WELLBOY

• Real name – Anton Oleksandrovych Velboi
• Date of birth – June 9, 2000
• Place of birth – village of Hrun (Ukraine)
• Language – Ukrainian
• Activity – singer, composer
• Genre – pop

Wellboy (or ANTON VELBOI) is a Ukrainian singer and composer, whose hits “Gusy” and “Vyshny” brought the performer wide popularity, getting on the air of top radio stations and thousands of playlists. The composition “Gusy” entered the top 20 songs of Ukrainian Apple Music two weeks after the presentation and took 8th place in the all-Ukrainian radio chart.

History of the artist

Family

Anton Velboy (the artist's real name) was born on June 9, 2000 in the village of Hrun in Sumy region. He spent his childhood in a family where music was a natural part of everyday life. His mother graduated from piano class at one time, and his father played the guitar at weddings and various local events. So Anton grew up among melodies, live performances and home music making from an early age. Even as a schoolboy, he regularly went on stage during concerts and gradually discovered his artistic abilities.

A feature of the future artist's childhood was also his peculiar pronunciation - Wellboy himself jokingly called himself a "red-haired guy." However, this trait did not become an obstacle to musical studies at all: on the contrary, the boy sang confidently, reached high notes and knew how to attract the attention of listeners with his natural charisma.

Study and education

At the age of 14, Anton mastered the guitar, and soon convinced his father to give him a ukulele - a small four-stringed Hawaiian instrument, which later became one of his favorites. At school, the future performer was an active participant in concert life, and his artistry and ability to hold his own on stage even then distinguished him among his peers.

After school, Velboy planned to enter the Faculty of Geography of Kyiv National University. However, life circumstances changed this route. Having learned about the simplified conditions for admission to the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, Anton applied for the specialty "Pop Director". The first attempt was unsuccessful due to insufficient points, but a week later he had a second chance - this time the admission was successful.

The student years were also far from calm studies. To earn money, Anton worked as a bricklayer, animator, MC and actor. Sometimes the young man even sang in the underpass near the Palats Sportu metro station.

Participation in the X-Factor project

In 2019, when Anton was in his third year, he became a participant in the tenth season of the Ukrainian television show X-Factor. The young singer's mentor was Nastya Kamensky. Velboy reached the finals, where he performed his own composition "Wind", and finished the competition in third place. Even then, he became one of the most noticeable and original participants in the project.

The young artist received special support from Andriy Danilko. While some of the judges, in particular Igor Kondratyuk and Olya Polyakova, were critical of Anton's vocal abilities, Danilko paid attention primarily to his individuality, artistry, and ability to establish contact with the audience. When Velboy was facing the threat of elimination, Danilko personally convinced his mentor Nastya Kamensky to leave Anton in the show instead of another contestant.

For Danilko, Velboy's value lay not in the academic perfection of his vocals, but in his rare charisma, originality, and sincerity. These qualities, according to the star, could have touched the audience much more strongly. The artist's subsequent popularity confirmed that such a bet on an individual style really worked.

Creative path

In 2021, Velboy began collaborating with music producer Yuriy Bardash. The result of this stage was the release on June 25, 2021 of a video clip for the song "Geese." The director and sound producer of the work was Yevgeny Tryplov. The composition quickly attracted the attention of listeners, and the artist's unusual image helped him stand out among other representatives of the Ukrainian music industry.

In July, Wellboy took to the stage of one of the largest Ukrainian music festivals, Atlas Weekend 2021, and in August he performed at MRPL CITY FEST in Mariupol. That same summer, Tina Karol presented the collaboration album "Moloda Krov", which included a joint track with Wellboy - "Cherkai Iskra".

In October 2021, the song "Cherrys" appeared. In this composition, the artist combined Latin American rhythms with humorous lyrics, behind which at the same time a lyrical mood was hidden. It was this ability to be cheerful and sincere that gradually became one of the characteristic features of Wellboy's work.

Performance at the National Selection for Eurovision 2022

In 2021, Velboy announced his desire to enter the National Selection for Eurovision 2022. To participate, he prepared the track Nozzy Bossi, dedicated to the “strength of the village” and all the “barefoot people”. The song quickly attracted the attention of netizens – within a few days of its premiere, the video had over a million views on YouTubee.

