Adriano Celentano
Victoria Niro is a Ukrainian singer, songwriter, composer and video blogger. Her real name is Viktoriia Yuliianivna Slobodska (Ukrainian: Вікторія Юліянівна Слободська). She was born on August 22, 2003, in Lviv. Her work combines contemporary pop music, the acoustic songwriting tradition, elements of hip-hop and Ukrainian popular music. The performer initially gained widespread recognition through cover versions of popular songs and later consolidated her success with original compositions such as “Рожеві окуляри”, “Не знаю” and “Питань нема”.
Childhood and the beginning of her musical education
Viktoriia Slobodska was born and raised in Lviv. She showed an interest in singing from childhood but began studying vocals systematically at around the age of 13. The following year, Viktoriia started learning guitar and piano, using the instruments both to perform well-known songs and for her first original musical experiments.
Her first listeners discovered her through videos of cover versions that the young performer posted online. One of the works that attracted attention was an acoustic version of Numb by Linkin Park. Victoria Niro later recorded covers of songs by Ukrainian and international artists, gradually building an audience on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
Meeting Dan Balan
An important event during the early stage of her career was meeting Moldovan singer Dan Balan. Viktoriia recorded a cover of the song “Мені треба”, and the video was noticed by the performer himself. He contacted the aspiring singer and invited her to appear with him at a concert in Lviv.
Their joint stage appearance took place in 2019, when Viktoriia was 15 years old. The artist later said that she regarded the invitation as confirmation that she had chosen the right path and, after that experience, made the final decision to pursue music professionally.
Cover versions and growth on social media
For several years, Victoria Niro developed primarily as a cover artist. She reinterpreted popular songs using acoustic guitar, piano and her own vocal approach. Rather than literally reproducing the original performance style, Viktoriia attempted to convey personal emotions and moods through familiar compositions.
Short-form videos and social platforms played a major role in her growing popularity. Her covers spread across TikTok and other services, with some recordings gaining millions of views. The singer gradually moved from performing other artists’ material to writing her own music while retaining the intimate and emotional delivery characteristic of her early videos.
Collaboration with Papa Music
At one stage of her development, Victoria Niro began collaborating with the Ukrainian music label Papa Music, which handled the release and promotion of her early original works. Her first official singles and music videos were presented as part of this partnership.
In the spring of 2023, the artist announced her decision to end the collaboration with the company. According to statements from both sides, the process of leaving had begun at the start of that year. Viktoriia did not disclose the reasons in detail but emphasised that her decision had been made independently of the public conflict between the label and another of its artists, Wellboy.
The singer subsequently continued releasing music with other teams and distributors. Some of her later releases were distributed with the involvement of TAVR Records.
“Молодий юначе” and the beginning of her original discography
Victoria Niro’s first official music video was created for the song “Молодий юначе”, released on September 23, 2022. The composition told a story of first love, youthful emotions and emotional maturity. The release marked the artist’s transition from cover versions to an independent pop career.
The song “Замало” also appeared during the same period. Social and wartime themes connected with the experiences of Ukrainians following the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion also started to emerge in the performer’s early discography.
The song “Віра”
In February 2023, Victoria Niro presented the composition “Віра”. It was based on the true story of a girl who was born in a bomb shelter during the first days of the full-scale war and was named Vira.
The song’s title has a double meaning: it is both the child’s name and the Ukrainian word for faith — faith in the country’s own strength, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, peace and victory. The artist described the central idea of the composition as the resilience of a person capable of preserving hope even in the most difficult circumstances.
“Рожеві окуляри” and the formation of her original style
In the summer of 2023, the singer released “Рожеві окуляри”. Built around the theme of disappointment in a relationship, the composition became one of the works that noticeably expanded Victoria Niro’s audience. The single was released on July 20, 2023.
During the same period, she presented the songs “А море манить”, “Тиха вода” and an interpretation of “Зоре моя вечірняя”. These releases revealed different sides of the singer, ranging from contemporary pop music and ironic lyrics to engagement with Ukrainian literary and songwriting traditions.
