Юрий Шатунов
Vitalii Vitaliiovych Kozlovskyi (Ukrainian: Віталій Козловський; born March 6, 1985, in Lviv) is a Ukrainian singer, songwriter and television presenter, and an Honored Artist of Ukraine. He gained widespread recognition after winning the television projects «Караоке на Майдані» and «Шанс» in the early 2000s. Among his best-known songs are «Холодная ночь», «Шекспир», «Пинаколада», «Красота-разлука», «Знаєш», «Нерозгадані сни», «Моє море», «Мала» and «Мала, танцюй». His main studio discography includes the albums «Холодная ночь», «Нерозгадані сни», «Красота-разлука», «Тільки кохання», «20UA», «Будь сильнее» and «Моё желание». In 2025, after a years-long legal dispute with his former producer Igor Kondratyuk, Kozlovskyi regained the ability to perform his early hits and began releasing updated Ukrainian-language versions of them.
Childhood and youth
Vitalii Kozlovskyi was born in Lviv into a family with no professional connection to show business: his father worked as an electrician and his mother as an accountant. Dance was one of Vitalii’s main interests from childhood. He began systematic choreography training in 1993, and by the time he finished school he already had considerable stage experience.
In 2002, Kozlovskyi joined the Lviv modern ballet «Життя», which at the time collaborated with Ruslana. Working with the dance company gave him his first experience of professional touring and performing on major stages. That same year, he enrolled in the Faculty of Journalism at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, graduating in 2007.
«Караоке на Майдані»
A turning point came in 2002, when Kozlovskyi took part in the Lviv edition of Igor Kondratyuk’s television programme «Караоке на Майдані». He won after performing the song «Вона» by the band «Плач Єремії».
The victory gave him the opportunity to join the new television project «Шанс». In the first season of the programme, Kozlovskyi once again finished in first place, with his performance of «Чорнобривці» becoming one of his most memorable appearances. After the project, the singer began a professional collaboration with producer Igor Kondratyuk.
«Новая волна» and the beginning of a professional career
In 2004, Vitalii Kozlovskyi represented Ukraine at the international young performers’ competition «Новая волна» in Jūrmala. He finished eighth out of 16 contestants. Around the same period, he recorded the duet «Відправила message» with Natalia Mohylevska.
Among the first songs that brought Kozlovskyi widespread recognition were «Шекспир», «Холодная ночь» and «Пинаколада». The music video for «Холодная ночь» was directed by Alan Badoev. It became one of the early notable videos in the careers of both artists and accompanied the release of the singer’s debut album.
«Холодная ночь»
Kozlovskyi’s debut studio album «Холодная ночь» was released in 2005 by Lavina Music. It included «Холодная ночь», «Шекспир», «Жовтий лист», «Цепочка», «Comme toi», «Сладко», «Вернись із спогадів», «Секрет», the duet with Natalia Mohylevska «Відправила меседж» and «Чорнобривці».
The album achieved gold status in Ukraine. Romantic pop with a strong emphasis on ballads became the foundation of Kozlovskyi’s early sound and shaped a significant part of his repertoire in the second half of the 2000s.
«Нерозгадані сни»
In 2006, his second album «Нерозгадані сни» was released. It also achieved gold status. By then, Kozlovskyi was touring regularly, filming music videos and appearing in major Ukrainian television projects.
That same year, he participated in the first season of the Ukrainian show «Танці з зірками». Paired with Kseniia Horb, the singer reached the final stage of the project and finished in third place. His choreography experience from his time with the modern ballet «Життя» allowed Kozlovskyi to build concert performances around a combination of singing and dance choreography.
«Красота-разлука»
The third studio album, «Красота-разлука», was released in 2007. Its songs included the title track «Красота-разлука», «Думай лиш о том...», «Знаєш», «Залиши мені», «Ты хотела», «Повільно», «Не моя», «Втома» and others. The album continued the musical direction of his first two records and also achieved gold status.
During this period, Kozlovskyi worked with Ukrainian composers and songwriters including Hennadii Krupnik, Dianna Golde, Oleksandr Yashyn, Roman Kvinta, Artur Zhelezniak and others.
«Чемпіони» and the 2008 Olympics
In 2008, Vitalii Kozlovskyi performed «Чемпіони», created as the first official anthem of Ukraine’s Olympic team for the Beijing Games. The song was associated with the Ukrainian team at the XXIX Summer Olympic Games.
