Ukrainian singer Olga Tsybulska gave a candid interview to the show 'Naodyntsi z Glamurom', recalling her participation in the first season of the popular musical television project 'Star Factory' 19 years ago. The artist dwelled in detail on the realities of the Ukrainian show business of those years, touching upon the topic of joint performances with Russian singers and the backstage intrigues of the television show, which was broadcast on the country's central channels at the time.
Shared Media Space of the Past
According to Olga Tsybulska, during her participation in the project in 2007, the Ukrainian and Russian show businesses essentially functioned within a single media space. The singer compared that era to the times of the Soviet Estrada, when artists from various Soviet republics were regularly brought together in joint large-scale television projects and New Year's concerts. The performer noted that joint duets and general concert programs were perceived as the norm rather than a political choice, as the industry was built on the principles of a single market.
Refusing Performances and Fairness of Part Distribution
Answering journalists' questions about whether she had to boycott Russian artists, Tsybulska stated that no such situations arose in her practice. According to her admission, in those years, it never occurred to anyone to refuse numbers because of the origin of a stage colleague. However, far from all aspects of backstage life pleased the future winner of the project. The artist admitted that the distribution of songs and duet partners was not always objective and fair.
Rumors About Oleksandr Bodyansky's Ties to Philip Kirkorov
A separate topic of the interview was long-standing rumors that Olga's stage partner in the winning 'Dangerous Liaisons' duet, Oleksandr Bodyansky, was allegedly a protégé of Russian pop king Philip Kirkorov. Tsybulska confirmed that such talks indeed circulated in the corridors, but she never saw direct evidence of special patronage. The singer emphasized that if Bodyansky had indeed had such an influential patron, his solo artistic career would have turned out quite differently.
Stance After the Start of the War and Termination of Contacts
Following the outbreak of full-scale hostilities and the events of 2014, Olga Tsybulska's attitude toward her past experience and people from that era changed dramatically. The singer said that already after the escalation of the conflict, she received a scandalous message from Oleksandr Bodyansky, in which he tried to justify what was happening with words about 'planets not aligning right' and advised her to 'understand the situation' in due time. According to the artist, after such a response, she sharply severed any contact with her former colleague.
