--- title: "Stepan Higa's Family Responds to the \"Vivtar\" Song Scandal: What FIINKA, Kiselev, and Karma Actually Said" description: "Stepan Higa's family has commented on the conflict surrounding the song \"Vivtar\": FIINKA, Kiselev, and Karma shared conflicting responses from the artist's relatives, while the musician's children called for dialogue." date: 2026-10-28T09:37:53.742Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/stepan-higa-family-response-vivtar-scandal tags: [] author: "Darya Fomina" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Stepan Higa's Family Responds to the "Vivtar" Song Scandal: What FIINKA, Kiselev, and Karma Actually Said ![Stepan Higa in a leather jacket surrounded by two young artists on stage during a tribute concert](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/28/semeia-stepana-hihy-otvet-na-skandal-s-pesney-vivtar/semeia-stepana-hihy-otvet-na-skandal-s-pesney-vivtar-1.webp) The Ukrainian music scene has found itself at the center of a loud conflict surrounding performance rights for songs by the late artist Stepan Higa. The trigger was a series of public statements made by singer FIINKA, performer Nikita Kiselev, and blogger Nicholas Karma—all three performed at Higa's tribute concert in Kyiv and subsequently faced mixed responses from the musician's family. In response, the late artist's children published a joint statement on their father's official Instagram page, commenting on the incident and calling for dialogue. ### How the Conflict Started: FIINKA's Version The story began after the Stepan Higa tribute concert, where FIINKA performed her own version of his track "Vivtar". The performance resonated positively with listeners, and fans began asking the singer to include the song in her own concert setlists. In an interview with Slava Dyomin, FIINKA stated that she approached the late musician's family to request permission for an official release of the track. According to her, she was ready to pay royalties and agree to all necessary terms. However, the singer claims she was told by family representatives that while she could release the recording, she could not perform the song at concerts. The reason for the refusal, according to FIINKA, was that the family allegedly sued Nikita Kiselev, who recorded his own version of "Vivtar", and warned her that violating the agreement could also result in a lawsuit. "Meaning, I couldn't use it because they would sue me too," FIINKA is quoted by Styler. The singer noted that she initially respected the family's request, but later noticed that Kiselev continued performing the song, released a music video, and advertised concerts featuring the track, which left her bewildered. ### Nikita Kiselev Denies Information About a Lawsuit Following the public backlash, Nikita Kiselev responded on Instagram. The artist categorically denied reports of any existing legal proceedings related to the performance of the song "Vivtar". According to him, he holds all necessary documents signed with the rights holder, and the use of the composition is officially approved. Kiselev emphasized that the release went through the label where Stepan Higa published his songs during his lifetime, and the entire process was accompanied by communication with lawyers. "We also checked the information about the lawsuit: according to our data, as of today, no legal proceedings regarding my use of the song 'Vivtar' have been or could be opened," the performer wrote. He also stated that he respects Stepan Higa's creative legacy and his family, and urged against spreading unverified information. ### Nicholas Karma: "I Was Fooled the Same Way" Nicholas Karma also joined the discussion, having performed the song "Dostahayut vishni" at the same tribute concert. The blogger shared that after the performance, he wanted to officially release his version of the track and offered to transfer all royalties to the family and authors in exchange for permission. According to him, back in May, Kvitoslava Higa called him to say that the family liked the performance, but the release would have to wait due to legal issues with Nikita Kiselev. In July, Karma re-applied for permission but never received a response. Following the statements by FIINKA and Kiselev, the blogger suggested that he too had been misled. "After Fiinka's words, I realized I was fooled the same way," he wrote on Instagram. At the same time, Karma urged not to blame the singer for lying, as he claims he was given identical information about the lawsuit. ### The Family's Statement: "This Came as a Surprise to Us Too" Following the wave of discussions, Stepan Higa's children published a joint statement on their father's official Instagram page. The family explained that the tribute concert in Kyiv was organized by people who had collaborated with the singer for many years. It was these organizers who negotiated with the artists and their managers and agreed upon participation terms. The family noted that during that period they were grieving a heavy loss and entrusted organizational matters to a familiar team. "Unfortunately, it turned out only after the concert that there are discrepancies between the expectations of individual artists and what was communicated to us. This came as a surprise to us too," the statement reads. The artist's children emphasized that they did not intend to offend anyone or devalue the labor of the musicians who contributed to honoring their father's memory, and declared their openness to "calm dialogue and a civilized resolution of all issues." ### What Remains Unclear At the same time, the family's statement lacks a key clarification: whether Stepan Higa's relatives actually told FIINKA and Nicholas Karma about a legal dispute with Nikita Kiselev. The text contains neither confirmation nor denial of this information. Nor does it explain where the concert organizers could have gotten information about an alleged lawsuit which, according to Kiselev himself, was never filed. Thus, at the time of publication, it remains unclear who exactly and on what grounds passed the information about a lawsuit to the artists. All parties to the conflict—FIINKA, Kiselev, Karma, and the Higa family—have publicly confirmed making their statements, but discrepancies in the details of what was said and by whom remain unresolved. The Higa family has called for dialogue, and whether the parties manage to resolve the situation in a civilized manner will be known in the near future. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Семья Степана Гигы ответила на скандал с песней "Вівтар" и прокомментировала конфликт с FIINKA](https://styler.rbc.ua/ukr/people/rodina-stepana-gigi-vidpovila-skandal-iz-1793179241.html) - Подтверждено по источнику styler.rbc.ua