Honored Artist of Ukraine
On January 16, 2009, Vitalii Kozlovskyi was awarded the honorary title «Honored Artist of Ukraine». He was 23 years old at the time.
«Тільки кохання»
The fourth studio album, «Тільки кохання», was released in 2009 by Moon Records. The album included «Только рядом», the duet with Iryna Bilyk «Мало», «Pronto», the title track «Тільки кохання», «Дождь стучит в окно», «Без тебя», «Полечу», «З тобою я», «Лебеди», «Весняний шепіт листя», «Обещание», «Загадай» and a remix of «Знаєш».
The title track was used as the soundtrack to the Ukrainian television series «Тільки кохання». Unlike the first three albums, the record featured material by a broader range of songwriters and combined Kozlovskyi’s familiar pop ballads with more rhythmic compositions.
Eurovision
Kozlovskyi took part twice in Ukraine’s national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2010, he performed in the selection final, but Alyosha was ultimately chosen to represent Ukraine.
He made a second attempt in 2017 with the English-language song «I'm Your Light». He performed in the second semifinal of the national selection but did not advance to the final.
«20UA»
In 2011, Kozlovskyi released the album «20UA». The title emphasised the Ukrainian component of the artist’s repertoire. The album became the final major work from the period of his close collaboration with Igor Kondratyuk.
Split with Igor Kondratyuk
In 2012, Vitalii Kozlovskyi ended his collaboration with producer Igor Kondratyuk and began working independently. One of the first songs of this new phase was «Сияние», released in the autumn of the same year.
After the contract ended, a years-long legal dispute arose between the former producer and the artist over the use of songs from Kozlovskyi’s early repertoire. The rights to a significant number of compositions created during their collaboration belonged to the production side, which meant that for many years Kozlovskyi did not perform several of his best-known early hits in concert. The disputes continued for more than a decade.
Independent career
After leaving his previous production team, Kozlovskyi independently developed his project, releasing songs and concert programmes. At the end of 2013, he also tried his hand as a producer, beginning a collaboration with singer Yuliia Dumanska. One of their joint works was the song «Тайна».
«Будь сильнее»
In 2014, Kozlovskyi released «Будь сильнее», his first full-length album after ending his collaboration with Kondratyuk. The release marked an independent stage in his career and separated his new repertoire from the songs created under his previous production contract.
In December 2015, the singer presented a major concert programme titled «220» at the National Palace of Arts «Ukraina».
«Моё желание»
In 2016, Kozlovskyi released the studio album «Моё желание». It became the seventh major studio work in his core discography and continued the independent phase that followed «Будь сильнее».
«Моє море», «Мала» and new songs
In the second half of the 2010s, Kozlovskyi gradually moved away from the album model toward the regular release of standalone singles. In 2017, he released «Моє море»; in 2018, «Літай» and «Между нами всё кончено»; and in 2019, «Мала» and «Згадуй».
In 2021, the artist released «Мала, танцюй», which became one of the most popular recordings of his new period. In subsequent years, he increasingly recorded songs in Ukrainian.
Television work
In addition to his music projects, Kozlovskyi appeared in various Ukrainian television shows, including «Танці з зірками», «Зірка + Зірка», «Народна зірка», «Ігри патріотів» and other programmes. In 2019, he became the host of his own project «Час кохати з Віталієм Козловським» on the M1 television channel.
Full-scale war and military service
After the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Kozlovskyi continued performing in Ukraine and participating in events supporting the military. In June 2023, he was mobilised and began serving in the 4th Rapid Reaction Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine «Rubizh». He underwent military training and later continued his service in various units.
Kozlovskyi was later transferred to the National Presidential Orchestra, and in the spring of 2024 to the 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade. His duties included training activities and performances for servicemen aimed at supporting unit morale. On June 28, 2024, Kozlovskyi was discharged into the reserve for family reasons.
Yuliia Bakumenko and the birth of his son
On December 29, 2023, Vitalii Kozlovskyi married his PR manager Yuliia Bakumenko. The marriage was kept out of the public eye for a long time. The wedding date coincided with the twentieth anniversary of the singer’s professional music career.
On February 25, 2024, the couple welcomed a son, Oscar. The artist spoke publicly about his family and the birth of his first child only after the baby had been born.
