Zhenya Halych
Yevhen Andriyovych Halych
Date of birth – April 29, 1984
City – Bila Tserkva (Ukraine)
Language – Ukrainian, English
Genre – pop-rock, pop-punk
Becoming an artist
Zhenya Galich is a Ukrainian musician, leader of the O.Torvald band, radio and TV presenter. The future star of the Ukrainian rock scene was born in the city of Bila Tserkva, in the Kyiv region. He grew up in the family of a military man. Yevgeny's early childhood was spent in Kazakhstan, where his father was serving. There, at the age of 5, Yevgeny began studying at a music school. He graduated from the piano and guitar classes. After returning to Ukraine, the family settled in Poltava. After school, the guy even thought about continuing his studies at a music school. However, he never realized these plans.
Zhenya Galich received higher education at the Poltava Military Institute of Communications. He mastered the profession of an engineer of telecommunications systems and networks. After graduating, he received the rank of reserve lieutenant. While studying at the institute, the talented young man did not abandon his creative pursuits. His student years were marked by cooperation with various musical groups. These were mainly representatives of the Poltava rock group. Yevhen also began working at a local radio station. The young man quickly realized that his true calling was music. Therefore, having postponed his career in his specialty, he went to the capital to devote himself entirely to creativity.
Creative path
In 1994, in the yard of his native house, Zhenya Galich met Denis Mizyuk. Later, the guys became not only best friends, but also musical associates. Together they began their musical career in 1999. The guys played in the Poltava group "Cool! Pedals". And in 2005 they founded their own group O.Torvald. Over time, the group began to actively give concerts. And Yevhen finally became convinced that he wanted to connect his life with the music industry.
In 2006, he graduated from the institute and moved to Kyiv with the musicians of the O.Torvald group. At first, they lived in a rented apartment. Later, they settled in a private house on Tatarka. They set up their own studio there. The location quickly became a center not only for creative work, but also for youth parties. At first, the group did not make a profit, so the musicians combined rehearsals and concerts with part-time jobs.
This continued until 2010, when O.Torvald gained wide popularity and recognition in the Ukrainian rock community. The band's video clips appeared more and more often on the Enter Music TV channel. The number of fans grew rapidly. The band took the first significant step towards recognition in 2008. The group's discographic debut took place. The album with the same name - O.Torvald - became the starting point of Yevhen Halych's stellar path in Ukrainian rock music. The group's bright style was determined. Prospects for touring and participation in major festivals opened up.
Artist's style and development
After the release of the album "In You", which included the singles "We Are Two" and "Swing", a new stage in creativity began for Zhenya Galich. Other representatives of the genre began to recognize the musician. Professional ties with Andriy Kuzmenko (Skryabin), Andriy Khlyvnyuk strengthened. Galich met the leader of the band "Boombox" in 2012 at the Prosto Rock festival. The result of the musicians' friendship and cooperation was a cover of the song "Sochi" by Lyapis Trubetskoy. The track became a real hit. In 2015 and 2016, the O.Torvald collective was recognized as the "Most Festival Band in Ukraine".
In 2017, Zhenya Galich and the group O.Torvald won the national selection for Eurovision and won the right to represent Ukraine with the track Time. Participation in the international competition was a great opportunity to once again draw the attention of the world community to Ukrainian musical culture. But despite the hopes and support of fans, the group took 24th place according to the voting results. In addition to music, Zhenya Galich tried himself in other areas. He hosted the program “My First Car” on the M1 channel and acted in films. In the film “Fight Rules”, the artist played the role of a boxer, trying himself as an actor.
Social activity
With the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the musician did not remain aloof from the events in his native country. On March 27, 2022, Zhenya Halych performed in Lviv on Rynok Square together with Sasha Chemerov as part of the “Ukrainian Art Front” project. The goal was to raise funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Already in April of the same year, the singer joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. As an officer with the rank of lieutenant, Halych served in the 135th battalion of the 114th separate brigade and took direct part in the battles for Bakhmut. Throughout the hostilities, Yevhen uses every opportunity to speak to the audience. In his live broadcasts, the musician not only supports the spirit of Ukrainians, but also calls for continued support for our defenders.
Awards and honors
For significant merits in strengthening Ukrainian statehood, courage and dedication, Yevhen Halych received the Order of Courage, 3rd Class.
Interesting facts about the musician:
- During Zhenya's studies at the music school, the teachers assured the boy's mother that nothing good would come of him. After all, Yevhen was inattentive and restless. In fact, the boy was not interested in playing according to the notes. So he improvised even then;
- Before the musician started earning money through his creativity, he had various side jobs. Among them were working as a consultant in a music store and handing out flyers on the streets;
- The singer is sure: you should enjoy life, be inspired by the people around you, and definitely do something for yourself and your country. And then everything will be fine.
