of the right holder of the contest, the European Broadcasting Union). It is UA:PBC which is responsible for any negative manifestation of the representative of Ukraine in the Eurovision. Both inside the country and outside.
But... Not all good Ukrainian performers are ready to be good cultural diplomats.
Thus, the decision on the performer representing Ukraine at the Eurovision is not yet adopted.
We will start the negotiations with the next candidate in the morning."
MARUV statement:
"Today, our meeting with NTU lasted about seven hours, as a result of which, we did not reach an agreement between the two parties.
A few hours before the draw of the running order, I was asked to participate in the national selection for the Eurovision 2019. I agreed and won, and with great pride I was ready to represent my native country - Ukraine in the international song arena.
As I said earlier, the cancellation of concerts in Russia was not a matter of principle for us. The main differences were caused by other clauses of the agreement, which, if I sign, become enslaving for me. I am a citizen of Ukraine, pay taxes and sincerely love Ukraine. But I am not ready to come up with slogans, turning my participation at the contest into promo-actions of our politicians. I am a musician, not a bat in the political arena.
I sincerely thank and appreciate everyone who believed in me and voted. And I ask you to accept this fact and not to go for confrontation. This is a reality today. I want to give people my creativity without censorship.
Tomorrow I will wake up with new forces - to win and popularize my music in the world."
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