Verka Serduchka

Verka Serduchka is a stage persona of a Ukrainian singer, composer and, comedian Andriy Danylko. Born in Poltava (Ukrainian SSR) in 1973, Danylko started as a comedian performing in sketch shows where his personage of Verka Serduchka was presented as a female train conductor in 1991. Verka became a phenomenon, reached TV as a presenter and, in 1997, released her first song «Просто Вера» (Simply Vera) and her mini-album «Я рождена для любви» (I Was Born for Love).

With a brilliant sense of humor, endless irony, the visual absurdity of her costumes, simple and optimistic themes of her songs, no wonder that Verka Serduchka gains sensational popularity in Ukraine and ex-USSR countries. Her next album «Ха-ра-шо!» (Ha-ra-sho!)(2003) with a hit single «Всё будет хорошо!» (Everything Will Be Alright!) received a ‘Diamond’ status on sales in Ukraine. Another album of 2003, «Чита-Дрита» (Chita Drita) contained a bunch of hits, such as «Гулянка» (Party) and «Тук-тук-тук» (Tuk-Tuk-Tuk).

In 2007, Verka Serduchka disrupted Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki with her freaky performance of ‘Dancing! Lasha Tumbai’ that still remains one of the most iconic acts in the history of the contest. Serduchka, who ended up being in the 2d place, gain the unofficial title of Eurovision Queen. The next year, she released her third album ‘Doremi Doredo’.

In 2020, Verka Serduchka made a comeback with her mini-album ‘Sexy’ produced in a collaboration with Swedish producers. This time written in English, the songs Make It Rain Champagne and Sexy once again proved Serduchka’s talent with dance-pop by becoming instant hits. 12-years hiatus didn’t harm Serduchka’s popularity a bit as her songs like «Гулянка» (Party), Dolce Gabbana, «Новогодняя» (New Year’s Song), as well as her image, had been deeply cemented in mass culture.