#STORYOFMYLIFE – Day Four with James from EI

In this series, we’ll be talking to someone and asking them to pick five songs (over five days) that mean something to them. These may not be their top five songs of all time – merely songs that attach to a specific memory or time in their life.

James from Eurovision Ireland continues this series. What’s his fourth and penultimate choice, and what’s the story behind it?

Kalusha Orchestra – Stefania

Usually when asked about songs that mean something to me, I don’t like to include winners – after all, they get talked about enough by virtue of the fact they won! But I had to include this one.

In late 2021, a close friend of mine died. Even though Serhii lived in Kyiv, we were close, messaging most everyday – everything from our interest in history and culture, travel, languages (he was teaching me bits about Ukrainian while I was teaching him Serbian), our love lives, our ups and downs, everything. He wasn’t really a Eurovision fan, but had become more interested through my connection to the contest. I remember laughing when he watched his first full contest in 2016, texting him to explain that Ukraine didn’t always win! Oh, but how great it must have been for him to see his home country, one he was so proud of, win the first time he watched.

Death is hard, and losing a close friend hurts. A few weeks later, I was watching and live-blogging the Ukrainian national final Vidbir, something I’d done plenty of times before – and usually discussed with Serhii as I was doing it. Being so close to his death, it still didn’t feel quite real he was gone. I remember feeling sad as I watched, the little bubbles of grief as I remembered I couldn’t ask him what he thought about particular acts or the show as a whole. As I was watching though, I noticed something odd. I couldn’t help but feel like I suddenly understood much more Ukrainian that I expected I could. Perhaps you don’t believe in such things, but I smirked and wondered if somehow, he was nudging me, helping me understand. 

Alina Pash won Vidbir, not Kalush Orchestra. But while fans delighted in the backstage carnage and accusations of vote fixing and illegal trips to Crimea that eventually led to Alina withdrawing and Kalush Orchestra being declared winner, all the controversy of Vidbir 2022 was forgotten when Ukraine was invaded just weeks later. Suddenly the song Stefania took on even more meaning – a young man seeking out his mother for comfort. The music video broke me the first time I saw it. I still can’t listen to Stefania without tears in my eyes. It’s a song that has come to exemplify one of the darkest times in Europe’s modern history. But it also reminds me of Serhii. And the resolute and unwavering bravery of his homeland. One day there will be peace in Ukraine again. And when that happens, I will return and pay my respects at his grave.

If you have five songs that really mean something to you, drop us a line with them and the stories behind them, and you could feature soon.

Author: John Stanton

Source: Eurovision Ireland