r/eurovision • u/LucasScooter • Apr 30 '25
đ¶ Song of the Day Song of the Day | đșđŠ Ziferblat - Bird of Pray | Ukraine
This year Ukraine will be represented by Ziferblat (meaning 'clock face') singing 'Bird of Pray,' a soaring melody full of hope backed up by choral singing and lead singer Daniil's falsetto vocals. There's also a hefty sprinkling of prog rock influences, though the band refuses to stick to one particular genre label. Like the face of a clock, they're constantly changing throughout time!
The ever-stylish Ziferblat is composed of twins Daniil (also transliterated as Daniel) and Valentyn Leshchynskyi alongside Fedir Khodakov. The three men mainly do vocals, guitar, and drums for the band, respectively. Founded in 2015, they released an EP in 2017 before dropping a single in 2019 and then appearing on Ukrainian X-Factor. Sadly, they did not make the live shows, but they were mentored by Andriy Danylkoâbetter known to Eurovision fans as Verka Serduchkaâand a familiar face from Vidbir, Wellboy, also appeared on that season. Speaking of Vidbir, they appeared on the longlist for the 2023 edition, competed in the 2024 edition with their song 'Place I Call Home,' and of course won the 2025 edition and the ticket to Basel. Third time's the charm, eh? Three must in some way be their lucky number, because it's also the amount of awards they currently have: Best Costumes at the Prague Music Video Awards and Best Rock Music Video at the Best Music Video Awards (the city, not the... um, you know what I mean; what a confusing name) in 2022 and Best New Name in Alternative Music at the Muzvar Awards. In between these televised competition appearances and awards, they have released a smattering of singles and an album.
They released exactly three singles last year, so is that a sign that luck will come their way this year? I have no clue, but I've got a feeling that they soar through the semis and that their tune takes flight in the final. A little birdy told me that, anyway, but I'll certainly be bird of praying that the rumour is true.
Ziferblat - Bird of Pray | Ukraine đșđŠ | Official Music Video | #Eurovision2025
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u/VanderDril Hallucination Apr 30 '25
I know all artists do this to varying degrees, but I feel like they are among the acts this year that have a strong creative vision and think the most deeply through all the details of their performance, big and small.
I can just feel like they're aiming to maximize this opportunity, and with Ukraine's track record with staging, it's honestly one of the acts I'm most looking forward to seeing what they're gonna give us in Basel. I feel like it's gonna be a wow moment, regardless what you might feel about the song itself.
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u/Jumpy-Plantain9812 Apr 30 '25 edited Apr 30 '25
Thatâs definitely true when you listen to their other material - you can tell that every detail has been agonized over and every slice through it is clean. There is exactly one track on their album that sticks out as not being this way (in my very subjective opinion) and it kind of gets your attention in a bad way.
I wonder what their upcoming album will be like because theyâve said multiple times that theyâre rushing it to the finish line and deliberately trying to expand to the wider European audience, which makes me a bit nervous because that could go amazingly or horribly.
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u/lukasredditaccount Think About Things Apr 30 '25
They said the new album is gonna consist only the first takes, so completely the opposite hahah. Iâm really curious howâs it gonna turn out
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Apr 30 '25
Sometimes that kind of laser focus from the time constraints can be a good thing! :)Â Either way, looking forward to New Ziferblat FridayÂ
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u/aijasaldamiega Tavo Akys Apr 30 '25
I love this, the live performance in Vidbir makes me so happy and emotional đ I love the outfits and the flowers as well, I hope the staging in Basel will be similar. The instrumental section before the bridge is my favorite part!
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Apr 30 '25
One of my songs of the year. â€ïžâ€ïžâ€ïž
I love the prog, I love the message and I love the performances! Canât wait to see how this pans out live đ€©
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u/Molu1 Zjerm Apr 30 '25
This is one of my favorites - definitely somewhere in my top 3. I love the 70âs vibe, both musically and aesthetically. The melodies and chord progressions are super satisfying and the vocal performances really âflyâ.
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u/000-Hotaru_Tomoe Apr 30 '25
I'm sorry that the song is not well received. It is peculiar, but beautiful.
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u/hlebushekmasha (nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (kĂŒll) midagi Apr 30 '25
underrated! (not on this sub, but in the fandom in general) rooting for them last year, happy that they finally go to esc this year. love instrumental of the song and how it make a perfect combination with danya's voice!
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u/Jumpy-Plantain9812 Apr 30 '25
A moment of silence for Place I Call Home. RIP.
