Start here"Run Away" finished 22nd of 25 in the 2010 Eurovision final. Yet the contest's own page says its saxophonist became a YouTube sensation after that contest. How did a song that placed so low become a meme?
Who Epic Sax Guy is
Epic Sax Guy is Sergey Stepanov, the saxophonist of the Moldovan band SunStroke Project. The meme is his saxophone solo from Moldova’s entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo. The entry was the song “Run Away”, which the band performed with the singer Olia Tira.
From Moldova to Eurovision: The Birth of a Meme
The 2010 song did not do well in the contest. Its saxophone part did far better online.
SunStroke Project, formed in 2008, plays a mix of violin, saxophone and dance music, in the contest’s description. Here is how the 2010 entry went:
- The semi-final. On Tuesday 25 May 2010, Moldova opened the first semi-final. The song scored 52 points, finished tenth and qualified for the final.
- The final. On Saturday 29 May 2010, at the Telenor Arena, it scored 27 points and finished 22nd of 25. The contest was won by Lena, for Germany.
The contest’s page on the band also says the video of Stepanov performing at the contest went viral and has been watched millions of times. In 2017 SBS reported that once the 2010 performance was first uploaded to YouTube and started going viral, he became known as the Epic Sax Guy.
| 2010 · Oslo | "Run Away", SunStroke Project with Olia Tira |
| Final | 22nd of 25, 27 points |
| 2017 · Kyiv | "Hey Mamma", SunStroke Project |
| Final | Third, 374 points |
From the contest's own results pages.
Back at Eurovision in 2017
The band came back in 2017 and did much better. SunStroke Project, this time without Olia Tira, represented Moldova again at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 in Kyiv, with “Hey Mamma”.
It finished second in the first semi-final and third in the final on Saturday 13 May 2017, with 374 points. Portugal’s Salvador Sobral won that year.
SBS, the Australian broadcaster of Eurovision, wrote about the band the day after the final. It called the saxophone the real star of that year’s contest.
It also reported that Stepanov and the band’s violinist, Anton Ragoza, had worked together in the army. It said the band’s name came from a sunstroke Ragoza got while working in the field with him.
“Epic” and “Ultra”: a note on names
Epic Sax Guy is the name the contest itself uses for Stepanov. It comes from the 2010 performance. The contest kept it in 2017: its own video of the 2017 final is titled “Hey Mamma (LIVE feat. Epic Sax Guy)”.
The 2017 performance is sometimes shared as Ultra Sax Guy. We found that name in a fan video that set the two performances side by side, as recorded by the meme database Know Your Meme. We did not find it on the contest’s results and participant pages. We also did not find it in the title of the contest’s 2017 video or in the SBS report.
Nicknames drift: Ultra Sax Guy was a fan label for the 2017 clip, seven years after Epic Sax Guy began. It is not a second person: both clips show Stepanov.
Why it resonates
A famous clip can stand in for a whole story. Here, a few seconds of saxophone came from a song that placed 22nd, and the band later came back to finish third.
In our reading, that gap is part of the fun: the part of the act that stuck was not the part that scored. The same clip works as a joke and as a small comeback story.
Epic Sax Guy is also an easy case to trace, because the event behind it keeps a public record. For a fuller method, see how to check something online before you share it.
Quick answers
Who is Epic Sax Guy?
Sergey Stepanov, the saxophonist of the Moldovan band SunStroke Project. The contest's own page says he became known worldwide as the Epic Sax Guy.
What song is Epic Sax Guy from?
"Run Away", Moldova's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo. SunStroke Project performed it with the singer Olia Tira.
Did Epic Sax Guy win Eurovision?
No. "Run Away" finished 22nd of 25 in the 2010 final, which Lena won for Germany. In 2017 the band's "Hey Mamma" finished third, and Portugal's Salvador Sobral won.
Is Ultra Sax Guy a different person?
No. "Ultra Sax Guy" is a fan nickname for Stepanov's 2017 performance. The contest's own 2017 video still credits "Epic Sax Guy".
When did the meme start?
After the 2010 contest, according to the contest's page on the band. SBS reported in 2017 that he became known as the Epic Sax Guy once the 2010 performance was first uploaded to YouTube and started going viral.
Use this
Trace a famous clip back to the event's own record.
Which event is this clip from, and what does its official record say?
Quick quiz
Nothing is scored or saved. Recalling it once now is what makes it last.
1. Which song is the Epic Sax Guy clip from?
Answer: "Run Away", Moldova's 2010 Eurovision entry.Read it again ↑
2. Where did "Run Away" finish in the 2010 final?
Answer: 22nd of 25.Read it again ↑
3. What is "Ultra Sax Guy"?
Answer: A fan nickname for Stepanov's 2017 performance.Read it again ↑
How we checked this · Last checked October 2026
- Placings, points, dates and song credits come from the contest's own results, event and participant pages, read in archived copies.
- SBS's May 2017 report is the source for the army story and the band's name. It is the only report used beyond the contest's pages and Know Your Meme.
- The name "Ultra Sax Guy" comes from Know Your Meme's account of a 2017 fan video. We did not find it on the contest's results and participant pages, in the title of its 2017 video, or in the SBS report.
- Facts about Stepanov are kept to what the contest and SBS published.
Sources
- Eurovision Song Contest, “Grand Final of Oslo 2010” and “First Semi-Final of Oslo 2010” (results), and “Oslo 2010” (event details), archived copies: Grand Final, First Semi-Final, Oslo 2010.Primary
- Eurovision Song Contest, “Grand Final of Kyiv 2017” (results) and “Kyiv 2017” (event details), archived copies: Grand Final, Kyiv 2017.Primary
- Eurovision Song Contest, “Sunstroke Project” (participant page), archived copy.Primary
- SBS Guide, Everything you wanted to know about sax (But were too afraid to ask), SBS (14 May 2017).Popular
- Eurovision Song Contest (official YouTube channel), Sunstroke Project - Hey Mamma (LIVE feat. Epic Sax Guy) | Moldova | Grand Final | Eurovision 2017.Primary
- Know Your Meme, Epic Sax Guy (entry, section “2017 Appearance”).Popular