After "SuperSTAR" has exploded in popularity across the CIS region, Ukrainian popstar Loboda has finally released the music video. Prior to this, there was an official audio upload that showcased a loop of Loboda wearing a false pregnancy belly with an array of background dancers doing the same. Together, they all posed provocatively. This snippet was looped while alternating with a separate loop of Loboda flipping her hair with all the attitude required to sell the song regardless of whether the audience can understand the lyrics. Now, the full-length music video showcases different women dancers and characters all strutting their stuff and running the show. It simply cannot be missed!

Watch the "SuperSTAR" music video here:

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After a hiatus (eight months classifies as such in the fast-paced Ukrainian music industry), Oleynik has returned with a new music video for his song "Любишь другого". True to form, the song is equal parts catchy and melancholic, while the music video boasts a salacious set of interactions between Oleynik and his leading lady.

Watch the "Любишь другого" music video here:

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Max Barskih released his latest single "Полураздета" which is set to be on the original soundtrack for the film "Секс и ничего личного". The music video, like all of Max's videos, is directed by Alan Badoev. There is a seamless incorporation of clips from the film, as the colour design is such that it matches what has been chosen from the film itself. The melodic composition is warm and matches the visuals presented, and the production is catchy and clubby enough to be well-suited to the summer season.

Watch Max Barskih's "Полураздета" music video here:

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MONATIK and Nadya Dorofeeva have brought their powerhouse names and artistic styles together to collaborate on one of Ukraine's biggest bangers of the year, "Глубоко". While MONATIK has quickly risen to become one of Ukraine's most popular and respected solo artists, Nadya is one half of the famed duo "Время и Стекло" which has had a prolific career over the course of this decade. "Глубоко" is a tremendously catchy song with pounding production, and a music video that showcases both artists' dance abilities while incorporating highly fashionable fashion and choreography all together on an artistically eye-catching setting.

Watch the "Глубоко" music video here:

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Ukrainian artist MÉLOVIN is riding high on the wave of international interest in his career due to his participation in the Eurovision song contest. Despite only placing seventeenth in the finals, his performance videos boast an impressive amount of views, and the televotes he received in the finals were in the top 10 of highest received.

Following his time in Lisbon, MÉLOVIN embarked on a multi-city tour across his home country, Ukraine, and expresses a wish to expand his touring throughout Europe. Despite not knowing as much English, he is adamant that it's his preferred language to write in. The majority of his songs, particularly the recent ones, have been released in English. As he is from Odessa, a city further East in Ukraine, MÉLOVIN tends to use more Russian in his day-to-day conversations and media. However, he expresses an interest in improving his Ukrainian as well, and even released a song in Ukrainian on his last EP.

MÉLOVIN got his start in theatre school, where he mostly studied acting with less of a focus on music, though this where he first learned to play the piano. After winning the sixth season of Ukrainian X-Factor, he was under a great deal of control by various music industry executives. These dissatisfying circumstances lead to him breaking away from the more mainstream methods and sticking to his own tight-knit community of management/promotion, a team that has been dubbed "Big House MÉLOVIN".

We sat down to speak with MÉLOVIN before his Kyiv concert, the kick-off to his Ukrainian tour. In observing his demeanour during post-production as well as the reaction from his most avid fans, we're pleased to have brought something different to his promotional content. As a Ukrainian artist, and particularly as one that has participated in Eurovision, MÉLOVIN has received a significant amount of questions from both Ukrainian and international media regarding the ongoing political conflict between Ukraine and Russia (which conveniently ignores the fact that plenty of creatives from each country's industries both professionally collaborate with another and forge meaningful interpersonal relationships). We don't adhere to the philosophy many media outlets like to utilise -- such as exploiting controversial topics or relationship gossip for clickbait. If you give a creative public figure a comfortable environment to speak freely about themselves and their work, they will give you plenty of interesting information. It also helps if you show up prepared and having done a sufficient amount of research beforehand.

Watch our full interview with MÉLOVIN here:

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Artem Pivovarov is arguably one of the most exciting performers in the Ukrainian music industry. With a seemingly endless supply of energy on stage, his signature moves include leaping from high places (and landing without injury), and generally bouncing around like a jumping bean. His sound borders on indie and mainstream, as he often borrows from various genres to make a sound all his own. Unsurprisingly, his music fully embraces the melancholic vibe that Eastern European music industries tend to favour. Most recently he has released a new single called "Провинциальный".

Watch the full "Провинциальный" music video here:

We had the opportunity to sit down with Artem before a club gig in Kyiv and got to learn a bit more about his musical origins, the creative process behind certain songs of his, whether he'd make music in English, and plenty more!

Watch our interview with Artem Pivovarov here:

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LAUD first rose to prominence to the Ukrainian public when competing on The Voice Ukraine, where he finished fourth overall. Following this, he released his debut single "У Цю Ніч" and has continued to release songs in Ukrainian ever since.

His next competitive appearance came in Vidbir 2018 when he competed with a song in English, "Waiting". Despite heavy competition from other heavy-hitting talents in the Ukrainian music industry, LAUD managed to qualify to the finals of the competition, where he once again finished fourth.

LAUD draws from various soulful, jazzy influences to create a sound all his own, and despite having predominantly released songs in English admits he feels more comfortable writing songs in English. With the same manager as Vidbir/Eurovision-winning artist Jamala, the question remains as to whether LAUD will make another run in Vidbir... you'll have to watch our interview to find out his answer.

