In January 2012 , Essami was selected to compete in Evrobachennya 2012 , the Ukrainian national final for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 . She competed with the song " Be My Guest " . Essami went on to win the competition , placing first with the professional jury and second with the Ukrainian public . Following her win , Essami was the victim of racist comments by members of the far-right in Ukraine . Yuriy Syrotyuk , a high-ranking member of the nationalist Svoboda political party , stated that Essami 's selection as the Ukrainian representative would hinder Ukraine 's ability to join the European Union , as she is portraying the country as if they are " of a different continent " . Essami responded to the comments by stating that Ukraine was her beloved motherland , and that non-white Ukrainians should not feel like they have to leave the country to be accepted . Nevertheless , Essami continued as the Ukrainian representative to the contest in Baku , becoming the first Afro-Ukrainian to represent Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest . She competed in the second semi-final on 24 May 2012 , where she placed eighth and qualified to the final . Afterwards , she placed 15th in the final held on 26 May , scoring a total of 65 points
Eurovision Song Contest 2012
Eurovision Song Contest 2012
Gaitana (singer)