Kateryna Anatoliivna Pavlenko ( uk, Катерина Анатоліївна Павленко, ; born August 10, 1988), also known as Monokate ( uk, Монокейт, links=no), is a

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

singer, composer, and

folklorist Folklore studies, less often known as folkloristics, and occasionally tradition studies or folk life studies in the United Kingdom, is the branch of anthropology devoted to the study of folklore. This term, along with its synonyms, gained currenc ...

. She is the lead vocalist of the Ukrainian electro-folk band

Go_A Go_A ( uk, Ґоу_Ей) is a Ukrainian electro-folk band first formed in 2012 who were set to represent Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, with the song " Solovey". Following the cancellation of the 2020 cont ...

, who represented Ukraine at

Eurovision Song Contest 2020 The Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was planned to be the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It would have taken place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's victory at the with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The con ...

with their song " Solovey". After the cancellation of the contest due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, they represented Ukraine again in

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

with " Shum".

Early life

Pavlenko was born on August 10, 1988, in

Nizhyn Nizhyn ( uk, Ні́жин, Nizhyn, ) is a city located in Chernihiv Oblast of northern Ukraine along the Oster River. The city is located north-east of the national capital Kyiv. Nizhyn serves as the administrative center of Nizhyn Raion. It ...

Chernihiv Oblast Chernihiv Oblast ( uk, Черні́гівська о́бласть, translit=Chernihivska oblast; also referred to as Chernihivshchyna, uk, Черні́гівщина, translit=Chernihivshchyna) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. T ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, (at the time it was the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

) a city north-east of the capital

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

. Her mother worked an unpaid job in the military which meant her family was poor and, at one point, homeless. She was surrounded by

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

from an early age. Her grandmother was a singer and taught her the traditional style of singing known as '

white voice White voice ( uk, білий голос, translit=bilyi holos, pl, biały głos) or white singing ( uk, білий спів, translit=bilyi spiv, pl, biały śpiew) is a contemporary name, used usually in Eastern Europe, for the traditional singi ...

' and her grandfather played the

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

. Her mother also sang in a folk choir. During her time at school she studied singing and was encouraged by her teachers to become an opera singer, however she realised she wanted to become a rock musician. She was in a local rock band as a teen and performed in several concerts.

Education

Pavlenko studied at the Nizhyn School of Culture and Arts, graduating in 2009. She then went on to study

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

at the

Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts (KNUCA, uk, Київський національний університет культури і мистецтв) – is a university in Kyiv, Ukraine with level IV of accreditation History In ...

, graduating in 2013.

Career

Pavlenko has directed multiple folk ensembles, including the veterans choir in

Berezan, Kyiv Oblast Berezan (, , yi, בערעזאַן, ) is a city in Brovary Raion, Kyiv Oblast (region) of Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Berezan urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: . There is an important railway junction in the ...

. She is the lead singer of the band Go_A, and has written and published her own music under her pseudonym Monokate.

Recognition

In June 2021, Kateryna Pavlenko entered the top 100 most influential women in Ukraine according to Focus magazine, where she took 10th place.

Go_A

Pavlenko originally joined the

electro-folk Folktronica is a genre of music comprising various elements of folk music and electronica, often featuring uses of acoustic instruments – especially stringed instruments – and incorporating hip hop, electronic or dance rhythms, althoug ...

band

as a backup singer in 2012, but she is now the lead singer. Their first single, "Koliada" ( uk, Коляда, links=no), came out in 2012, but the band didn't gain much recognition until 2015, when they released "Vesnyanka" ( uk, Веснянка, links=no), which was number one in the 10Dance chart of the Ukrainian Kiss FM radio station, and was elected 'discovery of the year' by the same radio station. Their debut album ''Idy Na Zvuk'' ( uk, Іди на звук, links=no) was released in 2016.

Eurovision Song Contest

In early 2020, Pavlenko, along with the band, competed in Vidbir 2020, the Ukrainian National Selection for the

with the song " Solovey". In the final, they won both the jury and televote which meant they would represent Ukraine at Eurovision 2020 but due to the

, the competition was cancelled. Go_A represented Ukraine the next year at

Eurovision 2021 The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 was the 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, following the country's win at the with the song "Arcade" by Duncan Laurence. The Netherlands was set to host the ...

with the song " Shum". They placed 5th overall, but came 2nd in the public vote. "Shum" reached 1st place in the global Spotify Viral 50 on May 24. Pavlenko was also the Ukrainian jury spokesperson at the

Eurovision Song Contest 2022 The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Turin, Italy, following the country's victory at the with the song "" by Måneskin. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and h ...

. She awarded the United Kingdom their first twelve-point vote since 2017.

Discography

With Go_A

Albums

Singles

As Monokate

Singles

Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Ukraine

References

{{reflist Folktronica musicians Electronic musicians Ukrainian folklorists Ukrainian composers Ukrainian rock singers 21st-century Ukrainian women singers 1988 births People from Nizhyn Living people