- Full name – Veronika Oleksandrivna Kovalenko
- Date of birth – June 26, 2004
- City – Kyiv (Ukraine)
- Language – Ukrainian
- Activity – singer, songwriter, blogger
- Genre – pop
VERONIKA (Veronika Kovalenko) – Ukrainian singer-songwriter, actress, and video blogger who gained popularity after participating in the television project «The Voice. Kids» on «1+1».
The Artist’s Journey
Although there were no professional musicians in Veronika’s family, her love for creativity became evident from an early age. The future singer was born into the family of a bank employee and an occupational safety specialist. At the age of seven, she independently decided to dedicate her life to music and enrolled in a vocal studio. Her parents supported their daughter, although at first they viewed it simply as a childhood hobby.
Soon, the girl's talent was noticed – Veronika successfully passed the audition and became a soloist of the children’s orchestra «Souvenir». As part of the ensemble, she performed for five years, participating in numerous festivals, charity concerts, and competitions, where she repeatedly won prizes and Grand Prix awards. Among her major achievements during that period were reaching the finals of the «Chornomorski Ihry» festival and the national selection for «Junior Eurovision».
The Beginning of Her Music Career
Veronika Kovalenko first gained widespread attention in 2017 after participating in the television show «The Voice. Kids». The young performer impressed not only the audience but also all of the project’s coaches – during the «blind auditions», every judge turned their chair. She chose MONATIK as her mentor and, under his guidance, advanced to the semi-finals. Her performance quickly gained millions of views, entered YouTube trends, and brought the young singer her first broad recognition. From that moment on, her growing popularity became an additional motivation to work even harder on her own music.
However, the road to success was far from easy. Veronika first learned about «The Voice. Kids» back in 2012 and unsuccessfully tried to join the project throughout its first three seasons. These setbacks did not make her abandon her dream. On the contrary – each new season became an opportunity to grow professionally, improve her vocals, stage presence, and personal style. Later, the artist admitted that those failures made her stronger, shaped her character, and helped her become the best version of herself.
Creative Development
The year 2018 became a milestone in Veronika’s creative career. That was when she released her debut single «She Herself», which topped the Teen Parad chart on the nationwide radio station «Nashe Radio» for several weeks. Around the same time, the singer recorded the song «Tell Me» together with Artem Pivovarov and also released the music video for «To You». Later that year, she presented the single «Scratched», where VERONIKA appeared not only as a performer but also as the songwriter and composer.
The artist remembers 2019 with particular gratitude. It began with the large-scale Ukrainian fan tour «School», during which Veronika, as a special musical guest, visited more than thirty cities together with the creative team of a popular youth television series. At the same time, Kovalenko also made her acting debut – in autumn, audiences saw the large-scale historical drama «Love in Chains», where the singer performed one of the roles.
Another major challenge was participating in the large reality show «I Want to Join Open Kids». Veronika outperformed more than three thousand contestants and reached the super final, competing for the chance to become a member of the popular girl group. Although the producer ultimately chose another participant, Kovalenko accepted the result calmly. Throughout the project, she repeatedly heard that she possessed all the qualities needed for a successful solo career, and this support ultimately helped her define her own artistic path.
Education and Discography Debut
Veronika’s busy reality show schedule coincided with her admission campaign to the Kyiv Municipal Academy of Variety and Circus Arts. Despite the physical demands and emotionally challenging period, the future artist successfully combined preparation for entrance exams with filming. Thanks to her determination, she enrolled in the academy to study «Stage Artist».
At the end of 2019, another important release followed – her debut album «With a Guitar». The record features ten songs. Among the best known are «Not Yours Today», «On Fridays», «Tomorrow Will Be Better», and the title track.
Even the pandemic did not slow down the singer’s career development. In 2020, Veronika became a finalist of the Yuna Junior National Award and won the Garage Music project. As a result of audience voting, her song «Scratched» was included in the soundtrack of the popular TV series Fake.
«The Voice of the Country» and the Current Stage of Her Career
A new chapter in her career began in 2023 when Veronika became a semi-finalist of the thirteenth season of «The Voice of the Country» – the European season. She performed as part of the team led by Ivan Klymenko, founder of the ENKO label. This collaboration opened new opportunities for the artist. In the autumn of the same year, the singer officially continued her career under the stage name VERONIKA.
Her new releases began regularly appearing in YouTube trends and Apple Music charts, while her fanbase grew rapidly. In June 2024, the artist joined rapper Alyona Alyona’s team as a backing vocalist, and in the autumn she opened her own music production studio, V&V MUSIC. Today, VERONIKA is actively working on new releases together with hitmaker Ivan Klymenko, continuing to strengthen her position in the Ukrainian music industry.
Style and Themes
VERONIKA’s work develops within the genre of contemporary pop music. Her recognizable sound has been shaped by modern global music, which is clearly reflected in the rhythmic structure of her songs, her vocal delivery, and lyrical style. After releasing a series of emotional ballads, social media users even nicknamed Veronika the «Queen of Broken Hearts». Songs such as «Not Sober», «I'll Forgive You for Winter», and others became musical stories about complicated relationships, loss, and difficult emotions. The singer openly admits that she allows herself to be vulnerable because she believes that a person’s strength does not exclude their weaknesses.
At the same time, VERONIKA’s music is not limited to dramatic lyrics alone. Her repertoire also includes energetic contemporary tracks with a club sound, including the song «Better Version». It is this combination of heartfelt stories and dynamic pop music, together with her natural charisma, sincerity, and constant artistic growth, that allows the singer to confidently expand her audience, shape her own style, and strengthen her popularity on the Ukrainian music scene.
Best-known hits:
- «Lips»;
- «We Were Gone»;
- «Try Again»;
- «I'll Forgive You for Winter»;
- «Not Sober»;
- «Better Version» and others.
Interesting facts about the artist:
- at the age of eight, she received her first performance fee and still keeps that same 20-hryvnia banknote;
- her favourite dish – syrnyky (she often tries them in cafés and also enjoys cooking them herself);
- she started writing her own music after taking several online piano lessons;
- her hobbies include reading, choreography, journalism, blogging, and studying the biographies of her idols from the 2000s.
