Don Diablo
Korolova is a Ukrainian DJ, music producer, and founder of the Captive Soul label. The artist’s real name is Olga Korolova. She was born on March 17, 1988, in Chernihiv and has become one of the most prominent Ukrainian representatives of the international melodic techno and progressive house scenes.
Korolova’s music combines the melodic expressiveness of progressive house, the dense rhythm of contemporary techno, and the emotional rises inherited from 2000s trance music. In her sets, atmospheric compositions gradually transition into more energetic festival material, while vocal fragments and extended synthesizer themes are used to build a cohesive dramatic arc.
The artist’s international reputation was shaped not only by her releases, but also by extended video sets filmed in natural and urban locations around the world. Korolova turned this format into an important part of her project long before appearing on the main stages of Tomorrowland, EDC Las Vegas, and other major festivals.
Childhood and Introduction to Electronic Music
Olga Korolova grew up in Chernihiv. As a child, she studied music and later enrolled in a mathematics program. Her parents supported her musical education, but for a long time did not consider DJing a reliable profession.
A turning point came when Olga saw the American duo Gabriel & Dresden perform in the early 2000s. Their emotional and melodic trance sound made a strong impression on her. Korolova later explained that this was when she first wanted not merely to listen to electronic music, but to create the same feeling of emotional elevation for an audience.
Her early musical interests were not limited to electronic artists. Before becoming involved in club culture, Olga listened to heavy and alternative music, British rock, and recordings by Bob Marley. This diversity later appeared in her desire to combine club functionality with complete melodies and emotional content.
DJ Da Queen
Olga began her professional career under the alias DJ Da Queen. The project was focused on commercial EDM, electro house, and large festival stages.
Under this name, she toured extensively and gained significant stage experience. Over time, however, a conflict emerged between the performance format in demand and the music she actually wanted to create. The hard bass-driven sound of EDM did not correspond to her interest in melody, atmosphere, and the extended emotional development of a composition.
The transition did not happen immediately. Olga continued performing as DJ Da Queen while simultaneously experimenting with techno and a deeper progressive sound. By 2016, she had already begun considering this new music as a separate creative direction.
Daydream Festival and a Change of Direction
The final decision to change the course of her career came in 2017 after a performance at the Daydream festival in Mexico.
Korolova played on the main stage alongside Afrojack, Oliver Heldens, Yellow Claw, and other representatives of festival EDM. After her performance, she found herself near another stage where Claptone, Kölsch, and Boris Brejcha were playing. This music—melodic, deep, and still danceable—was far closer to her own inner understanding of electronic sound.
After the festival, Olga decided to develop a personal style based on progressive house, melodic techno, and elements of trance. The name Korolova, derived from her surname, emphasized the transition from her previous stage persona to a more personal project.
However, DJ Da Queen’s busy schedule prevented her from fully abandoning the old format for a long time. The opportunity to focus on the new music appeared during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the concert industry almost came to a standstill. Instead of taking a break, Korolova used the period to create tracks, record sets, and complete the formation of the new project.
Korolova’s First Releases
In the early 2020s, Korolova began releasing music regularly through European electronic labels.
One important early work was Time Again, created with Jan Blomqvist and Alar. The collaboration combined Korolova’s melodic production with Blomqvist’s distinctive vocal style and helped introduce the project to a melodic-house audience.
In December 2021, Korolova, Two Are, and Alar released the single Ready for More through Armada Electronic Elements. The composition demonstrated the principal characteristics of her established sound: a resilient progressive rhythm, an emotional vocal hook, and synthesizer development designed for an extended club mix.
During this period, Korolova also collaborated with Tube & Berger and other artists from the European melodic-house scene. Her music appeared on Armada, AFTR:HRS, Get Physical Music, Ultra Records, and associated imprints.
Be Strong
One of her most successful early releases was Be Strong, recorded with Spada and released in February 2022 through Armada Electronic Elements.
The track is built around a memorable vocal part, an even progressive groove, and a melody that gradually unfolds. The aggressive festival approach of the DJ Da Queen period is almost entirely absent: the energy is created not by a sudden drop, but through the consistent development of the arrangement.
Be Strong became one of Korolova’s defining works and remained a central moment in her live programs for a long time. Alongside Shining and Heal My Mind, it was later named by DJ Mag among the artist’s best-known releases.
Remixes and Vocal Collaborations
Korolova developed the project not only through solo compositions, but also through collaborations with vocalists and producers connected to progressive house and melodic techno.
