Леонид Агутин
Olya Polyakova is a Ukrainian singer, television presenter and actress, whose full name is Olga Yuryevna Polyakova. She was born on 17 January 1979 in Vinnytsia. Over the course of her career, her musical style has evolved from traditional pop and dance songs to ironic pop with a strong element of theatrical performance, while after 2022 Ukrainian-language music became the foundation of her repertoire.
For many years, public biographies of Polyakova listed 1984 as her year of birth. In 2022, the singer revealed that she had previously concealed her real age and confirmed that she was 43 at the time.
Musical education
Polyakova received formal musical training. She graduated from a music school where she studied piano, then attended the Mykola Leontovych Vinnytsia College of Culture and Arts, where she studied choral conducting. She later studied pop vocals at the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts and attended the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine; biographical materials about the artist state that she holds a qualification as an opera singer.
This education stood in clear contrast to the comedic “Superblonde” persona she would later create: behind the deliberately light pop presentation was formal training in both academic and pop vocals.
Beginning of her career
Olya Polyakova’s professional music career began in the late 1990s. One of her first notable television appearances was the music video for «Так не бывает», which was shown in 2000 on the Ukrainian music programme «Территория А».
In 2001, she released her first full-length CD, «Приходи ко мне». Music videos were produced for the songs «Мальвы», «Цілуй мене» and «Даром — дам» to support the release. This period had not yet developed the visual and musical aesthetic for which Polyakova would later become widely known.
In the mid-2000s, the singer continued searching for her own format. She collaborated with Lyubasha and also recorded the song «Обними меня» with Denis Klyaver.
The “Superblonde” persona
An important turning point came in 2008, when Polyakova released the maxi-single «Суперблондинка» and began developing the stage persona of the same name. The character deliberately used exaggerated femininity, comedy, grotesque elements and visual theatricality.
This approach gradually became one of the artist’s defining characteristics: her songs and concert performances were built not only around vocals, but also around a distinctive character, costumes, humour and narrative-driven music videos.
In 2010, Polyakova and Serhii Lob won the second season of the television music project «Народна зірка», after which her presence on Ukrainian television increased significantly.
In 2011, she released the song «Алло», recorded together with Lyudmila Gurchenko.
Collaboration with Mykhailo Yasynskyi
A new stage began in late 2012, when Polyakova started working with producer Mykhailo Yasynskyi and the company Secret Service. During this period, her stage image was substantially redesigned: one of its most recognisable elements became an oversized kokoshnik, while the musical presentation shifted toward deliberately exaggerated and ironic pop.
One of the first songs of this period was Russian Style. Visual eccentricity remained part of Polyakova’s concert aesthetic in the years that followed, although her specific stage images changed repeatedly.
«Шлёпки» and «Люли»
In 2013, Polyakova released the single «#Шлёпки», which became one of the key releases of her career. Digital catalogues date the original single to 2013, and Olya Polyakova herself is listed among its songwriters.
The same year brought «Люли». These songs established the artist’s new musical formula: simple, memorable choruses, a dance-pop foundation, conversational language, self-irony and a deliberately theatrical female persona.
The following years brought songs such as «Любовь-морковь», «Первое лето без него», «О, Боже, как больно!» and other singles.
«Шлёпали шлёпки»
On 8 June 2017, Polyakova released the 12-track album «Шлёпали шлёпки». It collected a significant part of the material from her “Superblonde” period, including Polyakova Style, «#Шлёпки», «Плавочки», «Люли», «Любовь-морковь», «Первое лето без него», «Шарик», «Мальчикам это нравится» and other tracks.
In 2017, she also released «Номер один», another notable single from this period.
«Королева ночи»
The next stage of Polyakova’s career was associated with a gradual reduction of the purely comedic component and the emergence of more dramatic pop material.
In 2017, she released «Бывший», followed in 2018 by «Королева ночи» and «Любовница». These songs became the basis of the concert programme of the same name and the subsequent release.
On 1 February 2019, Polyakova released the seven-track EP «Королева ночи» through Best Music. It included «Королева ночи», «Лёд тронулся», «Любовница», «Звонила», «Мадонна», «Семирамида» and «Бывший».
In 2020, «Любовница» won the YUNA national music award in the category “Best Pop Hit”.
This period also included «Ночная жрица», «Эй, секундочку» and other releases that continued the combination of dance-oriented pop, melodic songwriting and stage irony.
Transition to the Ukrainian language
After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Polyakova stopped performing her Russian-language repertoire in its original form. The singer stated that she would record new songs in Ukrainian and English, while several of her best-known older compositions received Ukrainian-language versions.
One of the first notable releases of the new period was «Тішся», a collaboration with Artem Pivovarov, released on 26 August 2022 as part of his project “Твої вірші, мої ноти”. The song was based on a poem by Lesya Ukrainka.
