Myroslav Dzhonovych Kuvaldin (Ukrainian: Мирослав Джонович Кувалдін, romanized: Myroslav Dzhonovych Kuvaldin; born 19 January 1975) is a Ukrainian singer of Nigerian origin,[1][2] songwriter and television presenter. He is the founder and lead vocalist of the reggae band The VYO.
Myroslav Kuvaldin Мирослав Кувалдін | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Myroslav Dzhonovych Kuvaldin |
| Born | 19 January 1975 Dniprodzerzhynsk, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Genres | Reggae |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, television presenter |
| Years active | 1991–present |
Early life
editKuvaldin's father is from Nigeria, who lived in Ukraine while studying in the Zaporizhzhia State Medical University. After graduation he returned to Nigeria and Kuvaldin was raised by his mother.[1][2]
In 1979 Kuvaldin moved to Kobeliaky, Ukraine. He studied first in the Poltava National Pedagogical University, later in a Kharkiv university (speciality "Director of performance and mass events"), later in a Kyiv university, and finally in the Institute of practical psychology.[3]
Career and The VYO
editKuvaldin and Ukrainian guitarist Sergey Pidkaura founded the band The VYO in Kobeliaky in 1991. In 1995 The VYO won the third place at the all-Ukrainian song festival Chervona Ruta. In 1997 the band signed a contract with an art agency "Terytoriia A". They had been placed in rotation on the national television and reached the peak of their popularity.[4][5][6][7][8]
In 2000 Kuvaldin started a career of a TV host for the channel M1, and The VYO announced an official disband.[6][4][9]
On 21 August 2008, the band reunited and released a new album "Ganja".[10]
During the Euromaidan in 2013, Kuvaldin and The VYO supported protesters.[11]
On 10 February 2018, The VYO participated in the Ukrainian national semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018.[7][12]
In May 2018 Kuvaldin recorded a video message in support of Ukrainian filmmaker and activist Oleh Sentsov detained in Russia.[13]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Year | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Vyroby z plastmasy (Вироби з пластмаси) | 1998 | Products from Plastic |
| Ganja | 2008 | |
| Ye? (Є?) | 2012 | Is? |
| Mapa (Мапа) | 2014 | Map |
| Zelenyi (Зелений) | 2017 | Green |
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Literal Translation |
|---|---|---|
| "Zaliznyi dukh" ("Залізний дух") | 2014 | Iron Spirit |
| "Freedom" | 2015 | |
| "Kvasy" ("Кваси") | 2015 | |
| "Z Zhytomyra" ("З Житомира") | 2016 | From Zhytomyr |
| "Cypa" ("Ципа")
(with Mokh) |
2016 | |
| "Nam porobleno" ("Нам пороблено") | 2016 | We are Jinxed |
| "Tilky ty" ("Тільки ти")
(with Black Omolo) |
2017 | Only You |
| "Prut rika" ("Прут ріка") | 2018 | River Prut |
| "Padaiu v nebo" ("Падаю в небо")
(with Mykola Mozhovyi) |
2018 | I am Falling into the Sky |
| "Po planu" ("По плану") | 2020 | According to Plan |
| "Fazenda vynohrad" ("Фазенда виноград")
(with Ocheretiany kit) |
2020 | Fazenda Grapes |
| "Braty" ("Брати")
(with Jonovych) |
2021 | Brothers |
Personal life
editKuvaldin is married to Liliya Pavlyk-Kuvaldina, a back-vocalist of the band Braty Hadiukiny, and has two sons.[3]
External links
edit- Myroslav Kuvaldin at IMDb
- BBC World Service - African Perspective, Myroslav Kuvaldin - Part One and Part Two - a BBC podcast about Kuvaldin travelling to Africa to find his father.
References
edit- ^ a b Abiola, Rahaman (16 June 2022). "A child came back home: Ukraine music star speaks on finding Nigerian root". Legit.ng. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ a b Betko, Olga (5 August 2004). "Ukraine star seeks African roots". BBC. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ a b Faryna, Oksana (4 January 2007). "Мирослав Кувалдін не стригся 14 років" [Myroslav Kuvaldin haven't cut his hear for 14 years]. Gazeta.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- ^ a b Bilaniuk, Laada (December 2016). "Race, Media, and Postcoloniality: Ukraine Between Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism: Race, Media, and Postcoloniality". City & Society. 28 (3): 341–364. doi:10.1111/ciso.12096.
- ^ Helbig, Adriana (October 2011). "'Brains, means, lyrical ammunition': hip-hop and socio-racial agency among African Students in Kharkiv, Ukraine". Popular Music. 30 (3): 315–330. doi:10.1017/S0261143011000250. ISSN 1474-0095. S2CID 162498822.
- ^ a b Skrypnyk, H. A. (2008). Українська музична енциклопедія [Ukrainian Music Encyclopedia] (in Ukrainian). H. A. Skrypnyk, Rylsky Institute of Art Studies, Folklore and Ethnology (Vol. 2 ed.). Kyiv: Rylsky Institute of Art Studies, Folklore and Ethnology. p. 176. ISBN 978-966-02-4099-5. OCLC 855889913.
- ^ a b "The ВЙО учасники нацвідбору на Євробачення" [The VYO participants of the national semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest]. STB (in Ukrainian). 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ "Територія А. З чого починався український шоу-біз" [Terytoriia A. How Ukrainian showbiz began]. TSN.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- ^ Helbig, Adriana (2014). Hip hop Ukraine : music, race, and African migration. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-01208-1. OCLC 878405930.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Mori, Yevhenii (7 February 2020). "Антологія українського альбому. The Вйо, "Вироби з Пластмаси"" [Anthology of Ukrainian album. The Vyo, "Vyroby z plastmasy"]. Suspilne (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ "'Бошетунмай' The Вйо @ Євромайдан 17 12 2013" ['Boshetunmai' The Vyo @ Euromaidan 17 12 2013]. YouTube (in Ukrainian). 17 December 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ "Ukraine: Vidbir 2018". Eurovisionworld (in Ukrainian). 10 February 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
- ^ "Sentsov 9". YouTube (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 9 September 2023.