In 2022, she prepared a remix of German producer Phonique’s Feel What You Want. Olga personally asked the original artist for the source stems and created a new version that preserved the recognizability of the vocals while strengthening the track’s progressive and atmospheric dimensions. The release became the first issue on the Zatar Music label.
Other notable works from this period include Sweet Disposition with Gundamea and Andy Ruddy, and a remix of This Feeling by Vintage Culture and Goodboys.
The collaboration Lost in Space with Franky Wah received an official release in 2023. Its extended club version combines a dark bass line, a gradually developing melody, and a large-scale climax characteristic of both artists’ performances.
Video Sets and a Digital Audience
Professionally filmed DJ sets became one of the foundations of Korolova’s success. The artist recorded performances on the coast of Odesa, in Turkish landscapes, in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, on Santorini, in Miami, Buenos Aires, and other locations.
These videos were not ordinary recordings of club performances. The music, surrounding landscape, camera work, and changes in natural light formed a unified audiovisual work. Some shoots took place in extreme conditions, from temperatures of around minus ten degrees Celsius to heat exceeding thirty degrees.
The format allowed Korolova to maintain a live connection with her audience during a period when traditional performances were restricted. The video sets later became a complete signature of the artist and one of the principal tools of her international promotion.
In an encyclopedic article, it is better not to fix the number of subscribers or views, since these figures change quickly. More important is the fact that Korolova managed to transform YouTube and short-form videos from supplementary promotional platforms into one of the foundations of her musical career.
Captive Soul
In autumn 2023, Korolova founded her own label, Captive Soul. Its first release was Heal My Mind, officially presented in October of the same year. A darker remix by the Venezuelan project Fur Coat followed in November.
The creation of the label allowed Korolova to shape her own release schedule and support producers whose musical approach was close to hers. Captive Soul did not remain merely a music imprint: radio episodes began appearing under the name, club events were organized, and the project’s visual concept continued to develop.
The catalog included works by MotherEarth, Tyoz, Ross Quinn, Sixth Ocean, Matador, and other artists. Korolova emphasized that she uses her own sets to support new music: a significant part of her programs consists of tracks by young producers and Captive Soul releases.
By 2025, the brand was organizing events in Athens, London, New York, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Ibiza, and other cities. Captive Soul gradually developed into an independent international event series, with Korolova acting as curator and principal artist.
Nightshapes, Reactive, and Shining
In 2024, Captive Soul released Nightshapes, created by Korolova with MotherEarth and Tyoz. The track combines emotional vocals, a tense bass line, and a melody that gradually unfolds toward its central climax.
That same year, Korolova and the Italian duo Monophase presented the collaborative EP Reactive, while she recorded the EP Shining with German producer Ekko for Tomorrowland Music.
Another important work was Vorozhyla, created by Korolova, Go_A, Rokston, and Monokate. The composition combined Ukrainian vocals and the folk-inspired intonations of Go_A with melodic electronic production designed for major festival stages. The release emphasized the artist’s Ukrainian identity without reducing it to a formal element of visual presentation.
International Performances
Korolova has performed at Tomorrowland, EDC Las Vegas, Untold, Parookaville, Ultra Music Festival, and other major festivals. Her touring geography has also included Hï Ibiza, Amnesia Ibiza, Space Miami, Green Valley in Brazil, and KOKO in London.
In 2023, the artist played more than one hundred shows across several dozen countries. In 2024, her schedule included 93 performances in 41 countries. These figures reflect not one-time festival popularity, but Korolova’s transition to continuous international touring.
In 2025, she joined the RESISTANCE residency at Amnesia Ibiza, performed at Ultra Miami, Ultra Buenos Aires, and Tomorrowland, and headlined Captive Soul events in Europe, North America, and South America.
DJ Mag Top 100 DJs
In 2024, Korolova entered the main DJ Mag Top 100 DJs ranking for the first time, placing at number 60.
The following year, she rose ten positions to number 50. Her ranking profile described her style as melodic techno and progressive house, while Be Strong, Shining, and Heal My Mind were named among her key recordings.
The ranking is determined through an open audience vote and is not a professional assessment of production skill. Nevertheless, Korolova’s rise demonstrates the growth of her international recognition, touring audience, and the strength of her own brand.
Releases from 2025–2026
At the end of 2025, Korolova released Made for Love with the Italian project Agents of Time and vocalist Conor Ross. The track continued her movement toward more song-oriented melodic techno, in which the vocal part becomes the center of the composition rather than a short club sample.
