Ukrainian idols: Meet diva alyona alyona & diva Jerry Heil

After winning Ukraine’s national final Vidbir, Ukrainian rapper alyona alyona and singer-songwriter Jerry Heil are heading to the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö. It was a tight contest, but with the help of Teresa & Maria, they smashed it. The popstars might have been born as human beings, but this collaboration are hoping to go down in history as Eurovision divas!

Alyona and Jerry are both superstars in their own rights, and they’ve also had great success as a pair. Their collaborative journey started in 2022, when they released their first joint track Ridni Moi. They followed it up with their album Dai Boh, which featured collaborations with other European artists, including Monika Liu, who represented Lithuania at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with the song Sentimentai.

Between Ukraine’s most popular female rapper (alyona alyona) and an artist who’s been Ukraine’s most popular musician on Spotify (Jerry Heil), there have been a lot of incredible moments to remember. For alyona alyona, the best was when thousands of people were singing with her in unison. For Jerry Heil, it was winning Vidbir, after previously going for the win 3 times in her career.

If alyona alyona & Jerry Heil could invite any 3 people (dead or alive, diva or human being) to dinner, they know who would be on the guest list. But they might have to compromise with each other. 

alyona alyona would choose Ukrainian singer Kuzma Skryabin, Eminem, and underwater expert Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who she’d like to thank for her interesting childhood. Jerry’s guestlist has a very clear gothic movie theme, and she would like to sit down with Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, and Helena Bonham Carter.

There’s one top diva for alyona alyona and Jerry Heil, and it has to be drag act Verka Serduchka, with her famous mirrored star headpiece. Verka finished in 2nd place for Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song Dancing Lasha Tumbai, which is now quite rightly a Eurovision anthem. “Sieben, sieben, ai lyu lyu, sieben, sieben, ein, zwei!” 

Some of alyona alyona’s favourite songs include Jessie Ware’s Heaven, and queen diva Kylie Minogue’s In My Arms. Jerry’s top tracks include Little Simz’s Gorilla and Dua Lipa’s Training Season. You can hear these influences in their powerful pop hit Teresa & Maria, a song all about women standing united and how anyone can achieve great things.

For Jerry, Sweden is an important place, as it’s one of the first places she went when she became a refugee. She says Ukrainian and Swedish culture have a lot of things in common — not just their blue and yellow flag colours, but also how they both have traditional summer solstice celebrations.

As they get ready to head to Malmö, alyona alyona is looking forward to having a good time and making new memories, while Jerry is ready to celebrate music and sing in unison with the rest of Europe.

Look out for alyona alyona & Jerry Heil on upcoming episodes of the Official Eurovision Song Contest Podcast.

You can learn more about alyona alyona & Jerry Heil from Ukraine right here.