SadSvit interview about returning to Ukraine, first concerts, war, Cassette

Main points

  • SadSvit, at 22, has been putting together sold-out tours across Ukraine and collaborating with famous Ukrainian artists, such as Tina Karol and Artem Pyvovarov.
  • His music became popular among the Ukrainian military, who noted its sincerity, and was played at Azovstal during hostilities.
  • 1 What was SadSvit like as a child?
  • 2 Why do people love Ivano-Frankivsk?
  • 3 What was SadSvit's early work like and how does he write his lyrics?
  • 4 Why did you write songs in Russian and how do you feel about translations?
  • 5 How did the collaborations with Tina Karol and Artem Pyvovarov come about?
  • 6 How did life change after the success of “Cassette”?
  • 7 Why is SadSvit's music popular among the military?
  • 8 Why doesn't SadSvit want to go to Eurovision?
  • 9 Does SadSvit plan to return to live abroad?
  • 10 What is the purpose of the tour of Ukraine and the big show in Kyiv?
  • 1 What was SadSvit like as a child?
  • 2 Why do people love Ivano-Frankivsk?
  • 3 What was SadSvit's early work like and how does he write his lyrics?
  • 4 Why did you write songs in Russian and how do you feel about translations?
  • 5 How did the collaborations with Tina Karol and Artem Pyvovarov come about?
  • 6 How did life change after the success of “Cassette”?
  • 7 Why is SadSvit's music popular among the military?
  • 8 Why doesn't SadSvit want to go to Eurovision?
  • 9 Does SadSvit plan to return to live abroad?
  • 10 What is the purpose of the tour of Ukraine and the big show in Kyiv?

His tracks were heard at Azovstal, went viral on TikTok, and became the soundtrack for a generation of Ukrainians who grew up with a full-scale war. At 22, SadSvit is putting on sold-out tours across Ukraine, collaborating with Tina Karol and Artem Pyvovarov, but he still describes himself as a guy from Ivano-Frankivsk who loves Lego and space. At the same time, his songs are dissected into military quotes.

Despite his success, SadSvit (real name Bohdan) remains very sincere, open, and reflective. We met in a cozy cafe on the eve of his first solo concert in Lviv. We talked about life abroad, returning to Ukraine, collaborations with other artists, his attitude to Eurovision, support for the military, and much more. Read more about all this in an exclusive interview with Channel 24 .

Bohdan, I would like to first talk a little about you, to get to know the readers better. What was your childhood like? What stories from that time do you remember the most?

I think I had a normal childhood, like most people. At school I really liked building Lego sets. I really liked it because I could create different figures, even entire mini-cities and houses.

I remember once, in the recommendations on YouTube, I came across a video of someone playing the piano. I started watching a lot of that. The soundtrack from the movie “Requiem for a Dream” was the most memorable. Then I thought that I would grow up and learn to play the piano really well. I can't say that I became a professional, but I still learned.

I have always been drawn to music since childhood.


SadSvit / Photo by Marianna Shafro

You are originally from Ivano-Frankivsk. Now this city is associated primarily with blogging for many. What associations do you have with Frankivsk?

Until I was 17, I almost never left Ivano-Frankivsk. I was only in Lviv. I visited Kyiv for the first time only last year.

I love my city very much and am truly its patriot. If I have the opportunity to talk about Frankivsk somewhere, I always do so.

At different times in my life, I perceive this city differently. Once Frankivsk was just a yard and a road to school for me. Then it gradually expanded. I love spring in Ivano-Frankivsk the most. Now I live here and I don’t see the need to move anywhere yet.

What are your favorite places in Ivano-Frankivsk?

I really like Ivan Franko Street, where my school is located. I guess it's from my childhood, when I had a very vivid imagination. When the trees bloomed and created shade, I would create different images in my head.

I love the architecture of the city, our memorial square. I spent a lot of time there as a child. It is a very peaceful place: quiet, tall old trees that create a special noise when the wind blows, which is literally enchanting.

I lived abroad for four years, visited different cities, and now I don't perceive Frankivsk as a big city anymore. For me, it's more like the backyard of a large country house. Very cozy and homely.

Are there any famous compatriots who you consider role models?