Watch our full interview with LAUD here:

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Ukrainian pop duo Время и Стекло have released the latest single in their prolific career, "Е,Бой" with a music video that adds a grungy flair to their signature vibrant aesthetics. From motorcycles to cars cut in half, topped off with a glitter-embedded gasoline nozzle, there's plenty of eye-catching scenes to enjoy while the pounding beat plays over the catchy, slightly sleazy melodies and expensive production.

Watch the full "Е,Бой" music video here:

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MOZGI is fast-emerging as one of Ukraine's biggest power-house companies for producing hit artists and songs. Their biggest acts, duo Время и Стекло, the MOZGI group, and solo artist Michelle Andrade who are all signed to the same company have teamed up to release a song in Ukrainian, "Промінь", under the group name "All stars MOZGI Ent." Though the only 'music video' posted as of now is merely a lyric video of them recording the song together in the studio, the song is very well put-together. We're willing to overlook the lack of a flashy music video considering how busy each of these acts is with their own releases outside of this collaboration.

Watch the All stars MOZGI Ent. "Промінь" music video here:

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KADNAY are quickly rising in Ukraine's music industry as one of the most unique acts, given the way they infuse genres together and combine so much live instrumentation into both their compositions and live performances. Their latest single "Тіло" is arguably their most commercial and catchy song to date, as it offers a production that encourages dancing while still maintaining sultry melodies (the word "Тіло" means "body" in Ukrainian... if you needed a hint as to where the song is directing listeners). The music video also has some of their most striking visuals to date, as the lead members of the group are shown to be driving a retro car through space, sometimes directly towards a giant woman styled in a retro style of both hair and bathing suit. It's quite a treat, and highly worth the watch!

Watch the full "Тіло" music video here:

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Alyosha has released the music video for her latest single "Текіла" and opted to re-create some of the most iconic imagery from the classic spy film "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" with Alyosha playing Angelina Jolie and an actor playing Brad Pitt. From the dinner, dancing, to the full-on brawl leading into salacious shenanigans, everything has been meticulously tended to and condensed into an exciting four-minute whirlwind that leaves us breathless and panting for more!

Watch the "Текіла" music video here:

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Ukrainian sensation Alekseev has had a highly successful 2016 in which he broke out big not only in the Ukraine but kicked off a successful series of touring and appearances in Russia and the Eastern European block in general. Alekseev's latest single "Океанами Стали" is another melodramatic power ballad with great energy and momentum and once again he has collaborated with director Alan Badoev to create a superb music video. The narrative consists of Alekseev using telekinetic abilities to rescue his lady-love and escape the facility in which she is held captive with only a single minute to do so. The visuals and special effects are stunning, and overall it's Alekseev's greatest music video to date.

Watch our full review of Alekseev's "Океанами Стали" here:

Watch the full music video of Alekseev's "Океанами Стали" here:

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Ukrainian soul-funk-dance-pop artist Monatik has released the music video for his latest single "Вечность" which is the first up-tempo single from his latest studio album to not feature his dance skills. Though some may see this as a risky move, it would seem that Monatik is determined to assert his artistic presence and its ability to stand on its own without relying on his dance background. If anyone had doubted that Monatik was more than just a 'dancer-turned-singer' then they will have been quickly silenced after hearing the magnificent "Звучит" album in which he brilliantly fuses various genres and styles of music to create a cohesive and exciting package that will have people dancing and their spirits soaring.

Check out the full music video here:

Watch our thoughts on his latest music video here:

Also enjoy the latest release from Ukrainian pop-duo Tamerlan & Alena which we also featured in our latest music review:

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Let's be real, here. It was only a matter of time before we talked about Max Barskih in our series of music reviews. Not only does this Ukrainian singer/song-writer deliver consistently solid pop tracks, the music videos to accompany his singles are always visually stellar. Of course it's entirely clear that Barskih never shies away from using his sexuality to spice up his videos, whether it's through the use of smouldering gazes into the camera, flashing of flesh, or all of the above, but upon closer inspection, Barskih's videos show a level of understanding of visual artistry that never ceases to impress.

As a follow-up to his last single, "Хочу танцевать," the music video of which served up late 80s/early-90s aesthetic tripping on acid, Barskih has released "Подруга-ночь." Though the single was made available on iTunes back in May, it's only just now at the end of July that we're getting the accompanying music video. Once again, Barskih has collaborated with director Alan Badoev, who has directed a vast majority of Barskih's music videos throughout his pop career. "Подруга-ночь" sees Barskih engaged in a dance of seduction with a model surrounded by confetti bombs, disco pineapples, and streamers galore. The video also combines some visual inspirations from both the 1970s and the 1980s and adapts it for the 21st-century Euro-pop scene. We truly admire Barskih's willingness to wear any and every outfit he's slid into for both this and the "Хочу танцевать" video, as it shows a fearlessness to commit to his art. With Barskih's confidence and piercing gaze, he could wear a giant potato sack and still convince us it's the hottest must-have frock. The track itself bears some stylistic similarities with his previous single but with that sultry R&B backing vocalist, we can't help but reminisce about early 90's dance-pop. Considering that he has yet to release an album to include these singles, we are buzzing with anticipation to hear the full line-up of this sound and era. But until that album is bestowed upon the world, feast your eyes and ears on "Подруга-ночь!"

Max Barskih can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and his main website.

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