Zhenya Halych on trips to the Russian Federation: "I never wanted to be present in Russia"

Ukrainian rock performer and leader of the band O'Torvald, Zhenya Halych, spoke frankly for the first time about his trips to Russia and participation in Russian festivals. In an interview on the YouTube channel, the musician shared his thoughts on performances in the aggressor country.

Zhenya Halych about trips to the Russian Federation

According to Zhenya Halych, despite the fact that he spoke and wrote in Russian, he never aspired to perform in Russia. The musician emphasized that he was not interested in Russian awards or festivals.

"Never in my life did I want to be present in Russia. Yes, I spoke Russian, maybe we had a few songs in Russian, but I never wanted to perform and participate in any awards, festivals in Russia, I was not interested in that. I never I didn't listen to Russian rock, except for one band, and I regret that, " the musician admitted.

Polish festivals instead of Russian ones

Instead of Russian stages, Zhenya Halych and his band O`Torvald chose Polish festivals. According to him, the music he listened to had nothing to do with Russian culture.

"All this time, while everyone was trying to go to Russia, we took part in Polish festivals, we went to Polish competitions of young artists. It seemed to me that all the music I listen to has nothing to do with the Russian cultural code, " he added Zhenya.

Zhenya Halych is a member of the ZSU

With the beginning of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zhenya Halych joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to defend his country from the aggressor. The singer did not stop his musical activity, although the performances of the O'Torvald band had to be put on hold due to the situation in the country.

Editor: Emiliia Morozova