Sunday, May 15, 2016

Ukrainian singer's Eurovision win was political, says Russian senator

A song contest went political today when the winner announced was then criticized by a Russian politician. A Ukranian singer won the Eurovision song contest, however the performance of "1944" struck a chord with the Russian government. "1944" was originally about Moscow's evacuation of the singer's ethnic group, yet some claim that her choosing of this song was related to President Vladmir Putin's sights on Ukraine in 2014. This then prompted a Russian senator to encourage the Russians will not partake in the Eurovision song contest next year. It seems silly and a little outrageous that even a song contest could be turned into such a political and controversial event, when sometimes the singers only wish to show their passion for music. This controversy shows a major contrast to American television contests - where our focus is mainly on the "drama" aspect instead of a "political" one. Yet, the senator does have a point here - the rules of the contest state that singers should stray away from including political meanings in their pieces. Overall, this is interesting that a song contest could bring such harsh political statements and upset.

Haley Kuck

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/15/entertainment/eurovision-ukraine-russia-senator/index.html

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