Yuriy Andrukhovych now lives in Ivano-Frankivsk, and I really like that he is also a fan of his city. He remains there to live, work, and develop the local community. We met in 2024 abroad, and I am still very inspired by him.

I also really love and respect the Frankivsk Drama Theater , I consider it one of the best in Ukraine. Actor Bohdan Romaniuk, who currently serves, Ivan Blindar, Rostyslav Derzhypilskyi and many other artists are true leaders of Ukrainian culture. And because our city is not very big, this community and internal unity are very tangible here.

You started writing music at the age of 13. Which of your first tracks do you like the most even now?

At 13, I downloaded my first serious music writing program. But at first I didn't even think I would write songs. I wanted to be a producer, so that artists, rappers would come to me, and together we would create a complete product.

Even before that, I was a little interested in music: I installed an app on my phone with an online piano and violin. There was a virtual room where people would come in and play something together. Later, they bought me a synthesizer with a function to record melodies.

But at some point I realized that I was bored of playing just one part – I wanted to put everything together into a full-fledged composition. So at the age of 13 I asked my mother to buy me a laptop, because before that we only had an old computer. That's how I started learning to write beats, synthesizers, drums, etc.

I often listen to what I created before, but more out of nostalgia. I'm really lost in time now, because there's so much going on around me. I turned 22 on May 1, and I still don't understand how it happened that so much time has passed. Because inside I'm still in some kind of childish state, when I glue Lego parts together. And I really like this path.


SadSvit / Photo by Marianna Shafro

I think when you're an artist, you always look at your old work and think, “I would do it differently now.” But that's normal – you look at it through the prism of your own growth.

Your lyrics are quite mature. Are they based on your life experience, rethinking? Where do such thoughts come from?

I think it's all puberty. My peers were always interested in things that I wasn't interested in. They wanted to go out, hang out, drink. I won't say that I was innocent in this regard, I also had such a period, but for the most part I accumulated my state in lyrics.

I was diagnosed with ADHD, so my brain is very chaotic. And then there's puberty, hormones, first love.

I have always been interested in heavier topics – cosmic, abstract, incomprehensible.

Interestingly, I've loved space since I was a child. For me, it's something that can be described in hundreds of different words.

My songs are more of a compilation of different situations and life circumstances.

At the beginning of your career, you wrote Russian-language tracks for a while, but later switched to Ukrainian. When did you finally give up Russian-language music?

My first tracks were in Ukrainian. You can even find that old rap on SoundCloud. Then for a while I actually wrote in Russian – it lasted until about 2021. That’s when, in my opinion, there was a huge leap in the development of Ukrainian music. Maybe because of TikTok and its algorithms.

Before that, Russian rappers were very popular. I wasn't a fan of this music, but it still influenced us. There was a feeling that if you wrote in Ukrainian, they simply wouldn't listen to you.

And then the Ukrainian renaissance began – that's what I call the end of 2020 – beginning of 2021. New young artists began to appear. For example, Tember Blanche. At the same time, my listening began to grow. I remember that in the summer of 2024, there were 58 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify. For Ukrainian indie music, that was a lot at the time.

And it was then that I realized that there was hope. That you didn't have to write in Russian to at least somehow interest the listener.

Now many artists are translating their old Russian-language tracks into Ukrainian. In particular, Tina Karol, who is also from Ivano-Frankivsk. What do you think about such translations?

I know there are a lot of different opinions here. But I believe that if these songs are translated, we enrich our cultural heritage.

Conditionally, it would be better if the same “Shlyopky” sounded in Ukrainian. Because there is also a demand for such music. There are people who grew up on these tracks and who need them. And, of course, it would be much better if they sounded in Ukrainian. MONATIK actually translated the entire album – and, in my opinion, it's very cool.

Although I also understand people who ask: “Why didn't artists write in Ukrainian before?” But I have already actually voiced the answer to this question.

Who among your colleagues impresses you the most today? Whose music is on your playlist?

In fact, I hardly listen to music now because I'm constantly working on my tracks and concerts. But I can name artists whose work is very dear to me.

Of course, this is Scriabin . Especially the early works, which were also experimental at the time.