In the songwriting credits for “Рожеві окуляри” and “Тиха вода”, Viktoriia and Tetiana Slobodska are listed among the composers. This confirms the performer’s involvement not only in the vocal recording but also in the creation of the musical material.
Work released in 2024
In 2024, Victoria Niro released several songs that strengthened her position on the contemporary Ukrainian pop scene. These included “Як уві сні”, the duet “Байдуже” with Sasha Horovyi, “Сестра” with rap performer PROBLEMA, as well as the compositions “Без тебе”, “Біжу і падаю” and “Кораблі”.
The song “Не знаю”, released in April 2024, became particularly notable. It is based on the story of a friendship between a young woman and a young man whose relationship changed after a declaration of love. The music was written by Victoria Niro herself, while the lyrics were written by BOTASHE member Oleh Kozachuk, known by the stage name Shershen.
In the composition, the protagonist cannot immediately understand her own feelings, and the realisation of loss comes only after her close friend begins to distance himself. The song spread widely across social media and became one of the artist’s most recognisable releases.
“Непокірна голова”
In the summer of 2024, Victoria Niro presented the song “Непокірна голова”. Its central theme is pressure from other people, unsolicited advice and attempts to force a person to conform to someone else’s expectations.
Viktoriia wrote the music, Oleh Kozachuk created the lyrics, and sound producer Pavlo Yavorskyi handled the arrangement. It is therefore not entirely accurate to describe the song exclusively as a “protest” composition: it is primarily an ironic statement about personal boundaries and the right to control one’s own life.
First solo concert
Victoria Niro’s first solo concert took place on December 22, 2024, at the !FESTrepublic club in Lviv. The programme included the singer’s original songs and works through which she had previously become known as a cover performer.
The concert marked an important transition from primarily digital popularity to full-scale live activity. The performer subsequently began appearing more frequently with her own concert programmes in different Ukrainian cities.
Turning to the work of Kuzma Skryabin
On February 14, 2025, Victoria Niro released an official cover version of Kuzma Skryabin’s song “Мумітроль”. Permission to record the composition was obtained with the support of the Kuzma Skryabin Charitable Foundation and the blessing of Andrii Kuzmenko’s father.
The performer preserved the humorous foundation of the original but presented the story from a female perspective. The music video also referenced visual ideas from the original work while reinterpreting its characters and situations.
Her next work connected with Skryabin’s legacy was “Море”, a new interpretation of the song “То моє море”, previously performed by Skryabin and Sestrichka Vika. Victoria Niro described the song as a work capable of providing emotional support and helping people process difficult feelings.
“Питань нема” and a new stage of popularity
At the end of August 2025, Victoria Niro presented the song “Питань нема”, built around the memorable phrase “Питання є? Питань нема”. The composition quickly spread on TikTok and other social networks and subsequently became one of the singer’s most successful releases.
According to Viktoriia, the idea for the song emerged after she overheard a neighbour arguing about parking outside her window. The distinctive phrase became a musical motif around which the composition was built, addressing independence, self-acceptance and the refusal to change for the sake of other people’s approval.
The success of “Питань нема” significantly expanded the artist’s audience and increased interest in her concerts. The song became an important example of how an everyday expression, short-form video content and the performer’s recognisable personality could combine to create a complete pop hit.
Concert tour
In the autumn of 2025, Victoria Niro embarked on her first tour of Ukrainian cities, titled “Антистрес”. The concert programme included “Не знаю”, “Рожеві окуляри”, “Біжу і падаю”, “Питань нема”, cover versions of Skryabin songs and other works.
The performances combined a musical programme with direct communication between the artist and the audience. Charity fundraising for the needs of Ukrainian military personnel was also organised at some concerts.
Subsequent releases
Following the success of “Питань нема”, the singer continued to release both original compositions and stylistically diverse works. Her discography was expanded with “Все по плану”, the English-language song In the Dark, and, in 2026, the singles “Ало, це хто?” and “Я просто в маму”.
