KIEV: Ukraine’s national broadcaster has dropped the singer who was meant to represent the country at the Eurovision Song Contest due to apparent political differences over Russia.
Anna Korsun, 27, who goes by the stage name Maruv, was selected by a public vote on Saturday to sing at the contest in Israel in May.
But she said the state broadcaster had tried to impose contractual obligations on her, including requiring her not to perform in Russia, that would have made her a propagandist for the government.
“I am a citizen of Ukraine, pay taxes and sincerely love Ukraine. But I am not ready to come up with slogans and turn my participation in the contest into a promotional activity for our politicians,” Maruv wrote on Facebook.
“I am a musician, not a puppet for the political arena.” Ahead of Saturday’s televised national final, several senior officials said Ukraine’s Eurovision candidate could not be someone who performed in Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014, sparking a pro-Russian insurgency in the eastern Donbass region.
Zurab Alasania, the head of the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC), said on Facebook: “The selection revealed another major social problem... the concert activity of many artists in the aggressor country. And this caused a negative resonance in parts of society.” He confirmed that the winning singer was required to refuse to play in Russia as a condition of signing the contract. — Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
