Their song “Teresa & Maria”, which was mentioned as one of the favorites even before the start of Eurovision, had an extraordinary setting on the stage in Malmo. At the beginning, Jerry Heil appeared on stage, and at one point she climbed onto a “rock”, and in the background, specialists from the visual setting of the performance created the illusion of falling rockets. Many viewers admit online that they were moved by watching this performance, during which Alyona Alyona, known as the “Ukrainian rap sensation”, performed together with Jerry Heil.
Ukrainian representatives: If you want change, be the change
The song itself refers only indirectly to the war – more to the figures of the Catholic Church, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Mary of Nazareth, although – as the artists say, it is more about the symbolism of “mercy, love and unity” associated with them. The lyrics are the responsibility of the singers, and the music combining characteristic Ukrainian sounds with a modern sound was created by Anton Chilibi and Ivan Klymenko, who also contributed to the repertoire of the Kalush Orchestra, the winners from two years ago. He was the author of the lyrics to “Stefania”.
No one was born a saint, we all came here as human beings, so who we become is up to us. The rules of today’s reality game are to take responsibility. If you want change, be the change
– says Jerry Heil about the song “Teresa & Maria” in an interview with Wiwiblogs. The singer is an example of the saying “three times a charm” being true. She took part in the competition preselections for the first time in 2020 with the song “Vegan”, and in 2023 she made another attempt with the song “When God Shut The Door”, taking third place. In this, in a duet, she even defeated the winner of Eurovision from 2016, Jamala.
Jerry Heil in a controversial sweatshirt
Her stage activity can be divided into two stages. At first she sang lighter songs, but after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, her songs became more involved. Her 2023 Eurovision proposal was about the strength of the Ukrainian spirit in times of war. On his social media channels, he informs almost every day about further bombings of Ukraine by Russia and encourages people to support their homeland.
This year’s song received praise for its music and performance, as well as for the presentation of the song in the first semi-final, but it also received criticism. It’s about Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who inspired the singers. The Albanian nun, founder of the Missionaries of Charity, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and a saint of the Catholic Church, is controversial. The allegations include baptizing the congregation’s charges against their will or the will of their parents, or failing to apply Western standards of medical care. The artists say that Mother Teresa was not actually evil, and in the song she is only a symbol of certain values.
Jerry Heil herself caused a scandal just before the Eurovision semi-final when she . Jana Shemayeva (that’s his real name) thus promotes Ukrainian nationalists who fought under the leadership of Stepan Bandera in the 1940s. For many Ukrainians, he is a national hero, but in Poland he is mainly associated with the genocide of Polish civilians in Volhynia and the surrounding area. Almost 100,000 people died then.
Many Polish viewers declared afterward that they would not vote for Ukraine this year. We do not know the exact results of voting in the semi-finals because the order of qualification of the finalists is given randomly – the organizers do not want to influence the results of Saturday’s final. In previous years, Ukrainian proposals were very popular in our country, often scoring the highest number of points.
And who is Alyona Alyona? Both Ukrainian representatives at Eurovision recorded with Poles
The second part of the duo performing “Teresa & Maria” is a rapper who was compared to Azealia Banks in an article titled “15 European Pop Acts Who Matter Right Now”. Alyona Alyona has performed in Poland many times, including: at the OFF Festival, and before she gained popularity, she worked as a teacher and later a kindergarten director. In 2021, Def Jam Polska released her third studio album “Galas”, which featured guest appearances by Polish rappers Żabson and Kukon. Warning, the text below contains profanity:
Jerry Heil also gave concerts and recordings in Poland. Last year, she released a duet titled “Bronia” with Krystian Ochman, who represented Poland at Eurovision 2022. Last year, she recorded the song “Bracia” with rapper Przyłu.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
