Just a day before Ukraine selects its Eurovision 2025 entry, we had the chance to speak to one of the candidates to represent the country in Eurovision 2025.
This time we have the honor of speaking to Masha Kondratenko.
The 25-year-old singer and actress aims to represent Ukraine at Eurovision 2025 with “No Time To Cry.”
Welcome to ESCBEAT and thanks for finding time to talk to us!
Hey! Thank you for inviting me.
You released your first single “Малая” in 2021. How have you changed as an artist since then?
I can confidently say that almost everything has changed since the release of the song “Malaya” (Малая) in 2021. The war started and is still going on. It had a huge impact on me as a person, on my work, and on our country as a whole. We all had to grow up in the moment, draw conclusions, live through these terrible lessons and moments. We are still learning to balance in a reality where losses, anxiety and terrible news are part of the usual routine.In addition, shortly before the war, I refused to work with a producer. Now I have a great team, management, and what’s important to me, we have horizontal relationships, complete trust and mutual respect. Since the start of our cooperation with GNS (geisha ninja samurai), everything has started to move forward, just as I had dreamed. So yes, almost everything has changed since then.
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We know that part of your artistic expression comes through acting. How do you balance both singing and acting in your daily routine?
I had the experience of filming the youth series “The School”. It was very popular at the time! But that was a long time ago. Since then, I’ve been fully focused on my music career. I’m not ruling out the idea of returning to acting, but I can’t imagine my life without music.
What led you to apply for “Vidbir” again this year?
Ever since I was a little girl, I imagined myself on the stage of the big Eurovision Song Contest, because it is perhaps the most important song contest in the world. A real Olympics for singers. But in previous years I didn’t feel confident because it’s a marathon that requires experience, strength, full concentration and 24/7 work. This year, I realized that I was ready to apply for the selection. Not just to participate, but to win. I wrote a song that I think is worthy of the big stage. I’m doing everything I can to make my performance as good as possible. So keep your fingers crossed for me!
Can you tell us the message behind “No Time to Cry”? Can you tell us about the creative process behind the video clip?
No Time to Cry is about the state of Ukrainians today. It’s about feeling pain and tears, but you have to fight and can’t give up. The song is about the “normal abnormality” we have to live in. It’s about the struggle between light and darkness. We all experience moments of weakness and anxiety, but we always choose the side of strength and light.When I wrote this song, I imagined a house somewhere on the horizon. There is light there, a family lives there. A child is playing, mum is cooking dinner, smiling, dad is watching TV. And everything seems to be okay, but around the house there is darkness. And this whole world seems to be plastic, fake, doll-like. And the people in it have invented their own reality, where everything is just “normal”. They live their lives despite the sadness around them. And only a ray of light gives hope for a better future.
As for the music video, we had very little time to prepare it, but I am happy with the result. In the video, I allow myself to feel and share different emotions, from weakness to strength, from calm to constant movement. It was important for me to show this struggle between light and darkness. To tell a story about losing and finding yourself, and your own support. I think we succeeded!
How did you create the song? Did the melody or the lyrics come first?
I wrote this song specifically for the Eurovision Song Contest. With my sound producer Roma we made several attempts. And the third one was successful. In terms of mood, musical depth, and message. It was important for me to talk about the state that every Ukrainian feels today. I couldn’t afford to write just a cheerful, upbeat song.The music and Ukrainian lyrics were born almost immediately. I just sang them together. But we were already working on the English lyrics together with my team
What are the genres that best describe your music?
I don’t limit myself. I make pop music with the addition of folk, sometimes electronic or any other style. I am very different and my music is different. It’s not a strategy, not a desire to please different audiences, but my sense of this world.
You chose to combine both English and Ukrainian lyrics in your song. What were your considerations when doing so?
I knew right away that two languages, Ukrainian and English, would be in my entry song. The first is the language of my soul, my DNA, my lineage and my way of introducing the world to Ukrainian culture. The second is a language that is understood all over the world, an opportunity to reach out to people in different countries, to find the key to their hearts.
What are the major musical influences that impacted your music? What does inspire you?
Now, as an adult, I constantly recall singing folk songs with my grandfather as a very young girl. I was about 3. I think that was the moment when my passion for music was born. And what inspires me now? Probably the people around me, the emotions I experience, the events that happen around me. I am one of those who believe that success is 80% work and only 20% inspiration. Therefore, probably the main drivers for me are daily work and my path.
Do you watch Eurovision? What are your favorite songs (both from Ukraine and not from Ukraine)?
First of all, I would like to mention Ukrainian performers, because every year I cheer for them. For example, Ruslana, who impressed me tremendously as a child. Of course, Jamala, who presented a very strong song and an incredible performance. And the real Eurovision muse VERKA SERDUCHKA. As for foreign artists, I was very impressed by Loreen, Dunkan Laurence, Nemo, and the band Maneskin
Suppose you win “Vidbir” this year. What is your vision for Eurovision?
I like your supposition! In fact, my team and I already have some ideas about performing on the big stage of Eurovision. But I won’t tell you anything specific, it has to be a surprise. First I have to win the Vidbir. And then we’ll see.
Ukraine has been through tough times ever since the war began. Can you tell us
about your personal experience of these challenging times?
I can say that in the fourth year of the war, I, like most Ukrainians, sometimes feel sad, tired, and anxious. We all had to adapt to the situation and live our lives despite the terrible news and losses. Our life is “normal abnormality”. When you wake up in the morning because of a rocket attack, and in the afternoon you rush to a work meeting. Life cannot be put on hold, even during a war. At the same time, we are determined to fight, we have no right to just give up. We believe that light will definitely overcome darkness.
Your song “Vanka Vstanka” gained more than 35 million views on YouTube. Many people see it as one of the songs that well describes the ongoing situation in Ukraine. Can you tell us about the message behind the song and the video clip?
It’s a meme song about the terrible reality in which Ukrainians find themselves. And it was a real turning point in my career. In just a few weeks, “Vanka Vstanka” was already playing everywhere. It was exactly what people needed. This song contains support, a call to fight, ridicule of the one who offended you. Many soldiers thanked me for it. And it became a real trend in Ukraine and launched a number of similar songs.
What is your message for ESCBEAT readers?
My dear friend, I thank you for every comment, every reaction, every message. I thank you for the support I feel every day. I thank you for following and rooting for me. You are incredible! I hope I don’t disappoint you on Saturday and we will see you in Switzerland very soon!
“Vidbir 2025“ will be held on Saturday, the 8th of February 2025.
The winner will be selected via a combination of national jury votes and public votes.
Ukraine will compete in the first half of semi-final 1.
Eurovision 2025 will be held in Basel, Switzerland on the 13th, 15th, and 17th of May 2025.
Follow our Eurovision 2025 HOMEPAGE for all the updates
