LELEKA, Ukraine’s representative at Eurovision 2026, has unveiled the competition version of her song ‘Ridnym’, accompanied by a string quintet and a bandura (a traditional Ukrainian musical instrument). The video from the MUZVAR AWARDS music awards ceremony has been published on the official Eurovision YouTube channel.
The stage director Michael Kharchenko was engaged in the creation of this version of the song. The musical accompaniment for the performance was provided by the string quintet ‘GRAFF’, featuring Vladyslav Nikulin, Maksym Romaniuk, Maksym Oshchepkov, Oleksandr Sviet and Vladyslav Primakov, as well as bandura player Yaroslav Dzhus.
«It’s particularly special for me to present this song in a version featuring live strings. After all, ‘Ridnym’ is, first and foremost, an orchestral piece, and one day I’ll record an orchestral version. But for now, I’m curious to know what you think of this semi-acoustic version, accompanied by a string quintet and a bandura?» — LELÉKA commented.
The performer’s look was concise yet elegant: a long white dress with an original design highlighted the openness and sincerity of LELÉKA herself.
The 70th Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Vienna. The Eurovision Grand Final will be held on Saturday, May 16, and the semi-finals on May 12 and 14. The contest will be held at Austria’s largest indoor arena, the Wiener Stadthalle.
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Photos taken by Anastasiia Homeniuk
