Khrystyna Soloviy

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Ivanivna and the family name is Soloviy.

Khrystyna Ivanivna Soloviy (Ukrainian: Христи́на Іва́нівна Солові́й; born 17 January 1993) is a Ukrainian quarter-Lemko folk and pop singer. Sings in Ukrainian and Lemko.

Khrystyna Soloviy Христина Соловій
Soloviy in 2016
Background information
Born	(1993-01-17) 17 January 1993 Drohobych, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine
Origin	Lemko
Genres	Folk, folk-rock, a capella, baroque-pop, dream-pop, indie-pop, pop-music
Occupation	Singer
Instrument	singing
Years active	2013–present

Early life and education

Khrystyna Soloviy was born on 17 January 1993 in Drohobych into a family of choral conductors. Her mother taught the choir in the senior classes of the Drohobytsk Music School. Solviy's grandmother, Olga Evgenivna, worked for a long time as the head of an ensemble of bandurists. With the birth of a grandson and then a granddaughter, she retired to devote herself to raising children. Olga repeatedly sang old Galician songs to her grandchildren, told Ukrainian fairy tales and legends. She often composed songs and poems herself and played the piano a little.

At the age of 11 she found out that she was a quarter Lemko by listening to the version of the song "Pod oblachkom" by Anichka Cheberenchyk. This influenced the subsequent world perception and musical taste of Soloviy.

In 2011, Khrystyna Solovii graduated from a music school in the piano class. After moving with her family to Lviv, she sang in the "Lemkovyna" choir for another three years. The age range of the participants was 50–80 years, while Khrystyna was only 17. Participating in the collective had a great impact on her affirmation as an individual. The singer started going to the Ukrainian festival "Lemkivska Vatra" together with the choir.

Parents never insisted that their children do only music. So Soloviy graduated from the philological faculty of the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.

Musical career

Holos Krayiny debut and the beginning (2013–2014)

In 2013, Solovyi starred in the Holos Krayiny (The Voice in Ukraine) at the blind audition, performing the Lemki song "Gore dolom hozhu". There she joined the team of Ukrainian producer Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, with whom she continued on the show singing moslty Ukrainian folk songs, reaching the semifinals of the contest. She stressed that she will never sing Russian pop music and will refuse to participate in the contest if Tina Karol or Oleksandr Ponomarev (who both sung Russian at the time) choose her.

My life changed completely in the sense that I felt that surely, after all, I should do music. When so many people believed in me after one broadcast, it seemed to me that it would be very foolish to refuse. Although I never imagined that I would give concerts, perform on stage with a microphone myself...

— Khrystyna Soloviy

Although Soloviy did not win Holos Krayiny, starting from there she begun her own music career with Svyatoslav Vakarchuk as her producer, immediately releasing several music videos with her own lyrics and music. She claims the Revolution of dignity in 2014 has inspired her to become a music artist.

Soloviy in 2016

Zhyva voda, "Khto yak ne ty" and first successes (2015–2017)

On 22 September 2015 Soloviy released her first debut album Zhyva voda (Ukrainian: Жива вода, lit. 'Living water'), which she announced at the Gogolfest festival. It consists of 12 songs, two of which were written by Solovyi herself, and the remaining ten are Ukrainian folk sung by Soloviy and compositions adapted by Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. It revealed the nature of Lemko folk music, performed in an arrangement close to jazz. The album immidietally entered the TOP-12 best Ukrainian albums of 2015.

On 9 April 2015, Soloviy released her first music video for the song "Trymai". It got 1 million views on YouTube in the first few days. 22 October of the same year her second music video "Pod oblachkom" was released, which reached 1 million views by March 2016. In 2015 radio "Aristocrats" designated Khrystyna Soloviy as the best "Startup of the Year" in the category "Culture and Music", and in 2016 the "YUNA Music Award for Discovery of the Year", awarded Soloviy with the "Best video clip" nomination for the "Trymai" music video. Following the nomination Soloviy performed at the award ceremony.

Soloviy released her first single "Khto, yak ne ty?" on 1 December 2016. On 21 December 2017 Soloviy released her next single "Fortepiano".

