- Date of birth – September 21, 1992
- City – Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi (Ukraine)
- Language – Ukrainian
- Activity – singer, composer, actress, folklorist, stylist
History of the artist's development
Mariya Kvitka is a Ukrainian singer, folklorist, costume designer. The artist was born in Korsun-Shevchenkivskyi in Cherkasy region – a region called “the land of Bohdan and Taras”. It was here that the girl began her journey in music. At first she studied at a music school – she played the violin for a year, later switched to the piano. She sang in the church choir. Already in childhood, Maria began her movement towards popularity and recognition. The future star told her mother at the age of five that she would become a famous artist.
Music and creativity were always present in Maria's family. Her mother, a pianist by education, taught piano until she devoted herself to raising her daughter. And her grandfather, although he had no professional musical training, owned several instruments - he played the trumpet, guitar, piano and everything that came to hand.
Despite her love for music, Maria did not discover the true beauty and power of folk songs right away. The girl studied at the Faculty of Folklore Studies of the Philological Faculty of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. However, before entering, she had almost no idea what authentic folklore was. Although at home they listened to recordings of Nina Matvienko and Kvitka Tsisyk, and her grandmother sang old songs, the girl did not understand what polyphony was, what distinguishes the traditional manner of singing.
The real realization came during folklore practice in the first year, when a group of students went to Baturyn to study the local culture. There, one of the local women sang - and Kvitka suddenly intuitively felt how exactly it should be performed. Now the singer is convinced: authentic music is transmitted directly, from person to person, without intermediaries.
Creative path
After completing her studies, Maria Kvitka joined scientific research activities - she worked at the National Center for the Study of the Ivan Honchar Museum and at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine. The owner of bright talent and powerful charisma became one of the founders and headed the Ukrainian Institute of Fashion History - the first interactive center in Ukraine dedicated to the study of traditional and modern clothing.
For many years, Maria has been traveling on folklore and ethnographic expeditions to different regions of Ukraine, where she documents authentic folklore. As of the end of 2022, more than two thousand folk songs had already been recorded. Working with traditional culture for the artist has always been inextricably linked with singing. Starting from participating in the university choir "Roksolania" (it was then that the first stage embroidery appeared), to performances at the Ivan Honchar Museum, at weddings, in restaurants and various events, where Maria performed both ceremonial and folk repertoire.
Mariya Kvitka admits that the war forced her to rethink folk music. According to the artist, after 2014, for the first time she truly heard echoes of modern tragedy in old songs. The compositions depicted cruel enemies, burned villages, broken destinies, young widows. What seemed like history became reality again.
In 2022, Kvitka appeared on the stage of the 12th season of the vocal project “Voice of the Country”, where she performed the composition “Oh, the Blue Dove Flew”. The contestant’s singing impressed two coaches – the leader of the Okean Elzy group Svyatoslav Vakarchuk and pop star Olya Polyakova. Maria chose Polyakova’s team. The final concert of the show took place in November 2022. The winner of the season was Maria Kvitka. The contestant won the audience over by performing a song to the words of Taras Shevchenko, “The Dnieper is Wide and Roars.”
Style and Creative Development
Mariya Kvitka’s style breaks stereotypes about the appearance of folklorists that may exist among music fans. A blonde with long straight hair, wearing an oversized T-shirt and baseball cap, with a trident tattoo on her arm and a portrait of Taras Shevchenko on her forearm – her image is modern, bold and recognizable. She is one of the most dedicated popularizers of Ukrainian traditions. The artist combines in her image signs of deep immersion in authentic culture with a bright personality that lives in the rhythm of the present – stylish, confident, free.
In May 2023, Maria Kvitka made her discographic debut with the album “Give My Heart Freedom.” Maria Kvitka recorded some of the songs on the album directly during folklore expeditions, while others were found in old collections. Despite their different origins, all the songs are united by one deep theme - love. The arrangements for the songs on the release were created in collaboration with sound producer Yaroslav Tatarchenko.
In the summer of 2025, the presentation of the new album "Roztsvit" took place. Fans of Maria Kvitka's work had the opportunity to embark on a musical journey through emotions, memory and the depth of the folk voice. Ten old songs collected from different regions of Ukraine intertwine longing for the pastachenim, the voices of ancestors and life-affirming love.
The creation of the album was joined by well-known representatives of the modern scene: the bands ShchukaRyba and Vilce, the singer of authentic singing Margarita Kozynska, saxophonist Andriy Barmaly and Yaryna Dron from the US Orchestra. The project won the Per Forma grant program, implemented with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Netherlands and the Kyiv Contemporary Music Days initiative.
Cultural projects with the participation of Maria Kvitka:
- “Origins”, “Sincere”, EthnoVogueUa Woman and EthnoVogueUa Man, “Legacy”, “Lost Names”, “True Ukrainian Life”, “Stolen Art” (author, curator, consultant, stylist);
- “Black Cossack” (actress);
- “Black Raven” (chief costume designer);
- “Wedding Legacy” (vocalist, screenwriter and composer);
- “Pamfir”, “MAVKA. Forest Song” (costume designer, consultant) and other projects that have become real hits in the cultural space of the country.