In 2023, Polyakova presented the concert programme «Все буде добре», built entirely around Ukrainian-language material. It included both new works and adapted versions of earlier hits.
100% UA
On 17 January 2024, Polyakova released the album 100% UA — seven Ukrainian-language versions of songs from her earlier catalogue.
The tracklist included:
- «Королева ночі»
- «Секундочка»
- «Чарівні очі»
- «Рай на землі»
- «Номер один»
- «Танцюю, як в останній раз»
- «Шльопки»
100% UA was not a collection of new songs in the conventional sense, but rather a document of the linguistic transformation of Polyakova’s previously released repertoire.
That same year, Polyakova released the new Ukrainian-language singles «Білий налив», «Щоб не плакати, я сміюсь» and «Жінка з цікавим минулим».
A new stage: «Вкрала» and «Лунає»
In 2025, Polyakova released «Вкрала» and «Лунає». Both tracks became part of the next stage of her discography, characterised by less grotesque imagery and a stronger focus on contemporary pop production.
While working on the new material, Polyakova collaborated with songwriters and sound producers from the new Ukrainian music scene. «Лунає» was written by Oleh Lomakin, while the arrangement was created by Yevhen Tryplov’s team.
On 17 October 2025, the singer also released the English-language single Warrior featuring The Fourth Choir. Polyakova, Rick Parkhouse and George Tizzard are listed among the songwriters.
«ЖІНКА З ЦІКАВИМ МАЙБУТНІМ»
On 15 May 2026, Polyakova released the album «ЖІНКА З ЦІКАВИМ МАЙБУТНІМ», consisting of eight tracks with a total running time of approximately 23 minutes. The release was issued by Best Music.
The album continued the direction established by «Жінка з цікавим минулим», «Вкрала» and «Лунає». Its tracks include «Магнітні бурі», «Чому не я», «Пізній дзвінок», «Над рівнем моря», «Ча-Ча», «Вкрала» and «Лунає». The song «Над рівнем моря» was written for the project by TAYANNA.
«Ча-Ча» was originally released on 5 March 2026 as a song for the romantic comedy «Коли ти розлучишся?».
Another standalone release from this period was «Вадік», released on 17 April 2026. The ironic song draws on the aesthetics and language of the 1990s and continues Polyakova’s characteristic tradition of combining pop music with a comedic character and an everyday narrative.
Musical style
The foundation of Olya Polyakova’s work remains pop music, although her discography is stylistically diverse.
Her early work was dominated by traditional estrada and lyrical pop. The “Superblonde” period was built around dance-pop, humour, grotesque elements and deliberately exaggerated stage personas. The album «Королева ночи» brought the more dramatic and melodic side of her repertoire to the forefront.
After 2022, the most significant change was the language of her music, while the material released between 2024 and 2026 also refreshed the musical presentation itself: alongside her characteristic irony, the catalogue began to feature more contemporary Ukrainian pop music, lyrical material and songs that no longer depended on the earlier “Superblonde” persona.
Television
Alongside her music career, Polyakova has worked extensively on Ukrainian television. Over the years, she has appeared in music and entertainment shows and worked as a presenter, judge and coach on television projects. One of her early television successes was winning the second season of «Народної зірки» in 2010.
Her television work also had a significant influence on her musical persona: humour, improvisation and direct communication with the audience became permanent elements of her concert style.
Personal life
Olya Polyakova is married to businessman Vadym Buriakovskyi. The couple have been married since 2004. They have two daughters — Maria, born in 2005, and Alisa, born in 2011.
Main discography
Major releases:
- «Приходи ко мне» — 2001
- «Шлёпали шлёпки» — 2017
- «Королева ночи» — EP, 2019
- 100% UA — 2024
- «ЖІНКА З ЦІКАВИМ МАЙБУТНІМ» — 2026
Key songs:
- «Так не бывает»
- «Суперблондинка»
- «#Шлёпки»
- «Люли»
- «Первое лето без него»
- «Номер один»
- «Бывший»
- «Королева ночи»
- «Любовница»
- «Эй, секундочку»
- «Тішся» — with Artem Pivovarov
- «Жінка з цікавим минулим»
- «Вкрала»
- «Лунає»
- «Ча-Ча»
- «Вадік»
Olya Polyakova today
Olya Polyakova’s career spans several distinctly different stages — from her first recordings of the early 2000s to the “Superblonde” persona, a series of major pop hits in the 2010s and the subsequent transition to a Ukrainian-language repertoire. The albums 100% UA and «ЖІНКА З ЦІКАВИМ МАЙБУТНІМ» established a new period in her discography in which humour and stage theatricality remain present, but greater attention is given to the songs themselves and to contemporary Ukrainian pop music.