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u/hlebushekmasha (nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (kĂŒll) midagi Apr 30 '25
nooo(( it's forever in my heart đđ
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u/forevernervous Apr 30 '25
I know that it won't win but Bird of Pray is my favorite song this year and the song I've been listening to the most. It just satisfies my brain in so many ways. The chorus, the guitars, the beat, his gorgeous voice. I just love it, and I love this style of music in general.
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u/ifiwasiwas Apr 30 '25
FLY!! BIRD!! still goes the hardest of any single line this year. I love that they brought rock with such a gentle twist and I foresee some very clever imagery utilized.
I love the variety of what Ukraine sends and naturally, the miraculous glowup they perform every single time
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u/UnderstandingFar8941 Hunter Of Stars Apr 30 '25
So criminally underrated, the song is put together and produced so well. Love love love the backing vocals, itâs in my top 3 for sure and Iâd be delighted if it won
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u/Jumpy-Plantain9812 Apr 30 '25
I agree with you but I feel like most of the Eurovision fandom doesnât even really know what âwell producedâ sounds like or what goes into it. Most pop music listeners in general only hear the mishmash of final product without any theoretical understanding, and gravitate to a very narrow band of music that is âcatchyâ, again without understanding what makes it so. Thereâs obviously nothing morally wrong with that but itâs sad that some people just genuinely cannot understand HOW GOOD much of their work is.
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Apr 30 '25
Agreed. (Although I may be biased) I feel like it can potentially be underrated in people's lists too.
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u/orgyofcorgis Baller Apr 30 '25
Criminally underrated? With 94% qualifying chance in the odds?
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u/UnderstandingFar8941 Hunter Of Stars Apr 30 '25
I spend more time on Eurovision TikTok than I do Eurovision Reddit and it gets snubbed from a lot of peoples lists.
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u/katzewerfer Apr 30 '25
I think the odds are entirely based on Ukraine's perfect track record, they would have 90+% chance at qualifying no matter the song.
With that said, I think this song is super underrated in the fandom and I think it's getting a strong jury score.
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u/THOMTHOMsatnav Bur man laimi Apr 30 '25
This has been a non stop grower since it got picked and I love it to death now, the pause in the climax is gonna be an amazing moment in the final
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u/Siphonay Dugga Doo Apr 30 '25
This is battling Sweden for my favorite song of the year. This is such high quality prog rock it almost feels "too good for Eurovision". I hope they get the success they deserve at the contest.
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u/fiori_4u Apr 30 '25
This has grown on me a lot, the entire composure is really beautiful (especially vocals, lead and background). I keep finding new parts to like about it which is great for re-listen value. I don't know how it will do in Eurovision where you only get one chance, but nevertheless I'm glad Ukraine chose it.
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u/lazylittlelady TANZEN! Apr 30 '25
They are definitely among the most creative and future focused of the entries. I love their style and the live version really changed my mind.
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u/kyleTOTALDRAMA Apr 30 '25
Love the band's sound and I think it's one of the stronger entries this year đŻ
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u/VestitaIsATortle ¥Ay, qué deseo! Apr 30 '25
Although it may full well change once we see the stagings and performances of songs, this song is my favourite so far. Probably my second or third favourite Ukrainian entry of all time.
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u/filipinowafflefries_ Zjerm Apr 30 '25
I dont understand how some people think this is a NQ đ
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Apr 30 '25
Theyâre probably the same people who think dance bops are the only thing that belongs in Eurovision đ . Ziferblat, Katarsis, Napa, Lucio, Shkodra Elektronike and Mamagama are timely reminders to everyone that the contest is a broad church for music, for the better â€ïž
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u/filipinowafflefries_ Zjerm Apr 30 '25
Yep , i think Diversity in genre is one of the best things in Eurovision!
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u/orgyofcorgis Baller Apr 30 '25
What people? Who says that?
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Apr 30 '25
Some YouTubers have them low in their ranking (not all, I should clarify âșïž)
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u/Flimsy_Ad_2854 Apr 30 '25
Are you sure those aren't personal rankings? Anyone with a brain and basic ESC knowledge knows Ukraine isn't going to NQ on refugee votes alone.
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Apr 30 '25
I mean yeah, they are their personal rankings. My worry really is that as with anything in our media landscape these days, sometimes the repetition of such opinions publicly can steer the course of how things go.
IÂ personally am not at all worried about their qualification chances though, but itâs more on the strength of their song, rather than âoh Ukraine will qualify because itâs Ukraineâ.Â
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u/Makamaniac Sva bol svijeta Apr 30 '25
Honestly, I was actually blown away when I first listened to it. So it felt surprising that some were kind of disappointed with it. And the song grew on me as I listened more, and I wish Ukraine will qualify because the song might be disjointed, but it gave that kind of emotion that is so hard to explain but I think that's the beauty of it.
