Singer Oksana Pekun: I understand everyone must fight, but I would preserve the nation's beauty.

In an interview with RBC-Ukraine, Ukrainian People's Artist Oksana Pekun discussed the lives and earnings of artists during wartime, the betrayal of Taisia Povaliy and her son, Sofia Rotaru's stance, her relationship with her husband, and performances for the military.

The pop singer, known for her song "I Am Still So Young," has been performing on stage for over 30 years. Pekun and her husband co-founded the "Folk-music" program, which revives Ukrainian songs.

RBC-Ukraine asked the star about rivalries in the show business, the secrets of maintaining a strong relationship with her husband, the need for booking artists, and traitors who have forgotten their homeland.

– Oksana, how has your life changed over the three years of full-scale war?

– Well, like probably everyone in Ukraine, my life has changed for the worse, of course. We have learned to live in a state of war. We have adapted to these realities, to the anxieties, and to surviving, so to speak, without electricity. As an artist, I have started to work more at charity concerts. Although I have always participated in them, now they are specifically for our military, for our displaced persons, and for our people living abroad.

– Regarding performances abroad. Some artists often mention a significant difference between audiences here in Ukraine and those, say, in Europe. Have you noticed this?

– Let me tell you this. In the second year of the full-scale war, I was invited to Italy during Easter to congratulate our Ukrainians living there. There were about 400 of our displaced people from Zaporizhia, Mariupol, Kherson, Kyiv region, and many other cities. They had just fled there in the early days of the war, and were welcomed. You know, I arrived, performed, and gave a whole solo concert. When I started singing, footage of happy, beautiful Ukraine was being displayed behind me. And people were watching these images - of a joyful Ukraine. You know, everyone was crying. I don’t know how I managed to hold back my tears. Almost throughout the concert, I saw tears in the eyes of our people because they were very sad.

No matter how you look at it, some have nowhere to return to; everyone has different circumstances. But there is a profound love, such a longing for Ukraine that is indescribable. Here in Ukraine, people have indeed become accustomed to these realities. We have learned to live in war, to live without electricity, to live with anxieties. We hide, go to shelters, as if all this has become ordinary. People respond positively to concerts, but still, when you step on stage, you initially see the sorrow in their eyes, some tension, pain, and then, after hearing my songs, the audience becomes cheerful and positive.

Oksana Pekun (photo provided by the singer)

– How have your earnings changed?

– In general, financial inflows have ceased, and more is indeed being invested in charity. When we receive some subsidies from the government, I immediately redirect them to assist the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And regarding income... What income can there be now? It is now called survival, you understand? These are some funds that were saved [are being used].

When I give concerts in Ukraine, part of the proceeds, of course, goes to the Armed Forces. The other part is just for living, for survival. For food, for daily needs. Of course, an artist needs new songs, some costumes. And all this money for costumes and songs I do not take from concert work because there is none. These are still some remnants.

– Now there are quite a few artists who started their careers during the full-scale war. Are there any individuals who have pleasantly surprised you? Who do you listen to among Ukrainian artists?

– I really like a young and talented boy, Serhii Lazanovskyi. I also like the singer Domiy. She is a young, talented girl, and she has simply amazed me with her voice and style. I don't know her personally, so I can't say what she is like as a person. But in her songs, I feel a certain pain and beautiful melody. I also enjoy the songs made by the group The Hardkiss. Yulia Sanina is a very talented singer; she captivates me with her voice. I also love the group BEZ OBMEZHEN.

– Now artists have abandoned the Russian language, but it wasn't always like that. Do you regret having sung in Russian at some point?

– I never thought about what language to sing in, and I always sang in Ukrainian. Perhaps, for some television projects, it was an exception. I was asked to record a song about the war. And those songs on military themes were all written in Russian. Only now have these soulful songs in Ukrainian emerged, real songs about our present.

There was an invitation for a program, saying, if you want to perform - go ahead. And it was on a channel where it was desirable for me to be because everyone watched it. So I went for it and recorded a song. My grandfather died in World War II, so for me, singing a wartime song back then (in the early 2000s) was normal.

As for people singing in Russian... Well, it was a form of appeasement towards Russia, it was pandering to wealthy individuals, to those who organized these concerts, because you know, the entire show business was under Russian influence back then. Almost all media were under Russian control. I will say this: people just bowed and scraped before Moscow. That's all. But I didn't do that. I just did my own thing. I sang in Ukrainian, I created my repertoire, and I never compromised my principles.

Pekun spoke out about traitorous artists (photo provided by the singer)

– Tell us about the "Folk-music" project. There was a major scandal with "Suspilne" in 2018; how did it all end? Now new episodes of the project are released on your YouTube channel, but not on television. Why?

– Yes, they are not airing on "Suspilne"; there was a conflict. A new team came in, and our creative visions did not align. It was said that our folk artists, traditional pop, our Ukrainian voices should not be on "Suspilne." Although I believe that this should not be the case; they are our luminaries! I think such artists should have a presence on television. But I was told that it was "toxic." They even did not allow me to perform songs.

Then a conflict arose. They had their vision for the program, although we were initially very happy because new, wise, fresh minds had come in who wanted to update the program and give it a modern look.

Yes, the visual aspect was updated, but they forced me to say things I did not want to, which contradicted the idea of our program. It was just showing some pseudo-Ukrainian content, while we wanted depth. But those were just conversations. The people who did all this, who effectively shut down our program, are no longer working at "Suspilne."

If you want to create something, do it better. But they did nothing. They simply destroyed it. That's all. But I don’t hold a grudge. I have long forgotten all the grievances. On the contrary, I have transformed, you know, like a phoenix, and I live in the present, in the modern world. I know that the "Folk-music" program has not died; it continues to thrive. We are shooting with our own efforts, without entering the television space. We are now on our YouTube channel, and we are also getting decent views. I believe we are gaining momentum.

Just grandmothers and the older generation do not watch YouTube as much. Do you understand? More of the middle generation and the youth. But little by little, they are starting to call and say: "You know, we saw your program, we also want to participate in it." And I am confident that our work, our love for folk songs will bear fruit because folk music cannot be killed. Folk music must be cherished; it must be preserved because if we do not remember our roots, we will not be a people, we will not be a Ukrainian nation.

– After that scandal, were there any proposals to move to other channels?

– You know, I think I will return to "Suspilne" because this program should be on this channel. Because who, if not society, should know about its problems, its songs, its people? Our program is about the people, with the people, and involving the Ukrainian people. How Ukrainians sing, cherish this song, passing it down from generation to generation. When we were filming the program earlier, it was like Swiss watches - episodes were released weekly. We had trips scheduled three years in advance. Can you imagine what a project that was