Anastasiya Prikhodko

Anastasia Konstantinovna Prikhodko, born on April 21, 1987, in Kyiv, USSR (now Ukraine), is a renowned Ukrainian singer, songwriter, and political activist. She has received the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine in 2017.

Early Life and Background

Anastasia was born into a mixed heritage family, with a Russian father and a Ukrainian mother.Her childhood was marked by the divorce of her parents, leading her to be raised by her mother in Kyiv. Her family history is diverse, including a great-great-grandfather of Japanese descent and a grandfather who was a World War II veteran.

Education and Early Career

At the age of fifteen, Anastasia aspired to join the pop group VIA Gra but did not succeed. Undeterred, she pursued her passion for music, graduating from the Kyiv Music College with a focus on folk vocals. She furthered her education at the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts and actively participated in various local music festivals.

Rise to Fame

Anastasia’s breakthrough came in 2007 when she won Fabrika zvyozd 7, a popular Russian TV music competition. This victory led to a contract with the well-known producer Konstantin Meladze.

Musical Achievements

In 2008, she gained further recognition by performing a hymn dedicated to Family, Love, and Fidelity Day on the First Channel and releasing a music video for her song “Bezotvetno,” directed by Alan Badoev.

Eurovision Experience

Anastasia’s attempt to represent Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 was met with disqualification. She then successfully competed in the Russian national selection with her bilingual song “Mamo,” winning the opportunity to represent Russia. She performed at the Eurovision 2009 in Moscow, finishing in 11th place. Following this, her collaboration with Konstantin Meladze ended.

Continued Music Career

In October 2009, Anastasia starred in the musical How Cossacks…, aired on New Year’s Eve. She released the video for “Vspykhnet svet” in 2010 and continued to participate in music contests, including the Ukrainian national selection for Eurovision 2011. In 2011, she collaborated with David on “Mezhdu nami nebo” and released “Yasnovidyashchaya” in 2012.

Political Involvement

In 2016, Anastasia competed in the Ukrainian national selection for Eurovision with “I Am Free Now,” but did not make it to the final. She later released a Ukrainian version of the song, “Ya vilna,” dedicated to Nadiya Savchenko.

In October 2018, Anastasia announced her shift from music to politics, joining Yulia Tymoshenko’s Batkivshchyna party. She ran for a seat in the Verkhovna Rada in June 2019 but later decided to leave the party and return to music.

Recent Activities

In February 2021, Anastasia declared her return to the music scene. She competed in the Ukrainian TV show “Maska,” (The Masked Singer) reaching the semifinals as the Dragonfly. In late 2021, she released a new song titled “Podruga,” and in June 2022, she came out with a music video for her Ukrainian-language song “Stepom.”