Interviews

Cherepanov is a Ukrainian guitarist, songwriter, and one of the key figures in Kyiv’s alternative underground scene — a musician who doesn’t just play music, but builds an entire ecosystem around it. From early inspiration Pet Shop Boys to founding bands, organizing concerts for international acts, and running the iconic Kyiv based art-space “Tepliy Lampoviy,” his journey reflects a deep commitment to creative freedom and community. As a member of Spokusy and Aghiazma, and the mind behind numerous cultural initiatives, he continues to shape the sound and spirit of a new Ukrainian wave — raw, emotional, and unapologetically independent. In this interview, Cherepanov speaks about his musical beginnings, balancing multiple projects, creating during wartime, and why his entire creative path can be summed up in one word: afterparty.

David Webster is a Canadian actor and a star of The Way Home, a TV series from The Hallmark Channel, who believes that independent films with little or no budget — but with a strong script — are the purest form of love for the craft, and that established actors should take part in them. He also writes his own scripts and plans to make films, so he understands the true value of independent movies — driven purely by the passion of people willing to overcome hardships to bring them to life. With the first episode of the new season of The Way Home already out, David decided to share insights into his approach to understanding his characters. David’s character, Elliot Augustine, is like a book of secrets — forced to carry the burdens of the entire Landry family and to know the outcome of every story in advance, including his own. To better understand the character, he created an “Elliot playlist” and listened to music between takes, essentially living through Elliot’s life events through the lens of sound. The tracks began with something lighter and gradually shifted into more melancholic and dramatic tones. David shared with the founder of Drive Music Media Asya Radko how it all began for him, what the series means to him personally, the roles that changed his life, and his experience working on independent films.

Gravity Settings is a Ukrainian electronic music producer and DJ whose artistic focus is centered on atmospheric dark sound and experimental approaches to electronic music. His journey into music began in 2018 in the town of Novoyavorivsk in the Lviv region, where he started exploring music production and DJing after meeting fellow musician Ivan Hrytsyna (DJ ShON). What began with early experiments in FL Studio and small apartment DJ sets gradually evolved into a deeper study of music theory and sound design. Today, Gravity Settings develops a sonic identity built around deep, dark, and immersive textures, combining elements of techno, progressive, and experimental electronic music. His track “Ping Pong” became an important milestone in his career after receiving attention from sound engineers and radio airplay, motivating him to continue developing his work. In an interview with Drive Music Media, Gravity Settings spoke about the origins of his alias, his interest in dark sound aesthetics, the challenges of working in the music industry during wartime, collaboration with Ukrainian producer QUASAR-89, and his ongoing search for new sonic forms in electronic music.

Mia Marchenko is a Ukrainian writer who closely intertwines personal loss with her creative work. Her book City of Shadows was born after the loss of her mother and became a way for her to process that grief. Mia shared with Drive Music Media about her book City of Shadows, her first experience of co-authoring, and the literary worlds she creates.

Inna Strilets is a writer who, despite growing up in the realities of the Soviet era, chose to follow her own path and returned to writing her literary works after the beginning of russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. She shared insights with Drive Music Media about her short story “Renewal,” published in the anthology “Light Between the Lines,” the real-life inspirations behind her characters, and the challenges she encounters along her creative journey.

Delirium is a Ukrainian post-punk band that recently released their mini-album Spiral of Silence, dedicated to, when, after constant conversations about what is happening in Ukraine today, a period of silence sets in. This mini-album continues the ideas introduced in their previous record, East. Ivan and Yehor spoke with us about their new release Spiral of Silence, the state of Ukraine’s music scene today, and their upcoming projects.

Olga Bolotaeva is a Ukrainian singer-songwriter whose main professional background was in the field of economics, but her love for music never left her. It all began with cover songs, and over time she wrote her first original song. A key milestone in her career was participating in the British talent competition Golden Time Talent. Olga shared insights about her work in economics, her first song, and her experience with Golden Time Talent with Drive Music Media.

Marian Fil is a Ukrainian composer for whom the most important part of creating a new composition is having an inner feeling that he has something to say. Marian has been involved in music since childhood — he independently chose to study the accordion at a music school, and he wrote his very first étude for this instrument. About how a profession can choose you, the process of composing music, and the future of the composer’s craft in today’s technology-driven world, Marian shared his thoughts with Drive Music Media.

Vaughan Murrae, the star of The Way Home and Before I Change My Mind, is an actor who began their journey in a modeling agency and went on to find their true place in the film industry. Through their presence on screen, Vaughan aims to shift perceptions of non-binary actors, advocating for roles that exist not as a checkbox, but as fully realized stories — with deep, authentic engagement in the non-binary experience. Open to creative challenges, Vaughan recently appeared in the comedy Malcolm in the Middle, a genre they had never worked in before. In a conversation with Asya Radko, founder of Drive Music Media, Vaughan spoke about their path in the modeling industry, the beginning of their acting career, how an award category was changed specifically for them from “Best Actor/Best Actress” to “Best Acting Performance,” and about their first leading role in Before I Change My Mind.

MJ Kim is a photographer who believes that the most important thing in portrait photography is for people to be truly seen; that landscapes should be more than just a beautiful visual — they should convey atmosphere; and that concert shots should evoke new feelings every time and remain unique. For him, photography is about living moments. Not about perfection, but about that very frame he captures during the many years of touring with Paul McCartney — even when it’s the completely unglamorous view from a hotel window. In portrait photography, it always starts with a conversation — with contact and presence. Only then does everything become real. MJ Kim has been Paul McCartney’s personal photographer since 2008 and recently returned from McCartney’s months-long Get Back 2025 tour across North America. He has created profound portraits of Johnny Depp, Michael Jackson, Natalie Portman, and many others, and has documented key moments that have become part of music history. His path in photography began by chance. He simply needed a job — and became a photojournalist in London. That decision became a turning point, the very accident that shaped his future and led him to who he is today. About how he senses “the moment,” the hardest and most important part of touring with Paul McCartney, his project Rooms Without A View, and the mission he carries as a photographer — shared with Asya Radko, founder of Drive Music Media.