I've probably been a fan of ONUKA since 2015. Her song “Misto” resonates very much with Ivano-Frankivsk. I often listened to it while walking. I also really respect Yevhen Filatov from The Maneken .

These are the main artists that immediately come to mind right now. Because, to be honest, apart from my own demos, I hardly listen to anything.

You say that you hardly listen to other people's music. Do you write custom tracks?

Only within the framework of collaborations. For example, songs with Tina Karol and Artem Pyvovarov were produced by me. Requests to write tracks come often, but now I simply don’t have time for it. My own project and the Do Sliz project are very important to me. It is on them that I am now fully focused.

Tina Karol & SadSvit – “We”: watch the video online

And how did the collaborations with Tina Karol and Artem Pyvovarov come about? For a young artist, this is a very serious level.

Tina wrote to me herself. We met, had a very good heart-to-heart talk, and after this conversation the idea of a joint song arose.

Artem first called me back in 2023. But then I was still forming myself. Then I went to his concert in Warsaw, saw the show he creates, and was very inspired. I thought: “Damn, how much energy is in a person.” I understand that someone may not like his work. Many people from the indie scene consider it pop.

Artem Pivovarov & SadSvit – “Terpy”: watch the video online

But it was the presentation that really touched me. I literally got caught up in it. I reconsidered my own prejudices and realized that I was putting internal blocks on myself. And when I got rid of these blocks, that's when the collaborations with Tina and Artem appeared.

Which of the duet tracks is closest to you?

I like all the songs – that's true. I love each track in its own way. Although at the same time I have a huge number of demos that no one has heard yet, because something in them is still unfinished.

In 2022, your track “Cassette” went viral. Then “Azov” used it in a video of combat operations. Your music was listened to at “Azovstal” at a time when Ukrainian defenders were literally fighting for survival. What was the realization of this like?

I would be lying if I said I was fully aware of it at the time. I was 17 years old. Before that, I had lived in Ivano-Frankivsk all my life, and then suddenly I moved to another country – and everything around me changed.

I was just trying to figure out how to put my life back together after such a global change in reality. It felt like you were in a dream: you pinch yourself but can't wake up.

Then I already had listeners. Not as many as after that video, but still. In Europe at that time, various events were often organized for Ukrainians. I came to one of them, there were about 60-70 people there. I played my songs, returned home, fell asleep, woke up – and my life changed conditionally. But I just fell asleep and woke up. Therefore, it is all still perceived as some kind of dream that I don't fully remember.

Many people associate “Kaseta” with Nazariy Hrytsevich “Grenka”, who died for Ukraine on May 6 two years ago. Do you have such associations?

First of all, I have associations with what I myself experienced and put into this song. Of course, people who listen to the tracks form their own meanings. But I can't rethink my song, because I know what it was written about. For me, my tracks are always about something very personal.

Probably, only one song has acquired a globally different meaning for me – “Sky”. At a certain point it became a song about the fallen soldiers. At each concert, this track is dedicated to those who cannot be with us physically now, but remain in our hearts, in the crowns of trees and raindrops.

SadSvit – “Sky”: watch the video online

How did your music end up in STALKER 2?

Quite simply (smiles). I think this genre of music fits this universe very well, so everything happened organically. The atmosphere of STALKER is cold, despondent, constant survival. But even there, there is still a small drop of hope. I think my music fits this atmosphere well.

In one of your old interviews you said that you didn't spend a single penny on advertising your music. Are you investing in PR now?

Of course, I invest in advertising concerts, because they need to be sold. But if we talk about music, then no. If a song doesn't resonate with the audience, then why invest a budget in it? There are many platforms for promoting creativity now. The main thing is that people like the creativity itself. And if it doesn't resonate, you need to think about what exactly you're doing wrong and how to change it.

Your music is being listened to and popularized by a new generation of military personnel. What does this mean to you?

I think it's about sincerity. I always try to be sincere – not only in communicating with people, but also in my work. When a person is insincere, it is felt very quickly.

I never tried to invent anything. I just poured my emotions into music – when it was good and when it was bad.

Many military personnel told me that they can't listen to other artists' songs about the war because they don't resonate. And my work resonates. I don't know how to explain it, but it still doesn't sink into my head. The only thing I understand is that if this is really the case, then it needs to be strengthened and developed.