With American producer JOA, she recorded My Mind, released through the Experts Only label. The track revealed a more rhythmic and contemporary house-oriented side of her sound.
In May 2026, Korolova and the Norwegian duo KREAM presented Annihilation through LIQUID : LAB. The composition is built around a powerful bass foundation and a harder festival groove, while retaining her characteristic melodic tension.
In summer 2026, the collaboration The Present with Goodboys was released. At the same time, Korolova continued releasing music through Captive Soul, performing at major festivals, and hosting the radio show of the same name.
In July 2026, Ukrainian singer Jerry Heil joined Korolova during her performance on the Freedom Stage at Tomorrowland. The artists premiered their collaboration Drowning, which combined Jerry Heil’s expressive vocals with Korolova’s melodic electronic production. The premiere became one of the festival’s notable Ukrainian moments and demonstrated Korolova’s further movement toward complete vocal collaborations.
Captive Soul Radio Show
Captive Soul also exists as a regular one-hour radio program. In it, Korolova presents her own new releases, music from the label, and tracks by other representatives of progressive house and melodic techno.
The program is broadcast through digital platforms and radio stations in different countries. In 2026, new episodes continued to appear regularly, including on the progressive channel of DI.FM and Minatrix.FM.
The radio show performs several functions at once: it introduces audiences to new producers, supports the musical identity of Captive Soul, and connects studio releases with live activity.
Musical Style
Korolova’s principal musical directions remain:
- melodic techno;
- progressive house;
- melodic house;
- elements of trance;
- vocal electronic music;
- festival progressive and techno.
Her tracks are based on a straight four-on-the-floor rhythm, deep bass, and a gradually developing synthesizer theme. Korolova rarely constructs a composition around a sudden EDM drop. Instead, she consistently increases the tension by adding harmonic layers, vocals, and spatial effects.
The influence of trance is especially noticeable in the melodies and emotional climaxes. At the same time, the contemporary rhythmic foundation makes the music compatible with melodic techno and major festival programs.
Korolova’s sets usually move from deep and atmospheric material toward harder compositions. As a result, a performance is perceived as a single dramatic form rather than a sequence of separate popular tracks.
Ukraine and Charity Work
After the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Korolova was forced to leave Chernihiv with her daughter and pet. She first arrived in Poland and later lived in Lisbon for some time.
One of her first performances after the invasion began took place in Warsaw. Korolova recalled that she could not hold back her tears and built the program exclusively from music by Ukrainian producers. After that, she began appearing regularly on stage with the Ukrainian flag.
In 2022, the artist directed a significant portion of her performance fees toward helping people and animals in Ukraine. She also used her social-media pages to distribute information about the war and charitable organizations.
Ukrainian identity remains an important part of the project: it appears in Korolova’s public position, support for Ukrainian musicians, and works such as Vorozhyla.
Selected Discography
Main tracks and collaborative releases:
- Time Again — with Jan Blomqvist and Alar;
- Ready for More — with Two Are and Alar, 2021;
- Be Strong — with Spada, 2022;
- Feel What You Want — Korolova Remix — 2022;
- Sweet Disposition — with Gundamea and Andy Ruddy;
- Lost in Space — with Franky Wah, 2023;
- Heal My Mind — 2023;
- Nightshapes — with MotherEarth and Tyoz, 2024;
- Reactive — with Monophase, 2024;
- Shining — with Ekko, 2024;
- Vorozhyla — with Go_A, Rokston, and Monokate, 2024;
- My Mind — with JOA, 2025;
- Made for Love — with Agents of Time and Conor Ross, 2025;
- Annihilation — with KREAM, 2026;
- The Present — with Goodboys, 2026.
Significance
Korolova is one of the most successful Ukrainian DJs of the new generation and a prominent figure in the contemporary melodic techno and progressive house scenes.
Her career is particularly notable because international success did not arrive at the very beginning of her professional path. Before the emergence of Korolova, Olga spent many years performing in another genre and under a different alias. Abandoning an already functional EDM project was a deliberate creative risk that allowed her to find her own sound.
Korolova built her career on the combination of three elements: emotionally melodic music, visually expressive video sets, and a constant international touring presence. Captive Soul expanded this system, transforming the artist into a label head, radio-show host, and curator of her own event series.
Her journey from DJ Da Queen to number 50 in the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs demonstrates not an instant “viral” rise, but the result of sustained work, a change in musical identity, and the consistent development of an independent brand.