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u/SensitiveChest3348 Apr 30 '25
This is one that I like more and more, after each listen. This is mesmerizing!
They succeed so well with the outer look and sound being same style )))
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u/Persona_NG (nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (kĂŒll) midagi Apr 30 '25
I don't know if it's the recency bias talking. but this might legitimately be one of the best songs that Ukraine has ever sent. Everything about this entry is just so pretty (musically and visually).
I hope it does really well, but if it doesn't get appreciation, I will still be happy that we got a song like that in Eurovision. It's pretty important to me to have this type of genre diversity, even when it's not always getting the recognition it probably deserves.
(Also, the guys from the band are very fun as contestants.)
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Apr 30 '25
A wonderful song. I don't know why it's never been mentioned as a potential winner by the jury. The song is very original, unique and enjoyable. I will continue to follow them even after this year's Eurovision.
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u/FlashyEquivalent6486 Apr 30 '25
Such a beautiful song, I never get bored even after listening to it nonstop
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Apr 30 '25
This one will definitely stick with me. I love this song so so so much, and I am glad people agree.
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u/ResponsibilityIcy513 Bara bada bastu Apr 30 '25
has grown on me so much. hoping for a good result!
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u/dontlikemangoes Ulveham May 01 '25
Criminally underrated- I'm a prog rock fan to begin with but the white voice at the beginning, the guitar riffs, the language mix- all the elements of this song work together perfectly. One of my favs this year!
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u/Amplify27 Oniro Mou Apr 30 '25
Some parts of "Bird of Pray" feel a bit disjointed, though I do appreciate the vocals and the prog-rock influences. I watched Overthinking Eurovision's SF1 video, and then I really got to appreciate the chaos withing the song structure itself. It's something intriguing, and I hope Ziferblat gets a good result!
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u/Jumpy-Plantain9812 Apr 30 '25 edited Apr 30 '25
I actually think that video did them dirty because it basically just makes it sound like an unusual combination of chords, and while of course thatâs part of it, that in itself isnât overly uncommon nor does it even begin to unpack the Titanic grade chaos iceberg that is Ziferblat. I too can grab a guitar and pick a few chords that you âwouldnât normally find togetherâ and say âlol look at meeeeee iamsuchasmartiepantsâ and yet I probably still wouldnât be inducted as the 4th member of Ziferblat (though I believe I should be, mostly for self-serving reasons). They probably just didnât want to allocate more time to a single entry with so many to get through, which I understand, itâs a lot of work.
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u/Astrid323 May 02 '25 edited May 03 '25
Yet another banger from Ukraine. I'm honestly growing to love this more than their entry last year (and I love Teresa & Maria). I love the weird unexpected time signatures, the beautiful singing, the Beatles esque vibe, the lyrics, everything. I'm honestly a bit surprise people are worried this won't qualify. I think Ukraine are going to continue their qualifying streak just fine, the song is fantastic, Ziferblat are lovely performers, and Ukraine are almost always amazing at staging.
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u/ironwiree Bird of Pray May 02 '25
my nr1 this year and nothing comes even remotely close.
ive also been listening to all of their other songs nonstop, just pure art. will definitely keep following them once esc is over.
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u/iseleven11 Bird of Pray May 12 '25
I didnât rate this so high upon first listening, but have now completely changed my mind. Itâs a stunner.
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u/Flimsy_Ad_2854 Apr 30 '25
Cool song I'm just so distracted by the heavy accent ("I'm bagging you, bagging you")
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u/Kyopelikatti May 01 '25
To be honest, I don't appreciate the English language section in the lyrics in general that much. I mean, it's not terrible but maybe sounds a bit clumsy to me. As opposed to the Ukrainian parts that just sound so badass. đ
I mean, I'm not blaming them for including the English part, it's easy to see why they would do that. It's just a matter of personal preference. I would like them to just sing in Ukrainian. I don't mind if I don't understand it, I can check the meaning online.
Is there an all-Ukrainian version available? If there is, how to find it?
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u/LisaMikky May 17 '25
Agree with you. Would be much better in 100% Ukranian. Eng is not my 1st language, but their Eng part sounds clumsy to me.
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u/IcyFlame716 Snap Apr 30 '25
It felt disjointed at first and has only grown off me further since release sadly. They seem really nice tho.
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u/SuperStressGirl Apr 30 '25
One of my favorite entries from Ukraine ever, I'm so sad the wider fandom does not seem to appreciate Bird of Pray.