SadSvit / Photo by Marianna Shafro

In 2022, you said that Pianoboy offered you to represent Ukraine at Eurovision, but you refused. What is your attitude towards the contest now?

My attitude towards Eurovision in the format it exists in now has not changed. Hypothetically, I could go there if I closed myself off from everyone for a year, learned to masterfully play something or sing, and prepared a big show. Because artists who want to go to Eurovision literally live for this competition.

I would be interested in going there as a spectator and just seeing how everything works from the inside.

I became actively interested in Eurovision after Go_A's performance. Since then, I've been watching the contest every year, making my own ratings, but in the finals, things almost always turn out differently than I predicted.

And my sister has been a Eurovision fan for over 15 years. She goes to the contest, makes her own lists – and almost always guesses the results. I don't understand how it works at all. It's a separate world that you have to live in.

LELEKA will soon represent Ukraine at Eurovision. What do you think of her song?

Eurovision is a kind of sport. That's why I always root for Ukraine. In my opinion, this year the National Selection had stronger songs. But we can't give the world global hits every year. I just prefer more dynamic music. For example, SHUM by Go_A. But any song will still find its listener.

Now you are 22 years old, you can freely travel abroad and return. Have you thought about building a life and career outside of Ukraine?

I lived in Europe for four years and still returned to Ukraine. If I returned, it means I had reasons and inner convictions for it. I went without any expectations. I just really love being home.

From abroad, everything looks much worse. Just a few days ago, I wrote in Threads that I don't understand contemporary European art, where people invent some pseudo-meanings and suffer because the price of sausage or cigarette filters in Germany has gone up by a penny.

I'm not interested in that. These are not the issues that concern me. For me, the problem is that my house is being bombed.

I would only go abroad now for the sake of touring. Because my audience is there too.

Wherever we are, we still remain Ukrainians. And it is very important to support this Ukrainianness so that it does not disappear.

The full-scale war has been going on for over four years, and the people who have been living abroad all this time have already assimilated to a large extent. They have Imagine Dragons and many other artists. But it is still important to maintain a connection with their homeland. And culture is one of the best ways to do this.

You have started a big tour of Ukraine, and most cities are already sold out. Did you expect such a result?

Yes, I expected it. I lived in Europe for several years, and my entire universe was actually in my computer and phone. It made me very angry, because I saw my tracks going viral on the Internet, but I myself hardly left the house. It was like I was sitting in some kind of cage. Therefore, I really expected that the concerts in Ukraine would be a big event, because before I had practically no performances here. And so it happened. I understand that some artists give much more concerts, but I don't have such experience yet. Therefore, I am glad that we are starting from this scale, and we will see what happens next.

A completely charity concert will take place in Kyiv on May 29. Who are you raising funds for?

We are raising money for the Ukrainian Navy. In Europe, we have already managed to raise 1.2 million hryvnias for marine drones. When I first came to Kyiv, I visited the Ukraine WOW exhibition and saw this drone live for the first time. Before that, I was also interested in everything Ukrainian and was in the context, but then for the first time I really understood what people were donating to. And I was amazed. This drone is simply huge.

I really like that through music, through the energy and hope I give to people, I can also help the military.

By the way, I recently attended the premiere of the film “KILLHOUSE”. It's incredible. I don't even want to compare it to American blockbusters, because there it's fiction. And here everything is real. And it's wow. That's why I want there to be even more operations after which Russia burns.

Tickets for the large SadSvit charity concert in Kyiv can be purchased at the link.

There is a current trend among Ukrainian artists to gather at the Palaces of Sports. Is SadSvit planning such a concert?

And why? I don't want to prove anything to anyone. Often such shows end up in the red. In my opinion, this is more of a demonstrative story. I don't need to demonstrate anything. I just want to do a cool, live, punk concert. Maybe one day I'll even make it to the Palace of Sports. But this will be an exception.

What words would you say to the younger generation that is growing up on your music?

Listen to yourself. Analyze what other people say. Because very often people want to put in their two cents, thinking that they are the smartest, although they themselves have not achieved anything. And the ability to listen to yourself is very cool. It is also important to cherish yourself and your work. Because if we just sit around, nothing happens. We need to move and develop. This is the most important thing.

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