VOLKANOV
Some musicians begin their journey with recording studios, producer contracts and a carefully crafted stage image. Others have stories that start much more simply — with family, a hometown, a childhood passion for music and a desire to sing.
The story of VOLKANOV is one of them.
Behind the stage name VOLKANOV is Dmytro Volkanov — a Ukrainian singer, composer and songwriter from Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia region. He was born on 6 July 2001. A wider television audience first discovered Dmytro when, at the age of 17, he became a contestant on the ninth season of the Ukrainian version of «X Factor». Later came his work with Andriy Danylko’s team, followed by his own repertoire, solo concerts and songs that have attracted millions of views.
But to understand where VOLKANOV began, it is worth returning to the place where his personal story started — Berdiansk.
Berdiansk. The City Where It All Began
Dmytro Volkanov was born and raised in Berdiansk, a city on the coast of the Sea of Azov. In his interviews, the artist has repeatedly spoken about Berdiansk not simply as his birthplace, but as an important part of his identity.
One of the first people to notice Dmytro’s musical abilities was his grandfather, Dmytro Dmytrovych, who was a wedding musician. According to the artist, even as a small child he loved listening to music and singing along. When Dmytro was around three years old, his grandfather noticed that his grandson had a good ear for pitch and drew his parents’ attention to his musical ability.
At the same time, Dmytro had another serious childhood passion — football. Gradually, however, music took the leading role in his life.
Dmytro began performing, and the musical environment that surrounded him from childhood would later influence his own work. Volkanov has said that he listened to chanson from an early age and sang at weddings where his grandfather performed as a musician.
This is an important detail in understanding the future VOLKANOV. His musical language was shaped not only by the professional stage. It grew from the songs he heard around him and the music sung by ordinary people.
At 17. «X Factor» and the First Big Stage
One of the defining moments in Dmytro’s biography was the ninth season of the Ukrainian «X Factor».
He was 17 years old when he took part in the show. At his audition, Volkanov performed «Historia de un amor», the famous song that has been performed by artists including Julio Iglesias.
Dmytro continued in the competition, joined Andriy Danylko’s team and eventually reached the superfinal of the season.
The artist later recalled that he had not entered the project expecting major success. At first, simply seeing the judges in person was already an event for him, while reaching the superfinal became a much greater achievement than he had anticipated.
Andriy Danylko played a particularly important role in this chapter of his story.
Volkanov has recalled that at one stage he was no longer being considered for further participation. However, Danylko asked about the young singer who had performed the Spanish-language song and effectively brought Dmytro back into the competition.
«X Factor» did not become the final destination. On the contrary, after the television show another, much longer education in performing began.
Four Years with Verka Serduchka
After «X Factor», Dmytro received an offer to work with Verka Serduchka’s team.
According to Volkanov, he was initially invited as a temporary replacement for a backing vocalist who was unable to perform because of an injury. However, the temporary position became permanent, and the collaboration lasted for approximately four years.
This period became a practical school of the big stage for the young artist — concerts, touring, working within a professional team and an opportunity to see from the inside how a major music project operates.
Eventually, Volkanov decided to follow his own path. His collaboration with Serduchka’s team came to an end, and Dmytro’s solo career became his main focus.
This was the beginning of the story of VOLKANOV as an independent artist.
2022. War, Berdiansk and a New Chapter
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was not an abstract historical event for Volkanov.
His hometown of Berdiansk came under occupation.
In interviews, the artist has said that at the beginning of the full-scale war he temporarily lost contact with his mother, who was in the Donetsk region, while his father spent the first months of the invasion in occupied Berdiansk. Dmytro helped his family leave and settle after evacuation.
In 2022, songs directly connected with the experience of war and home began to appear in his work.
One of them was «Намалюю» («Namaliuiu»). That same year, Volkanov released «#ЯПОВЕРНУСЬ» («#IWillReturn»), a song dedicated to his hometown of Berdiansk. It premiered in September 2022 to mark the city’s anniversary.
For the artist, the idea of returning did not remain simply the title of a song.
In subsequent interviews, Volkanov repeatedly spoke about Berdiansk and his desire to perform again one day in his liberated hometown. At his concerts, he has emphasised a clear message: Berdiansk is Ukraine.
His hometown has therefore become one of the recurring themes running through both his personal story and his music.
The Birth of Solo Artist VOLKANOV
Gradually, the artist’s surname became an independent stage name — VOLKANOV.
His solo repertoire began to grow rapidly. Songs such as «Намалюю», «Пиши мені», «Наречена» and «Як моя любов» were released, followed by tracks that introduced the artist to a much wider audience.
One of his major breakthroughs was «Тебе знайшов» («Tebe Znaishov»), released in November 2023. Both the lyrics and music were written by Dmytro Volkanov himself.