These works continued Victoria Niro’s characteristic approach to conversational pop music, in which everyday phrases, self-irony and stories from ordinary life are transformed into easily recognisable choruses.
Musical style
Victoria Niro’s music develops primarily within the contemporary Ukrainian pop scene. Her works combine melodic pop, acoustic elements, conversational delivery, occasional rap fragments and the influence of Ukrainian popular song.
Romantic and lyrical narratives played a noticeable role in her early works. Irony, social observations and themes of personal boundaries later began appearing more frequently. The singer may address unrequited love, war, social pressure or humorous situations from everyday life.
One of the characteristic features of her work is the contrast between an outwardly light, sometimes almost childlike performance style and lyrics dealing with adult emotional problems, including disappointment, loss, loneliness and the need to defend one’s own position.
Songwriting and collaborations
Victoria Niro participates in creating the music for part of her catalogue but does not work entirely in isolation. Depending on the particular composition, she collaborates with lyricists, composers, arrangers and directors.
One of her regular creative partners is Oleh Kozachuk, the rapper Shershen from the group BOTASHE. He was involved in writing “Не знаю”, “Непокірна голова”, “Зоре моя вечірняя” and other works. Pavlo Yavorskyi, also known as Yaski, worked on the arrangements of several compositions.
Performers with whom Victoria Niro has released collaborative songs include Sasha Horovyi, PROBLEMA, Shershen and Oleh Chyher.
Charitable activity
Following the beginning of the full-scale war, Victoria Niro participated in charity performances and events supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The singer said that her songs and live broadcasts resonated with military personnel, who asked her to continue performing and releasing music.
Social themes are also present in her work. The song “Віра” is dedicated to the resilience of Ukrainians, while the artist’s concerts have repeatedly been accompanied by fundraising campaigns for the needs of military units.
Ukraine’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest
Victoria Niro was included twice in the longlist for Ukraine’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest.
In January 2022, she was named among the 27 candidates seeking to participate in Vidbir 2022. The singer did not advance to the televised final.
In October of the same year, Victoria Niro was included in a list of 36 artists seeking to participate in Vidbir 2023. This time, she submitted material connected with the song “Молодий юначе”, but she again did not reach the final lineup.
Nominations and recognition
In 2024, Victoria Niro was nominated for the independent MUZVAR Awards in the New Breath — Best New Names in Pop Music category. She was included among the nominees following a readers’ vote.
In 2025, the performer was nominated for the national YUNA music award in the Breakthrough of the Year category. Singer Domiy won the award, so Victoria Niro should correctly be described as a nominee rather than a prizewinner.
Connection with Lviv
Lviv occupies an important place in Victoria Niro’s creative biography. She was born there, began studying music, recorded her first cover versions and held her debut solo concert in the city.
In a 2025 interview, the singer said that she had previously tried living in Kyiv but felt a strong attachment to her native city. She described her decision to continue developing her career from Lviv as one of the reasons for her differences with her former label. Such personal circumstances may change, however, so an encyclopaedic article should emphasise her connection with Lviv rather than claim that she never intends to move elsewhere.
Significance of her work
Victoria Niro represents a generation of Ukrainian artists whose careers developed at the intersection of social media, original pop music and direct interaction with listeners. Her journey began not with a major television project but with home-recorded cover versions, short videos and a gradually developing online community.
The transition from performing well-known songs to creating her own catalogue allowed the singer to preserve her recognisable sincerity while expanding the thematic scope of her work. Her songs combine romance, humour, the wartime experience of Ukrainian society, stories of growing up and the defence of personal freedom.
Victoria Niro is a Ukrainian singer and songwriter who progressed from teenage cover versions to an independent concert and studio career. Her popularity is connected with her ability to transform personal stories, familiar conversational expressions and emotional situations into pop compositions accessible to a contemporary audience.