Lyubyi Druh, "Fortepiano" and "Shkidlyva Zvychka" (2018–2020)

Khsrystyna Soloviy performing on the Atlas Weekend in 2018

Soloviy released single "Shkidlyva Zvychka" on 10 October 2018.

Following the success of the first album, Soloviy announced her second album Liubyi Druh (Ukrainian: Любий друг, lit. 'Dear friend') in 2016, releasing it on 26 October 2018. It consisted of 12 songs: 11 were original songs inspired by Soloviy's own personal experiences and memories, and one "Ochenka moi chorni" was a folk composition. In the album Soloviy combined live music with electronics. Mylos Yelych, Pavlo Lytvynenko and Oleksiy Saranchyn worked on the sound production of the album.

In the same year, the lyrical composition "Stezhechka" became the official soundtrack for the Ukrainian historical action film Kruty 1918. Its music video, which was released on 22 January 2018, consists of footage from the film itself with the addition of some scenes shot separately with Soloviy herself. The director of the film Oleksiy Shaparev also directed the music video. "This [musical] composition was written about five years ago, and its lyrics is even from the last century" - said Khrystyna. Regarding the decision to include Soloviy's music in the film, the producer Andrii Korniienko stated that "in such a male story" they needed a female voice that would "strengthen the drama". Allegedly the first person that came to their mind was Khrystyna Solovyi, who they considered to be "the soul of the modern Ukrainian song".

In 2019, Soloviy was nominated as the "Best Performer" at the "YUNA" music award for the second time.

Rosa Ventorum (2021)

After a break from the spotlight, Khrystyna Soloviy released the single "Yunist" which was later included in the third part of the album Rosa Ventorum. Serhiy Zhadan played one of the main roles in the music video for the song.

My song is about the fact that Ukrainian culture is super sexy, and you want it not because you have been taught patriotism or something, but because it is strong and seductive.

— Khrystyna Soloviy

On 28 May 2021 Khrystyna Soloviy released the first part of her third studio album Rosa Ventorum I. According to her, the name of the album was chosen by chance during the photo shoot. It means "wind rose" in Latin. Soloviy planned Rosa Ventorum to include four EP-parts, which is a reference to the four corners of the world, the "wind rose" being a reference to it. It includes a total of 8 tracks, of which are 4 songs "Vtikala", "Krashche movchy", "Huby v vyni", "Koala" and the other 4 are their respective instrumental versions.

The album Rosa Ventorum I was followed by an extended play Rosa Ventorum II, released on 12 November 2021. It includes 4 tracks: "Osin", "Divchynka 'Metelyky v holovi'", a cover of "Les Goémons" and "Do krayu".

"The Forest Song" and Rosa Ventorum I-II (2022–present)

On 15 March 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine Soloviy sung a cover of an Italian anti-fascist folk song Bella Ciao. It was translated into Ukrainian and rephrased into being against the Russian invasion and occupation of Ukraine.

In March 2023 Soloviy wrote three songs for a 3d-animated Ukrainian fantasy film Mavka: The Forest Song. "When I received an invitation from the producers to write the soundtrack for the movie "Mavka: The Forest song", I immediately became very happy and it was very important for me to become a co-creator in this [movie]. Lesya Ukrainka's "The Forest Song" is one of my favourite books since childhood [...] in general, the image of Mavka is my favorite in the Ukrainian mythology" - Soloviy remarked.

On 15 December 2023 Soloviy released Rizdvanyii sny, which includes "Narodyvsia Bogh na saniakh", "V zelenim lisku", "Malanka" and "Tsy doma doma bilyi movodche". In 2024 Soloviy released two singles "Kamerton", "Kucheryky" and the third part Rosa Venturum III.

Political activism

Soloviy performing for the Ukrainian Paralympic team in 2018

Animal rights

Khrystyna Soloviy has always been inspired and fascinated by the animal activitism of Brigitte Bardot. In 2018, Soloviy supported the humanitarian initiative "UAnimals" and appeared on the red carpet of the national film award "Zolota Dzyga" in a "Circus without animals" t-shirt. After that she called for a ban on animals in circuses on her official Facebook page.

