---
title: "“I Did Not Give Consent”: Composer Ruslan Kvinta Outraged by Bloggers Sinyak and Grey Wiese’s Performance of “Odna Kalyna” in Germany"
description: "Composer Ruslan Kvinta stated that he had not given consent to the performance of the song “Odna Kalyna” by bloggers Sinyak and Grey Wiese at a concert in Germany. A discussion unfolded online about the author’s rights and the German GEMA licensing system."
date: 2026-09-21T12:16:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/kvinta-outraged-by-sinyak-and-grey-wiese-performance-of-odna-kalyna
tags: [grey-wiese, igor-sinyak, ruslan-kvinta, odna-kalina, sofia-rotaru, gema, copyright, germany]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# “I Did Not Give Consent”: Composer Ruslan Kvinta Outraged by Bloggers Sinyak and Grey Wiese’s Performance of “Odna Kalyna” in Germany

![Composer Ruslan Kvinta at a desk with a judge's gavel and scales of justice in the background — visualization of the copyright dispute over the song 'Odna Kalyna' performed by bloggers Sinyak and Grey Wiese](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/21/kvinta-vozmutilsya-ispolneniem-odny-kalyny-sinyakom-i-grey-wiese/kvinta-vozmutilsya-ispolneniem-odny-kalyny-sinyakom-i-grey-wiese-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Russian bloggers Igor Sinyak and Grey Wiese performed “Odna Kalyna” at a concert in Germany, which outraged the music’s author, Ruslan Kvinta.
- Kvinta stated that he had not given consent to the performance and considers it to distort the work’s intent and to be capable of harming his reputation.
- Versions diverged online: some users supported the composer, while others pointed to the German GEMA licensing system, under which the author’s personal permission is not required; information about the performer’s citizenship remains unverified.

At a concert in Germany, Russian bloggers Igor Sinyak and singer Grey Wiese (Sergei Grigoriev-Apollonov) performed the song “Odna Kalyna” (“One Rowan Tree”) — a composition that became part of Sofia Rotaru’s repertoire and is well known among the Ukrainian audience. The music’s author, Ruslan Kvinta, publicly expressed his outrage and stated that he had not given consent to the performance. The entertainment project Styler from RBC-Ukraine reports on the incident and the online reaction [on its website](https://styler.rbc.ua/ukr/people/rosiyani-sinyak-ta-grey-wiese-zaspivali-odnu-1789992217.html), citing the composer’s post on the social network Threads.

### Concert in Germany and the composer’s reaction

According to Styler, the performance took place as part of a concert in Germany, where Grey Wiese and Igor Sinyak often perform together. It was precisely the fact of publicly performing someone else’s composition in a “non-authorial” context that prompted Kvinta’s statement. The composer emphasized that he had not given personal permission for these performers to use the work and that, in his view, the problem lies not only in the act of performance itself but also in the context in which the song was heard.

### Ruslan Kvinta’s statement

“I did not give consent for these individuals to perform it,” Kvinta stated in his address. According to him, he considers such a performance to distort the work’s intent and to be potentially capable of harming his honor, dignity, and creative reputation. Thus, the composer frames the situation not as a dispute over money but as a matter of protecting the authorial intent and his personal reputation.

### Contradictory information

The public reaction to Kvinta’s statement was mixed, and the versions on both sides diverge significantly. On the one hand, some users supported the composer, emphasizing that an author has the right to protect his own work: “Rights must not be violated! The law must work!,” wrote one commentator. On the other hand, other participants in the discussion pointed to German law and the GEMA system: according to them, to perform a song at a concert in Germany, an artist does not necessarily have to personally obtain the author’s permission if the use falls within the scope of a corresponding license that the event organizer arranges automatically, with royalties to the author then paid out by GEMA. One commentator under the nickname “the.our.zon” additionally claimed that Sergei Grigoriev-Apollonov allegedly holds German citizenship and lives in France; however, this fact is not confirmed in the original source and is presented as a user’s assertion. Thus, two positions coexist online: “violation of copyright and reputation” and “lawful performance within the scope of a GEMA license,” while information about the performer’s citizenship remains unverified.

### Who are Grey Wiese and Igor Sinyak

Sergei Grigoriev-Apollonov, who performs under the pseudonym Grey Wiese, is a singer and media personality of Russian origin, a relative of Andrey Grigoriev-Apollonov, a member of the pop group “Ivanushki International.” He began his music career with covers of songs by well-known international artists, and in 2017 released his first original composition, “Who Are You”; subsequently, the album #Beyourself and several singles were released. In 2025, Grey Wiese also released a licensed digital recording of his interpretation of Gilbert Becaud’s “Je reviens te chercher,” the release of which, according to the cited data, took place after obtaining a license from Universal Music France. Igor Sinyak is a beauty blogger and YouTuber from Kramatorsk, but holding Russian citizenship; according to available information, he also lives in France and showcases a “luxury” lifestyle on social media.

### Context: the song “Odna Kalyna”

“Odna Kalyna” is one of the well-known songs in Sofia Rotaru’s repertoire, with the music composed by Ruslan Kvinta. The composition features a distinctive Ukrainian flavor, and the image of the rowan tree in it traces back to one of the most recognizable symbols of Ukrainian culture. It is precisely this cultural and authorial context that, in the composer’s logic, makes, in his view, the performance of the work in a foreign, “distorting” key undesirable. The discussion around the concert in Germany thus goes beyond the bounds of an entertainment incident and touches on issues of copyright, licensing in the EU, and the protection of the work’s creator’s reputation.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Russians Sinyak and Grey Wiese Sang “Odna Kalyna” and Outraged the Song’s Author: What Kvinta Said](https://styler.rbc.ua/ukr/people/rosiyani-sinyak-ta-grey-wiese-zaspivali-odnu-1789992217.html) - Единственный предоставленный источник. Подтверждает факт заявления Квинты в Threads, факт исполнения на концерте в Германии и спектр реакций в сети (поддержка автора vs аргумент о GEMA). Сведения о гражданстве и месте проживания Grey Wiese поданы в источнике как утверждения комментаторов и не являются верифицированными фактами.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Why was Ruslan Kvinta outraged by the performance of “Odna Kalyna”?
**A:** According to him, he had not given personal consent for these performers to perform it and believes that the song was heard in a context that distorts the work’s intent and is capable of harming his honor, dignity, and creative reputation.

### Q: Is the author’s personal permission required in Germany to perform a song at a concert?
**A:** Online, it is noted that in Germany event organizers usually arrange a GEMA license, and royalties to the author are then paid out by GEMA, so under this version the author’s personal permission is not required. Kvinta, on the contrary, insists that he gave no consent and that the issue is not only about the payment of royalties.

### Q: Who are Grey Wiese and Igor Sinyak?
**A:** Grey Wiese (Sergei Grigoriev-Apollonov) is a singer of Russian origin, a relative of a member of “Ivanushki International”; Igor Sinyak is a beauty blogger and YouTuber from Kramatorsk with Russian citizenship. Both, according to available information, live in France and often perform together.