The song began spreading rapidly across social media, particularly TikTok, while its official YouTube video went on to attract tens of millions of views.
VOLKANOV’s repertoire continued to expand with new releases. Among them were «Я на Жигулі», «Тюльпани», «Зоряне небо», «Сумна і п’яна», «Люблю тебе одну», «Я не буду пити», «В Україні жити», «Кордони» and other songs.
The solo project VOLKANOV gradually became much more than a continuation of Dmytro Volkanov’s television story. He now had his own songs, his own audience and his own concert history.
Music About Things That Need No Explanation
One of the defining characteristics of VOLKANOV’s music is its directness.
Love, separation, family, mothers, home, weddings, loneliness, hope and Ukraine — the subjects of his songs do not require complicated interpretation.
The artist has never hidden his affinity for chanson. In interviews, he has explained that he listened to this kind of music from childhood and feels natural working within this musical direction.
At the same time, VOLKANOV’s work cannot be confined to a single genre. His songs combine elements of contemporary Ukrainian popular music, pop and the tradition of lyrical songwriting.
Perhaps more important than any genre label is the fact that Volkanov writes music in the way he feels it.
And his listeners recognise their own stories in those songs.
From Online Songs to a Live Concert Artist
The story of VOLKANOV is not only about digital figures and millions of views.
Alongside the growing popularity of his songs, the artist developed an active live career. His concert geography expanded beyond major regional centres to smaller Ukrainian towns and cities.
Dmytro has spoken about how much he values the atmosphere of these concerts, when audiences do not simply listen but sing along, respond to his humour and experience the songs together with the performer.
This direct connection with the audience has become an important part of VOLKANOV’s identity as a live artist.
In 2024, his «Тебе знайшов» concert programme was announced in Kyiv. On 23 November 2025, VOLKANOV performed in the Grand Hall of the National Palace of Arts «Ukraine».
The next major Kyiv milestone is set to be the Palace of Sports, where a VOLKANOV concert is scheduled for 14 November 2026.
It represents a very different scale for an artist who once walked into a television audition as a 17-year-old.
VOLKANOV and His Audience
Volkanov has repeatedly emphasised that what matters to him is not only being on stage, but also the response of the people in front of him.
He enjoys hearing the audience sing along.
This detail explains a great deal about his repertoire. Many of his songs are created not simply to be listened to, but to be sung — at home, in the car, at a celebration or inside a large concert hall.
The story of «Тебе знайшов» is a clear example. The track spread widely across social media before continuing its life as one of the most recognisable songs in the artist’s live programme.
Step by step, VOLKANOV has moved from being a contestant on a television talent show and a performer within a major established act to becoming an artist whose own name brings audiences to concerts.
From Berdiansk to London
Another important location is now appearing on VOLKANOV’s concert map — the United Kingdom.
On 27 November 2026, a major VOLKANOV concert is planned at Studio 338 in London.
It is set to become the artist’s first major solo performance in the British capital.
The VOLKANOV concert in London is scheduled to take place at Studio 338, 338 Boord Street, London SE10 0PF. The event is organised by the Ukrainian community RIDNI in London. The programme promises a major live concert featuring well-known VOLKANOV songs.
For the musician’s creative biography, the event carries particular symbolic significance.
An artist whose story began in Berdiansk — with his family, his musician grandfather, his first songs and early performances — is now preparing to present his own concert programme in the British capital.
London is not simply another location on the touring map. The concert is being organised by Ukrainian community in the United Kingdom. The evening is therefore also set to become a meeting between a Ukrainian artist and Ukrainians who now live far from home.
VOLKANOV Today
As of 2026, VOLKANOV continues to release new music and perform actively. His repertoire includes dozens of songs, with some of his best-known tracks including «Тебе знайшов», «Я на Жигулі», «Сумна і п’яна», «Зоряне небо», «Люблю тебе одну» and others.
But numbers are only one way of describing this journey.
Another is to look at its geography:
Berdiansk. «X Factor». Andriy Danylko’s team. His own songs. Ukrainian cities. Major Kyiv stages. London.
Between these points are years of work, war, the occupation of his hometown, the search for his own musical voice and the gradual transition from a television talent show contestant to an artist with an audience of his own.
And yet one place on this map remains especially important to Volkanov.
Berdiansk.
The artist continues to speak publicly about his hometown and his desire to return there after its liberation.
In the meantime, VOLKANOV’s concert geography continues to expand.
After Ukrainian cities and major stages in Kyiv, the United Kingdom is set to become the next important destination.
27 November 2026 — a major VOLKANOV concert in London.
Studio 338. London. Live sound. A major concert by a Ukrainian artist in the British capital.
From Berdiansk to London.
The story of VOLKANOV continues.
