Drevo

• Maksym Derevianchuk
• Date of birth – December 31, 2001
• City – Varash (Ukraine)
• Language – Ukrainian
• Genre – rock, pop-rock

The Artist’s Beginnings

DREVO (real name – Maksym Derevianchuk) is a Ukrainian singer with a unique timbre and a songwriter. He was a finalist of the National Selection for «Eurovision-2024». He immersed himself fully in the music industry about two years ago, although he had been singing since childhood. Maksym spent his younger years in the city of Varash, Rivne region. Even at that time, the boy performed on stage, taking part in various events. However, he did not pursue music professionally, as he was more interested in football. Later, he bought a guitar and began creating his own songs.

There was an obvious transition from sports to music. And over time, it became clear that the change had been for the better. However, when choosing his future profession, the young artist settled on the specialization «Automation and Computer-Integrated Technologies». Maksym enrolled at Kyiv Polytechnic on a state-funded place and even went on to pursue a master’s degree. But he studied without enthusiasm or enjoyment. He simply understood that sometimes you have to take on and do things you do not particularly like.

Creative Career

At the beginning of DREVO’s career, the audience noted the performer’s distinctive vocal timbre, describing it as bard-like. Maksym was compared to several musicians, but the artist himself rejected such theories and did not consider himself a bard. He attributed the emergence of various rumors to the lack of detailed information about himself. At the same time, Derevianchuk acknowledges a certain influence from the music of other bands. Since he primarily creates guitar-based music himself, he usually listens to well-known rock bands, of which there are actually many.

DREVO’s first tracks were lyrical, as the songwriter notes. His contemporary works, however, are now created in a different genre. They feature a successful combination of modern rock and folk elements, which makes Drevo’s songs authentic and distinctive. Maksym created his first tracks independently, from recording the sound to shooting music videos. His accumulated experience and desire to gain wider popularity and recognition among a larger audience led the artist to the National Selection for the song contest «Eurovision-2024». The artist participated in the selection with the song «Endless Chain», which combined a rock sound with nostalgia for 8-bit games, evoking the era of pixel graphics. As a result of the voting, Drevo took 9th place in the final.

It is worth noting that 2024 was not the artist’s debut at «Eurovision». His first attempt took place a year earlier. Maksym prepared the track «Life in Reverse», which was included in the longlist. The musician did not reach the final, but received positive feedback from the contest’s producer Dmytro Shurov. Maksym even developed a friendly relationship with the star. Shurov invited the young musician to perform at his live show and even played the drums while DREVO was on stage. This was a hugely important event in the career of the aspiring performer. Maksym highly appreciated the support of his wise mentor.

The Performer’s Style and Development

Maksym now has not only music videos that successfully take off on YouTube, including the million-view hit «By Plane», but also a professional team. Work is underway on creating new hits in the studio, and collaboration with a producer is continuing successfully. At the same time, the artist considers promoting his work on social media an important component of success. Maksym uses the opportunities provided by the internet to promote new releases. However, he acknowledges that it is not only online activity that matters, but also the quality of the music you create. After all, making something and making something that people genuinely want to hear are two different things. And achieving success and building a fan base is a long-term process.

The artist does not consider talent shows an effective tool for promoting his songs. Instead, he sees potential in TikTok and Instagram. This is where new music videos and recordings of Maksym Derevianchuk’s performances appear. Interestingly, the musician also posts reactions to his singing from his family members, friends, and girlfriend. The contemporary Ukrainian scene is full of new names, but DREVO is not worried about competition. The singer is convinced that everyone’s music is unique. Therefore, listeners choose what appeals to them.

Maksym Derevianchuk is currently fully immersed in his creative work. His debut solo concert in Kyiv took place in October 2024. DREVO also announced a tour of Ukrainian cities. The artist’s tour in winter and spring 2025 will include Dnipro, Chernivtsi, and Lviv. Meanwhile, the singer’s hits continue to gain huge numbers of streams on popular platforms, while video views consistently exceed one million. Maksym believes that he still needs to grow before releasing an album. But it seems that it will not be long before that happens. At least the artist’s boundless charisma and unique timbre are actively driving the musician’s growing popularity.

DREVO’s well-known singles:

• «Having Visited the Temple»;
• «Swallow»;
• «By Plane»;
• «Dissolute Life»;
• «Running Neck and Neck» and others;

Interesting Facts About the Artist:

• the performer creates his tracks independently despite having no formal music education;
• his stage name comes from the musician’s surname – Derevianchuk;
• his creative work is influenced most strongly by his surroundings and external factors, including what he does and what music he listens to;
• almost all of his compositions were created in the musician’s hometown;
• the singer has a positive attitude toward hate and believes that the greater the success, the more actively haters behave.

Drevo is only at the beginning of a major journey. With each new release, he opens up new horizons and possibilities for Ukrainian music, expanding his circle of fans. The young and promising artist continues to develop his unique style and introduce new creative ideas that will undoubtedly become an important part of contemporary Ukrainian culture.