Boombox

• Year of foundation – 2004
• City – Kyiv (Ukraine)
• Language – Ukrainian, English
• Genre – rock, funk, reggae, hip-hop

Composition:

• Andriy Khlyvnyuk – vocals, lyrics;
• Valentyn "Valik" Matiyuk – DJ, acoustic guitar;
• Oleksandr Lyulyakin – drums;
• Inna Nevoit – bass guitar;
• Dmytro Kuvalin – guitar;
• Pavlo Litvinenko – keyboards;
• Stanislav Gurenko – acoustic guitar, video director, cameraman.

The band's producer is Alexey Sogomonov.

Band history

"Boombox" appeared in 2004 in Kyiv. Three friends - vocalist Andriy Khlyvnyuk, guitarist Andriy Samoilo (known as Mukha) and DJ Valentyn Matiyuk (Dj Valik) - simply got together to play music for their circle of friends. No plans for popularity and recognition, no loud ambitions - only the desire to create.

Although the band was born in the capital, the members came from different cities. Khlyvnyuk from Cherkasy, Samoilo from Lutsk, and Matiyuk from Novovolynsk. The story quickly took a dramatic turn: Oleksandr Polozhynskyi, the leader of the Tartak band, learned that Samoilo and Matiyuk were secretly writing an album with Khlyvnyuk. For the artist, this was a betrayal, so he asked them to leave Tartak. The guys complied with the request and from then on fully focused on their own project.

Creative path

The musicians created their debut album “Melomania” in record time – in just 22 hours. It was a real creative experiment that turned out to be successful. Then it got even louder: the album “Family Business” received “gold” status in Ukraine. After that, the musicians began to be actively invited to concerts. First to Western Ukraine – Lviv, Ternopil, Lutsk, and later the capital’s clubs became too crowded for the group.

In 2007, the song "Vakhteram" was played on leading radio stations. And soon the hit "Ta4to" burst onto the airwaves, thanks to which the band became famous even outside of Ukraine. In September of the same year, Moon Records released the single "Trymai". In 2009, a video clip for the song "Naodintsi" appeared - a trailer for the Ukrainian film "Vittorgnennya" by Volodymyr Lert.

Recording tracks, new video clips, tours around the country – Boombox was confidently gaining momentum.

Creative collaboration and tours

From February 9 to 20, 2011, Boombox went on a tour of North America. The tour included 8 live shows. In the spring of 2013, the band went to Europe with Dmitry Shurov. The musicians played concerts in the Czech Republic and Germany, presenting their music to the Ukrainian diaspora and foreign fans.

During the full-scale war, Boombox performed on stages in Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Great Britain, Croatia and other European countries. Later, in 2025, Andriy Khlyvnyuk's band invited all fans to autumn concerts in the USA and Canada. At the same time, the musicians announced a large-scale Drone Tour of Europe.

Boombox has always been open to experiments and creative collaboration. The group's achievements include collaborations with many Ukrainian artists:

• "Abyss" - together with Tinu Karol;
• Hey, Hey, Rise Up – together with Pink Floyd (Andriy Khlyvnyuk's vocals were used);
• Wish You Were Here – performance with David Gilmour at the I'm with the Banned concert;
• "Hold Me" – together with The Gitas;
• "Pravda" – together with Serhiy Zhadan;
• "Evening at Pio" - together with O.Torvald and other collaborations.

Social activism and civic position

Boombox during a full-scale war has its own rhythm, its own formula of life. It is simple, but time-tested. The band spends two, three, or even four weeks on tour abroad, bringing Ukrainian music to the world. After returning home, each member takes on his important mission. Someone goes to the unit at the front, someone deals with the affairs of Andriy Khlyvnyuk's charitable foundation, someone volunteers. A few months pass - and Boombox goes on tour again. Thus the circle repeats itself, in which the stage, aid, and war are intertwined into one life.

Thanks to the support of listeners - donations, ticket sales and merchandise - the band managed to do a lot of useful things. During this time, the musicians purchased things that help our soldiers defend themselves: from pickup trucks and drones to communication equipment and ammunition. Every song, every concert, every hryvnia turns into concrete assistance for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Style and creative development

With each new year, the band expanded its horizons, while maintaining the main thing - sincerity and lively drive, which made Boombox the idols of millions. And today, the band's music is not just a mix of styles, but a living energy born at the intersection of funk, hip-hop and rock. The group's work combines deep, sometimes confessional lyrics by Andriy Khlyvnyuk and multi-layered instrumental parts - from gentle keys to powerful guitars, bass and drums.

Tracks can be explosive, full of drive and light, or they can become quiet reflections on the meaning of life, love, loss and eternity. It is in this contrast that the magic of the band lies. Boombox creates music that resonates within, becomes a part of memory, recollections and feelings.

For many Ukrainians, the songs of Andriy Khlyvnyuk's team are the soundtrack of life. Melodies that sounded in the happiest moments and supported in the most difficult. Boombox is not just a band, but a phenomenon that changed the Ukrainian scene, proving that real music can unite people even in the darkest times.

Discography (studio albums):

• "Melomania" (2005);
• "Family Business" (2006);
• "III" (2008);
• "All Inclusive" (2010);
• "Middle Ages" (2011);
• "Terminal B" (2013);
• "The Secret Code: Rubicon. Part 1" (2019);
• "Secret Code: Rubicon. Part 2" (2019).

The band's most famous hits:

• "To the Watchmen";
• "Flowers";
• "Baby"
• "People";
• "Alone";
• "100% yours";
• "Loved";
• "Who We Were" and many others.

These and other tracks have repeatedly blown up the most prestigious music charts in Ukraine and abroad.

Awards and honors:

• YUNA 2013 "Best Band";
• YUNA 2019 "For special achievements in music";
• 1st place in the TOP-20 most significant songs of the 21st century – the song "To the Guards" (according to the decision of the YUNA award experts).

Interesting facts about the band:

• In 2014, the band refused to perform in Russia and put the Golden Gramophone award up for auction to support victims of the ATO;
• Despite expectations, the album "Family Business" remained out of the spotlight of Ukrainian radio stations for a long time. The band's producer Oleksiy Sogomonov recalled that on each of those stations that later called Boombox the "discovery of the year" and presented awards, several of the band's discs were lying in the trash. The releases were simply thrown away without even listening to them. But it was the fans, not the radio experts, who were the first to appreciate the guys' music and give them real recognition;
• The printing and mastering of the albums "People" and "Naked King" were carried out in Italy. Photographer Sonya Plakydiuk and artist Evelina Yatselenko worked on the design of the album "People" and the visual concept of the tour of the same name;
• When asked by a journalist to describe the character of each band member, preferably with an emphasis on flaws, the Boombox leader responded with his characteristic humor: "Andriy Khlyvnyuk is a bore, a romantic, a rock star. Andriy Mukha Samoilo is a cunning, family man, a rock star. Valentyn Valik Matiyuk is a silent, nice guy, a rock star."