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In the spotlight: VAL

05 May 2020 at 10:10 CEST
In the spotlight: VAL Photo: Anastasia Asty
With their song, 'Da Vidna', VAL was chosen to represent Belarus in 2020. In light of the unfortunate cancellation of the 65th Eurovision Song Contest, we wish to highlight the impressive acts that were set to appear. This is 'In the spotlight', our feature honouring the artists that would have made up this year's edition of the world's largest live music event.

Near the end of 2019, the duo decided to put themselves forward for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 and, together with lyricist Mikita Naidzenau, wrote Da Vidna. The single was released in January, and one month later an acoustic version was released along with the music video, shot in one take.

On 28 February, the song won the national selection contest in Belarus and became the Belarusian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020.

Who is VAL?

VAL is a duo consisting of couple Valerie Gribusova and Vlad Pashkevich. They experiment with genres such as house, R&B, pop and hip-hop, combined with vogue and fashion. Since the launch of their first single Кто ты есть (Who Are You), the couple has been pushing the boundaries of their music and performance.

Valerie Gribusova participated in The Voice Ukraine and won a vocal competition at the Slavic Bazaar festival. Vlad Pashkevich produced Belarus’ Eurovision 2017 entry Story Of My Life by Naviband and has collaborated with various global brands.

Belarus' Eurovision 2020 representative VAL Anastasia Asty

Valerie and Vlad first met in 2015, with the little help of their friends. Their first single, Who Are You, was entirely written and produced by the duo. In May 2017, VAL released their first EP In My Room, which consisted of 5 tracks, mixing house with R&B, along with other electronic musical influences. It helped the duo begin their live performances, along with session drummer and keyboardist. Since then, VAL performed as an opening act for Cream Soda, Zivert, Beissoul & Einius and other famous artists.

READ MORE: VAL's participant profile

Da Vidna was written by Mikita Naidzenau and composed by the duo. VAL recently recorded an acoustic version of their entry on their official YouTube channel:

Since the cancellation of the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, VAL has also been active on their Instagram page, keeping fans engaged and informed as to what the duo is up to. In a recent post, Valerie is featured doing the 'Da Vidna Dance,' showing fans choreography that they can follow along at home.

You can follow VAL on the following social media platforms:

LISTEN: Stream Da Vidna and other Eurovision 2020 songs on Spotify

Belarus in the Eurovision Song Contest

Belarus joined the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004 and qualified for the Grand Final in 2007 for the first time, when Dmitry Koldun scored the best ever placing for Belarus at that time, sixth.

Over the years, Belarus has used a combination of internal selections and national finals to choose its Eurovision Song Contest entry. Whilst the country has never won the Eurovision Song Contest, Alexander Rybak, the winner of the 2009 contest for Norway is originally from Belarus.

The country has achieved great success in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest winning the competition in 2005 and 2007. The country hosted the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in the capital Minsk in 2010 and 2018.

READ MORE: Belarus' country page

ZENA was Belarus' Eurovision Song Contest representative on the Expo Tel Aviv stage in 2019. Her upbeat entry, Like It, finished 24th in the Grand Final.

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