Interviews

Devin Cecchetto is not only an actress known for her role as the younger version of Evelyn Goodwin in the Canadian series The Way Home about healing family and personal traumas through time travel via a mysterious pond, but also a singer-songwriter. She doesn’t limit herself to one genre, as she grew up listening to all kinds of music — and that helped her find balance between styles and, most importantly, feel free in her music. This week, she released a light, summery track called “So Obvious” along with a music video for the song. This summer, she’s been diving deep into music and opened up to us about the heartfelt creation of “Ships in the Night”, inspired by her life story, and the effortlessly breezy “So Obvious”.

SHÉLEST is a Ukrainian rock band that formed through an interesting symbiosis: Liana, who spent a long time searching for herself in music and eventually found her path after several performances in collaboration with Leonid — and Leonid himself, who knew since the age of 15 that he wanted to create his own songs, and dreamed of forming a rock band with a female vocalist during his student years. Recently, they became the winners of the Ukrainian competition held in London, Chervona Ruta, and are now actively working on their debut album — the first in a series of “elemental” albums, each one inspired by natural phenomena such as fire, air, and earth. Liana Hrytsa and Leon Vovnyar shared with Drive Music Media the beginning of their journey, their experience at Chervona Ruta, and the deeper meanings behind their new song «Chomu?» (Why?).

Max Hechtman is an award-winning, New York–based American director whose journey in film began with a simple thought — “I can do better” — after watching his brother’s school photo montage. Since then, he has gone on to create compelling dramatic films like Abigail, I Am Here, and Remembering Isabelle. Max opened up with Drive Music Media about how it all started, how he chooses actors for his films, the meaningful moments behind each story, and what new projects he’s working on now.

Mikola Borovskiy is a Ukrainian fashion photographer who draws inspiration from the depths of the human soul. He loves to reveal people in a new light, creating a fresh space where they can rediscover themselves. A turning point in his career came when he stopped photographing only himself — as he initially started with creative self-portraits. In our conversation, Mikola shared with Drive Music Media the story of how his artistic journey began, what he would never photograph, and details about his upcoming photo project.

Ellis Murr is a Ukrainian author and psychologist, and the writer behind the book "Ginger and the Predators Around Her", which aims to shed light on the topic of abuse, drawing from experience of her clients. The book doesn't rely on strict psychotherapeutic diagnoses — instead, it uses metaphorical storytelling that makes complex psychological dynamics accessible even to readers without a specialized background. With years of experience in psychology, Ellis has encountered countless cases of abuse, which inspired her to explore and expose this subject in her writing. She opened up with Drive Music Media about the beginning of her creative path and the story behind "Ginger and the Predators Around Her."

REYNARUM is a Ukrainian composer who trusts his own feelings and creates music, beginning his journey by experimenting with layers and textures that resonated in his heart. His first serious work was an eco-lounge album dedicated to certain objects of the solar system. This year, REYNARUM joined the creation of the compilation "24.2.25," made for the anniversary of russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. Two of his tracks were included in the compilation. REYNARUM shared with us about the beginning of his musical path, his participation in the charity compilation from the label "OCHI," and his personal mission in music.

Oles Stepanov is a Ukrainian composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist known for his three music projects, including MY EX I and a new, yet-to-be-revealed project. He works in the genre of electronic-orchestral music, where piano lines and guitar riffs form the foundation of his sound. The artist has released three albums to date, including a standout EP titled Challenge, born out of a friendly competition with a fellow musician — the idea was to create a 5-track mini-album in just 5 days. In this interview, Oles opened up with Drive Music Media the story of how his musical journey began, explores his three solo projects, and opens up about his creative process.

Morgendie is a collaborative music project by Ukrainian singer Amelteyaa and composer-songwriter Dmytro Kod (Kozlitin), whose music immerses listeners in the safety of inner worlds — especially in their debut album “Maris.” Recently, the singer took part in a concert at Tepliy Lampovyi, a place Amelteyaa describes as warm and familiar — something that truly feels like home. Morgendie opened up with Drive Music Media about what musicians shouldn’t worry about at their first live show, the creative process behind “Maris”, and how she finds inspiration for new music amid the full-scale russian war against Ukraine.

Mr. Infinitum Bye is an Italian composer and songwriter based in London, working within a groundbreaking genre he pioneered himself — Cosmic-Surrealist Avant-Garde music, earning him the title The Prince of Cosmic-Surrealism. For the artist, it's crucial to create music that breaks the rules — because, as he believes, rules are tools of manipulation, narrowing the potential of what’s truly possible. He recently released a new album titled Catharcism, which merges existential themes with abstract, open-ended lyrics, offering both deeply personal and universally resonant experiences. Mr. Infinitum Bye opens up with Drive Music Meda about the beginning of his musical journey, the vision behind Cosmic-Surrealist Avant-Garde, and the creative process behind Catharcism.

Liana Rain is a Ukrainian poet and the creator of the poetic YouTube channel "Conversations That Never Happened". She is currently working on publishing her debut poetry collection, which includes poems written during the "era of isolation" throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Liana shared insights about loss, her second book dedicated to her mother, Tetiana Pirus, whom she lost a few years ago, and poetry – where not only the words matter, but also the intonation with which you say them.