The new season of the popular talent show 'Ukraine Has Talent' kicked off with one of the most talked-about episodes of the season. In the contestant's chair was Shaya — a blogger and singer who gained wide recognition on TikTok thanks to her energetic covers of Ukrainian hits. However, her television debut on the country's main stage turned out to be not a triumph but a harsh rejection: her performance was cut short by two red buttons from the jury.

Who is Shaya and why did she choose such a demanding number

Off camera and off stage, Shaya works as a violin teacher at a music school — a fact that later played a key role in the reaction of one of the jury members. For her first television performance, she chose a task requiring simultaneous mastery of two high-level skills: live violin playing and vocal accompaniment to a rhythmic track. The song for her debut was 'Turn Up the Volume' performed by Jerry Heil — a dynamic track in which the synchronization of voice and instrumental part leaves no room for improvisation.

Two red buttons: the jury couldn't hold out

Despite the visible support from a group of fans in the audience, the star jury reacted sharply to the experiment. The first to break and press the red button was singer Artem Pivovarov. He was quickly joined by actor Stanislav Boklan, who cut the performance short. Thus, of the three jury members, two voted a categorical 'no,' which in the show's format means the performance cannot continue.

Olena Kravets: respect for the profession, not for the performance

The only one who refrained from pressing the red button was Olena Kravets. However, as she herself admitted on camera, her decision was dictated not by the quality of the musical performance but by respect for the contestant's teaching work and her profession as a whole. This statement added an extra dramatic note to the episode: in effect, even the restrained jury member did not evaluate the number by musical criteria.

Shaya's reaction on social media: 'I do have talent!'

On her Instagram page, the singer reacted to what happened with her characteristic confidence. Under one of her videos she wrote: 'I like myself, I do have talent!' — a statement that sparked a wave of discussion on social media and, according to Obozrevatel, made Shaya the subject of numerous memes. The contrast between the contestant's self-assessment and the verdict of the professional jury became the main talking point in the Ukrainian segment of social media.

Context: the show's format and previous seasons

'Ukraine Has Talent' remains one of the highest-rated entertainment projects in Ukraine, where a jury of well-known artists makes decisions in real time. The red-button format creates a high level of drama: cutting a performance short in public and on camera becomes an emotionally heavy ordeal for the contestant. In previous seasons of the show, there have been cases where contestants who received a rejection later found recognition on other stages; however, in Shaya's case, as of the publication of this article, no such data has been recorded.