GreenJolly (Ukrainian: Ґринджоли, Gryndzholy) is a Ukrainian rap band most widely known for their song, Razom nas bahato, nas ne podolaty, which became the unofficial anthem of the Ukrainian Orange Revolution in 2004.[1]
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The band, group members Roman Kalyn and Roman Kostyuk[1], originate from the Ivano-Frankivsk region in Western Ukraine, named after the Hutsul Ukrainian word for "sleigh". In conjunction with various radio stations in the country, the band wrote Razom nas bahato, nas ne podolaty to support the protest against the electoral fraud that took place during the Ukrainian presidential election.[1]
The song became widely known in Ukraine, and was frequently played on many radio and TV stations. The song has been downloaded millions of times on the Internet. GreenJolly won the nomination to represent Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 by the interactive vote held among TV viewers, after Razom nas bahato was controversially put in contention as a last minute 'wild-card' addition to the final of the national pre-selection competition, which had already gone through fifteen semi-finals, dating back to before the Orange Revolution. This success came as a surprise even for the band performers who in the immediate aftermath vowed to represent Ukraine competitively in the contest. However, the lyrics of the song have had to be substantially reworked in order to be consistent with the rules laid down by the European Broadcasting Union.
In the finals, which were held in Ukraine after Ruslana's win in the 2004 contest, GreenJolly finished 20th despite picking up full points from the Polish televote, thanks to media exposure to a Polish reworking of the song made by the country's biggest hiphop stars in support of Ukraine's Orange Revolution.
They also received 8 points from Moldova, 7 from Portugal, 2 from Russia and 1 point from Spain.
Since there Eurovision appearance the band has felled apart, with members going their separate ways in Ivano-Frankivsk, both own music production studios.[1] Formally Roman Kalyn is now the only member of the group, but de-facto GreenJolly is existing in name only.[1]
| Preceded by Ruslana with "Wild Dances" |
Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 |
Succeeded by Tina Karol with "Show Me Your Love" |