Russo-Ukrainian war

In 2018, Soloviy joined the campaign in support of Ukrainian director Oleg Sentsov, who was illegally convicted in Russia.

With the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Soloviy began performing on many concerts abroad, where as of 27 August 2022 she raised €106,000 for the army, according to Forbes Ukraine.

Soloviy was in Lviv during the 6 July 2023 Russian missile attack. After the attack, she wrote: “The entire yard is strewn with shards of glass from the windows. Yet the children are already playing on the playground. And I am also coming to my senses little by little. But it was very scary at night.” She also urged everyone not to stop donating to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

On 26 July 2024 in Chornomork, Khrystyna Soloviy took part in the "Vydelkafest" festival, where she was asked whether she liked the city's previous name "Illyichivsk", on which she answered that the previous name is "complete bullshit". For this she was charged with "petty hooliganism" and "obscene swearing in public places, insulting citizens and other similar actions that disturb public order and peace of citizens." Later on 27 September 2024, a court session was held in the case of Khrystyna Soloviy, as a result of which the court did not find the composition of the crime of obscene swearing at the festival in Chornomorsk on July 26.

Copyright infringement

On 11 January 2024 her song "Trymai" with translated and slightly changed lyrics appeared in the Tatyana Navka's Russian ice skating performance without permission. Soloviy called it cultural heritage appropriation and seeks to find people responsible for using her song.

Personal life

During 2022–2023, she had an affair with Serhiy Zhadan, which at first Soloviy wanted everyone to view as "creative cooperation". According to her, they first met when he invited her to an interview for Radio NV in November 2021. "But in the end I fell in love [with another man] and everything happened as it happened," Soloviy shared.

Artistry

Influences

From the very beginning of the career, Soloviy was always very outspoken on which groups and artists influenced her creative development. In particular, she claims her music influencers to be Serge and Charlotte Gainsbourg, Zemfira, Kvitka Tsysyk, Okean Elzy, Nina Matvienko, Ruslana, Queen, the Veryovka choir, VV and BoomBox. Soloviy's favourite screenwriter is Lars von Trier.

Musical style

Ukrainian music critics consider Khrystyna Soloviy's music to be Ukrainian folk, folk-rock, pop, indie-pop, dream-pop, pop-rock singer and songwriter, as well as the "pop-folk of the new generation". "it seems to me that this is a frank alternative to traditional pop music in Ukraine. It moved away from the leading role of the acoustic guitar, more electronics appeared in the songs." - thinks Soloviy.

Discography

Studio albums

• 2015 – Zhyva voda (Ukrainian: Жива вода, lit. 'Living water');
• 2018 – Liubyi druh (Любий друг, 'Dear friend');
• 2021 – Rosa Ventorum I.

Extended Plays

• 2021 – Rosa Ventorum II;
• 2023 – Rizdvanyii sny;
• 2023 – Rosa Ventorum III.

Singles

• 2016 – "Khto yak ne ty?";
• 2017 – "Fortepiano";
• 2018 – "Shkidlyva Zvychka";
• 2018 – "Stezhechka";
• 2019 – "Kholodno" (cover);
• 2021 – "Vtikala";
• 2022 – "Ukraiinska lyut'" (cover);
• 2022 – "Ya tvoya zbroya";
• 2022 – "Yunist'".

Music videos

Year	Title	Director	Album
2015	Trymai	Maksym Ksionda	Zhyva voda
2015	Pod oblachkom	Yana Altukhova
2016	Khto, yak ne ty?	Andrii Boiar	Liubyi druh
2017	Fortepiano	Anna Buriachkova
2018	Shkidlyva Zvychka
2019	Stezhechka	Oleksii Shapariev
2020	Vtikala	DVIZHON	Rosa Ventorum I
2021	Osin'	Oleksandr Kulak	Rosa Ventorum II
2022	Ya tvoya zbroya	Yurii Katynskyi
2022	Yunist'	Viktor Skuratovskyi	Rosa Venturum III