Undeterred by air raids, a Ukrainian duo is preparing for the Eurovision Song Contest

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has taken the competition’s entanglement with politics to new heights. The European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the competition, banned Russia from participating immediately after the invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine’s victory at last year’s Eurovision Song Contest, awarded by a mix of jury and public votes, was widely seen as a show of solidarity with the beleaguered country.

In Ukraine, which has won the top honors three times since its Eurovision Song Contest debut in 2003, the contest has long been hugely popular and appreciated as a way for the country to culturally adapt to Europe. Now it is also seen as a way to keep Europe’s attention on the war.

As Hutsuliak and Kehinde sat down for an interview at a hip restaurant in central Kiev called Honey, they apologized for having to postpone the meeting for a day, explaining that they had pressing business: securing the paperwork that men of fighting age need to leave the country so they could travel to Liverpool.

Their song “Heart of Steel” was inspired, Hutsuliak said, by the soldiers who worked to defend the now-ravaged southern Ukraine city of Mariupol, holding out for months longer than anyone thought possible. The soldiers made their final stand at the sprawling Azovstal steelworks.

Hutsuliak said he clearly remembered the online clips that soldiers filmed on their defenses.

“When I saw these videos, I saw people with strength that remained solid even in the most horrific conditions,” he added. Soon after, the pair wrote the song with lyrics seemingly aimed at invading Russians.

“Get out of the way,” sings Kehinde. “Because I have a heart of steel.”

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion last February, martial law meant that Hutsuliak could not leave, while Kehinde, a Nigerian citizen originally from Lagos, could. His mother called him in a panic the morning Russia began bombing Ukrainian cities, urging him to leave.