Kostyantyn Mykolayovych Bocharov ( uk, Костянти́н Микола́йович Бочаро́в; born 11 April 1997), better known by his stage name Mélovin (stylised as MÉLOVIN; uk, Ме́ловін, 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 and songwriter. He first came to prominence after winning season six of '' X-Factor Ukraine''. He represented Ukraine in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2018 The Eurovision Song Contest 2018 was the 63rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Lisbon, Portugal, following the country's victory at the with the song " Amar pelos dois" by Salvador Sobral. Organised by the European Broa ...

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

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, with the song " Under the Ladder", finishing in seventeenth place, with 130 points.

Early life

Bocharov was born in

Odesa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative ...

to parents Mykola Bocharov and Valentyna Bocharova. He became interested in music at a young age, and as a child would put on and perform in concerts at his school. He later began attending a music school, but left before graduating. He subsequently enrolled in a theatre school, which he graduated from.

Career

2015–2016: ''X-Factor Ukraine''

Bocharov had auditioned for '' X-Factor Ukraine'' three times, but never got onto the televised show. Eventually, he passed his audition for the show's sixth season in 2015. He advanced through the competition and was eventually declared the winner. Following the show's completion, he went on a tour of Ukraine along with the show's other finalists. In 2016, he released his debut single "Ne odinokaya".

2017–present: Eurovision attempts and new song(s)

On 17 January 2017, Bocharov was announced as one of the 23 competitors in '' Vidbir 2017'', the Ukrainian national selection for the

Eurovision Song Contest 2017 The Eurovision Song Contest 2017 was the 62nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Kyiv, Ukraine, following the country's victory at the with the song "1944 (song), 1944" by Jamala. Organised by the European Broadcasting Uni ...

, with the song "Wonder". Bocharov competed in the third semi-final on 18 February 2017, where he placed second and qualified to the final as one of the top two finishers. In the semi-final, he received the highest number of televotes from the Ukrainian public but only placed fourth with the jury consisting of

Konstantin Meladze Konstantin Shotayevich Meladze (russian: Константин Шотаевич Меладзе, ka, კონსტანტინე მელაძე) (born 11 May 1963 in Batumi) is a Ukrainian-Russian composer and producer. He is the older b ...

, Jamala, and

Andriy Danylko Andriy Mykhailovych Danylko ( uk, Андрі́й Миха́йлович Дани́лко; born 2 October 1973), better known as his drag persona Verka Serduchka ( uk, Вє́рка Сердю́чка, links=no, ; russian: Ве́рка Серд ...

. The final was held on 25 February 2017. Bocharov placed third, after receiving the highest number of televotes from the Ukrainian public again, but placing second-to-last with the jury. The following year, Bocharov confirmed his return to ''Vidbir'' on 16 January 2018 after being confirmed as one of the 18 competing acts in '' Vidbir 2018'' with the song " Under the Ladder". He competed in the second semi-final on 17 February 2018, where he qualified to the final as one of the top three finishers, placing first with the highest number of televotes from the Ukrainian public and second-highest number of jury votes from the jury consisting of Jamala, Danylko, and Eugene Filatov. He won the final on 24 February and thus represented Ukraine in the

. He placed 17th in the voting in

final, gaining only eleven points from juries of 43 countries and 119 points from televiewers all around the world. After Eurovision 2018, he went on to release his new single "That's Your Role", which has had many views on YouTube. He won the second season of the Masked Singer Ukraine in December 2021.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Personal life

On July 5, 2021, Melovin came out as bisexual in a concert, followed by an Instagram post. In a media interview, he said how he'd known about his sexuality since the age of 13. "I was brought up as a real man who will give way to a woman, give a hand, do not offend with a word, think before saying… I was raised as an adequate person," said the artist, "It's not a choice! It's not fashion! It's not hype! It's not against nature! It's the same love as all of you, but for the opposite sex. And I'm happy… I love people, not their genitals, which is sincere I wish you too! " he said.

References

External links

MÉLOVIN Official Website
(English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Melovin 1997 births English-language singers from Ukraine Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2018 Living people Musicians from Odesa Ukrainian electronic musicians Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Ukraine Ukrainian pop singers Ukrainian songwriters The X Factor winners Ukrainian people of Russian descent 21st-century Ukrainian male singers Ukrainian LGBT rights activists Ukrainian LGBT people Bisexual musicians Bisexual men 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people R. Glier Kyiv Institute of Music alumni LGBT singers