The young artist's performance at the National Selection was generally positively received, although the staging of the number was criticized by the jury due to the objectification of the female body. Tina Karol and Yaroslav Lodygin expressed the opinion that such a stage presentation could cause a negative reaction from the European audience.

According to the results of the vote, Wellboy received seven points from the jury and six from the audience and took third place in the final of the National Selection. Interestingly, it was the third position that was the result of a major television music competition for the second time for him - previously he took a similar place on the "X-Factor".

Collaboration with labels

Wellboy's collaboration with Yuri Bardash ended due to disagreements related to the producer's position on the war. After that, the artist joined the Papa Music label, which was headed by Yevgeny Triplov. During this stage, his work was replenished with the patriotic composition "Enemies at Knives", as well as the track "Style", for which a video clip was shot on the Klitschko Bridge in Kyiv.

In April 2023, Wellboy left Papa Music with a loud scandal. The artist accused the label of allegedly "stealing" his social networks. And the company itself went to court demanding payment of $ 2 million. After that, the performer began working with concert producer Marta Ostankova, but later called her a fraud. The conflict became one of the loudest breakups in the Ukrainian music industry and entered the relevant top 5 according to Muzvar.

Despite the difficult period, the story did not end with a final breakup. In November 2023, Wellboy and Papa Music reached agreements and resumed cooperation.

Modern period

In 2025–2026, Wellboy's work underwent a tangible transformation, which was associated not only with musical experiments, but also with serious changes in the artist's personal life. An important factor was the move to Odessa. The performer himself explained his choice by the fact that Kyiv is associated with constant movement, noise and the need to rush somewhere and prove something all the time, while Odesa gave him a sense of peace and a completely different rhythm of life.

At the beginning of 2025, the artist dropped out of the concert process for a long time due to treatment and a period of mental recovery. Returning to the stage was also a return to active musical work. During the year, Wellboy presented a series of multi-genre singles, including "In the Soulful Crimea", "People on Earth", "Ayahuasca" and "Vedmeditsa", which became one of the notable hits of this period.

In 2026, the musician continued a new creative stage with the release of the mini-album "Passenger" and the video clip of the same name. In parallel, he presented the lyrical track "Marina". Despite difficult life circumstances and previous pauses, the artist is again actively working in the studio, preparing new compositions, collecting sold-out concerts and planning further musical tours.

Music style

Wellboy's creative style grew at the intersection of modern pop, hip-hop and characteristic Ukrainian reggae. His music does not strive for excessive complexity - on the contrary, it takes the listener with sincerity, light irony, lively intonation and bright conversational surzhyk.

The singer's modern sound continues to change. New musical motifs inspired by the maritime atmosphere of Odessa are added to the already recognizable sincerity and irony. So the current Wellboy is no longer just a star who once quickly burst into Ukrainian showbiz with viral hits, but an artist who is gradually building a new stage of his own creativity, while maintaining the main thing - a recognizable style, lively charisma and the ability to speak to the listener in simple, understandable language.

Song themes

The center of the artist's creativity is often romantic stories, adventures and funny situations from the life of a rural or urban boy, as well as a special connection with his home. Behind seemingly simple plots, much more is often hidden - observation of people, self-irony, reflections on growing up and finding one's place in the world.

In recent years, Wellboy's lyrics have become noticeably deeper. In new tracks, the themes of mental health, inner balance, personal changes and attempts to find peace in a world where chaos reigns around are increasingly common. At the same time, the artist does not give up his trademark lightness: even a serious composition in his performance can remain warm, witty and optimistic.

Civic position and social activism

With the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Wellboy clearly outlined his pro-Ukrainian position and stopped working with producer Yuriy Bardash due to his anti-Ukrainian views. The artist joined the cultural front and became an ambassador for the project of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine “Save Ukrainian Culture”. In parallel, Wellboy regularly participates in charity concerts and initiatives aimed at supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine and people who suffered from the war.

A separate place in the artist’s public image is occupied by the topic of mental health. Wellboy openly talks about his psychological state during the