Yulia Sanina

1. Real name – Yulia Oleksandrivna Bebko
2. Date of birth – October 11, 1990
3. City – Kyiv (Ukraine)
4. Language – Ukrainian, English
5. Occupation – singer, actress, composer, presenter
6. Genre – rock, pop

History of the artist

Yulia Sanina (maiden name – Golovan) is a Ukrainian singer, songwriter, TV presenter and blogger, leader of the musical group The Hardkiss. Yulia Sanina was born in Kyiv. Her parents were musicians, so there was always an atmosphere of creativity in the family. Mom and dad played an important role in the singer's development. Her mother was distinguished by her determination, and her father by his special care.

Her relatives were the first to see her daughter's creative abilities and bright charisma and devoted a lot of time to their development. Even close friends noted that the couple was extremely devoted to raising their daughter. It was the support of her parents that largely shaped Yulia into the person she is today. The girl's debut on stage took place at the age of three. The little artist performed a song accompanied by an ensemble led by her father. As a child, Yulia performed solo, in various show groups, and with a jazz big band.

In 2005, Yulia graduated from a music school, where she studied pop and jazz art. At a young age, the future star of Ukrainian music began appearing on television. And at the age of 15, she became a finalist in the show "I Want to Be a Star."

After graduating from school, Yulia Golovan entered the Institute of Philology of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, where she received a master's degree in Folklore. As a student, she sang on bar stages. In 2006, she began her creative activity as part of the musical group Sister Siren. This period lasted two years. In addition, Yulia was offered cooperation by the famous composer Ruslan Kvinta. As a studio backing vocalist, the performer participated in the recording of individual songs and albums by many famous artists and bands.

Creative path

After graduating from university, Yulia worked as a journalist for some time. And one of the interviews became fateful. During a working meeting, she met music producer Valery Bebko. At that time, he worked on the MTV Ukraine channel. In September 2011, Yulia and Val created the pop duet Val & Sanina, recording several songs and a test video clip.

At first, they made standard music that could be placed on the radio. However, they later realized that chasing places in the charts was not for them. But later they came to the conclusion that in the existing format it would be difficult to achieve significant success in the show business industry. Therefore, they decided to make the sound more powerful and transformed into the band The Hardkiss. Thus was born the collective, which later gained millions of fans in Ukraine and abroad. And the main message of the group's work was art, not show business.

In the same 2011, The Hardkiss released several tracks and shot a video for the song Babylon. And at the end of October, the band performed as a support act for the British band Hurts. The path to popularity and recognition of a wide audience had begun. Although Val and Yulia claimed that they were first and foremost not stars, they were musicians.

Having among her creative achievements powerful tracks, successful albums and spectacular video clips, conquering fans with non-standard images on stage, Yulia Sanina announced the start of her solo career in 2024. The singer created personal accounts on the Spotify, YouTube and Facebook platforms. Later, she announced to her fans the start of a tour called Special Kiss. Despite rumors of the band's breakup, The Hardkiss held charity concerts in Europe and the USA in the fall of 2024 with a full lineup.

The performer's style

Each appearance of Yulia Sanina on stage invariably caused a sensation among fans. Bold images, originality and zero stereotypes won the hearts of thousands of viewers. It is known that the image of the members of The Hardkiss was developed by stylists Slava Chaika and Vitaliy Datsyuk. At the same time, Yulia Sanina chose clothes from foreign brands in everyday life. Already during the post-war foreign tours, the frontwoman of the group changes accents and demonstrates stylish outfits from Ukrainian brands.

Social activity

In 2014, Yulia Sanina joined the charity project "Shchyri", which aimed to popularize Ukrainian culture and Ukrainiannational costume. The initiative turned into a calendar, the proceeds from the sale of which were donated to the treatment of wounded ATO fighters. The Kyiv Military Hospital and the volunteer initiative of the Ukrainian Catholic University “Volunteer Hundred” received assistance.

Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Yulia Sanina and the band The Hardkiss have given many charity live shows in cities in Europe and the USA. The band’s performances have become not only musical events, but also powerful information platforms. The artists told the world about the war in Ukraine. And the funds raised were directed to humanitarian needs.

Participation in TV projects

Yulia Sanina was remembered by TV viewers thanks to her participation in popular shows and entertainment programs. The singer was a jury member and mentor on the show "X-Factor". She participated in the shows "Superintuition-3", "Top Model in Ukrainian", "Dancing with the Stars", "Masquerade", "Children against the Stars", "Lipsync Battle", "Heads and Tails - 10 Years", "Where is the Logic", "Everyone Sings", "Voice of the Country-13".

Awards and distinctions:

1. diploma of the festival "Black Sea Games 1999";
2. 1st prize of the International Children's Festival "Slavonic Bazaar 2002";
3. «Viva! The Most Beautiful-2018» award in the «Viva!» nomination;
4. «Golden Firebird» award in the «Ballad of the Year» category (duet composition with Tina Karol «Free»);
5. YUNA award for the song «Free» in the nominations «Best Song for a Film» and «Best Duet» and other prestigious awards.

Interesting facts about the singer:

1. Yulia Sanina has distinguished herself with bright collaborations with other stars of the scene. The singer's repertoire includes collaborations with Tina Karol (hit "Vilna"), the TVORCHI group (song "Mriynyky"), Jerry Heil (track WABI-SABI) and others;
2. the singer is one of those Ukrainian women whose face and silhouette became the prototype of the Ukrainian Barbie doll series;
3. the character Agatha spoke with the artist's voice in the game "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl". The artist also voiced Smurfflower in the Ukrainian dubbing of the animated film "The Smurfs: The Lost Village";
4. during the official opening of Eurovision-2023, where Sanina was the host, the singer met with King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla. In addition, on the stage of the competition, the soloist of The Hardkiss sang in a duet with Loreen.