#100 (2011)

The 100 Greatest Songs You've (Probably) Never Heard – 2011

#100

The Kukushka
Зла́та О́гневич (Zlata Ognevich)
Ukraine

Controversial national selections are quickly becoming the norm in Ukraine, and 2011 was no exception. After weeks of heats and semifinals (semifinals in which 7 of the eight acts proceeded to the final), Ukrainian audiences were finally treated to a final of 20 songs (well, 17 after disqualifications and withdrawals). “The Kukushka” finished in 2nd place after “Angel” by Mika Newton, and things were fine until rumors of fraudulent voting popped up. In an attempt to ensure fairness, a new final was scheduled with only the top 3 songs from the original competition allowed to compete, and new voting rules were established. However, Zlata and Jamala (the 3rd place act) withdrew from the competition, leaving only Mika Newton, who would go on to represent her country at Eurovision, albeit with a slightly altered version of her song (more on this later).

In case you were wondering, kukushka is Ukrainian for cuckoo. (Now it all makes sense!)