Regaining the rights to his early hits
In May 2025, the years-long legal dispute between Vitalii Kozlovskyi and Igor Kondratyuk came to an end. After the financial and legal issues were resolved, the court cases were closed and the artist obtained the rights to the song catalogue associated with the early stage of his career.
This allowed Kozlovskyi to return «Пинаколада», «Шекспир», «Красота-разлука», «Ты хотела» and other songs that he had not performed for years to his concert repertoire.
«Пінаколада» — new version
The first notable release after the catalogue was returned was a new Ukrainian-language version of «Пінаколада». Its live premiere took place in May 2025, after which the song appeared on digital platforms. The Ukrainian lyrics were written by Roman Dykhtiar, while preserving the main melody of the original song by Hennadii Krupnik and Maryna Kursanova.
The new «Пінаколада» became one of Kozlovskyi’s most popular releases of this period and returned the early composition to his permanent concert repertoire.
New version of «Шекспір»
On March 6, 2026, his birthday, Kozlovskyi presented an updated Ukrainian-language version of «Шекспір». The song received a new arrangement and, for the first time in its history, an official narrative music video featuring actress Anastasiia Tsymbalaru alongside the singer.
The original «Шекспир» dates back to the very beginning of the singer’s professional career and was included on the album «Холодная ночь». In the new version, Artur Zhelezniak’s music was retained, while the Ukrainian lyrics were written by Artur Zhelezniak and Roman Dykhtiar.
«Краса та розлука»
The next updated work was «Краса та розлука». The new version was first performed at Kozlovskyi’s major solo concert at the National Palace of Arts «Ukraina» on March 1, 2026, while the digital release followed on May 22.
Like «Пінаколада» and «Шекспір», the song received new Ukrainian lyrics and a modern arrangement, becoming part of the artist’s programme of reinterpreting his early repertoire.
Music of 2025–2026
Alongside the return of his older songs, Kozlovskyi continued releasing new material. In 2025, he released «Небо плаче грозами», «Мала Змогла», «Знаєш» and «Загадай», followed in 2026 by the updated «Шекспір» and «Краса та розлука».
This new phase of his career combines two directions: contemporary original songs and reinterpretations of his 2000s repertoire, a significant part of which is being translated into Ukrainian and given new arrangements.
Musical style
Vitalii Kozlovskyi’s main genre remains pop music. His early albums were built primarily around romantic ballads and mid-tempo pop songs, complemented by dance-oriented tracks.
His choreography training has always had a noticeable influence on his stage presentation. Unlike performers who mainly use a static vocal style, Kozlovskyi has incorporated dance choreography and complex stage routines since the beginning of his career.
His later songs introduced elements of contemporary electronic pop, dance-pop and acoustic production. At the same time, the ballad remains one of the central formats of his repertoire.
Studio discography
- «Холодная ночь» — 2005
- «Нерозгадані сни» — 2006
- «Красота-разлука» — 2007
- «Тільки кохання» — 2009
- «20UA» — 2011
- «Будь сильнее» — 2014
- «Моё желание» — 2016
The first three albums — «Холодная ночь», «Нерозгадані сни» and «Красота-разлука» — achieved gold status in Ukraine.
Main songs
- «Шекспир» / «Шекспір»
- «Холодная ночь»
- «Пинаколада» / «Пінаколада»
- «Красота-разлука» / «Краса та розлука»
- «Нерозгадані сни»
- «Знаєш»
- «Чорнобривці»
- «Ты хотела»
- «Залиши мені»
- «Моє море»
- «Літай»
- «Мала»
- «Мала, танцюй»
- «Про нас»
- «Небо плаче грозами»
Vitalii Kozlovskyi today
After completing his military service and resolving the years-long dispute over the rights to his early repertoire, Kozlovskyi returned to intensive concert and studio work. In 2025–2026, the songs with which he began his career returned to his programmes, while the artist simultaneously recorded new Ukrainian-language versions of them. In 2026, he is touring with an updated concert programme that includes both early hits and songs from recent years.
Thus, Vitalii Kozlovskyi’s discography brings together several stages of Ukrainian pop music: television music projects of the early 2000s, the album-oriented pop scene of the second half of that decade, independent work after 2012, and a new period associated with Ukrainian-language repertoire and the return of his early compositions.
