Interviews

Sofiia Shakh is a young Ukrainian photographer who creates photo stories in her unique style and chooses only locations she feels connected to for her shoots. She has executed ideas that seemed impossible: shoots in airplane graveyards, forests, trains, and many other unconventional places. Currently, she continues her photography studies at university and aims to work at a major creative company. Sofiya shared her thoughts on choosing locations, creating props, developing her personal style, and her most memorable shoots with Drive Music Media.

Alice Shum is a talented family and wedding photographer from Ukraine who is passionate about capturing the sincere emotions of her clients and giving them the opportunity to feel the happiness of the moment. The woman understood that her path would be connected with creativity as early as childhood, and for many years she searched for herself in various creative fields. As a result, she found herself in photography. Learn more about the work of a family photographer, past creative professions and the difference between Ukrainian and German photographers in an interview on Drive Music Media.

Olena Taranenko is a talented Ukrainian children's book illustrator who, despite the stereotypes surrounding creative professions, remained true to herself and took the risk of leaving an unfulfilling job to pursue her beloved career as an illustrator. The first book she illustrated, "Magical Mia. Kindness is Contagious" by Julie Casseta, was published in 2021. Since then, she has been continuously working in illustration. Currently, Olena is working on a new picture book for children aged 3-6 years, marking her first experience illustrating for this age group, as she has previously illustrated books for older children. Olena shared her thoughts on staying true to herself and her craft, her new books, and character creation with Drive Music Media.

Yaryna Vovk is a talented Ukrainian detective writer who published her first book "Don't Cry, My Beauty" in November 2023. Her novel was printed by one of the largest Ukrainian publishers, "Family Leisure Club." The writer had dreamed of publishing a book since her teenage years, and the genre found her naturally – children always have many questions and a strong love for mysteries, and Yaryna loved the works of outstanding detective writers from an early age. Now, the writer has already finished working on the prequel to her novel and plans to release a trilogy of her detective series in the future. Yaryna shared with Drive Music Media about her childhood dreams and first novellas, the presentation of her book "Don't Cry, My Beauty," and her love for neuroscience.

PETROVOCHKA is a Ukrainian indie-pop singer-songwriter who shows through her lyrics how important it is to keep the inner child alive, whose ability to dream is a catalyst for the realization of all our adult dreams, despite the hard experiences in life, war, and loss. Anna Petrovska, as the musician is called, is sure that she wants to devote her life not only to performing but also to creating music. Anna shared with Drive Music Media about the release of her first solo album "I Have a Plan", her inner child, and her life in migration due to the war.

Momoko is a talented Japanese photographer who focuses on vintage-style in photographic art. With her art, she takes people back in time, giving them a ticket to the era of castles, authentic outfits, and kingdoms. The girl not only takes pictures, but also sews outfits, creates make up and hairstyles for for her shoots. Find out more about her childhood filled with the atmosphere of drawing and classical music, first steps in photography, her love for European architecture, and the secrets of photography in an interview with Momoko on Drive Music Media.

Ann Semenova is a Ukrainian photographer who continues her career in the field of photography in Germany. Combining both darkness and light in her art, she creates something similar to short stories from people's lives. She touches on deep themes in her art: love, loneliness, sadness, courage... About Annie’s project “A Year and Kilometers Later”, which revolves around migration and war, the continuation of a career abroad and the stories that are hiding by photographs, read on Drive Music Media.

Oleksandra Morieva is a successful brand manager and choreographer who, despite drastic changes in her life after the start of the full-scale war of russia against Ukraine, found strength and opened her own dance course abroad. After a year of migration, the woman started her own Lady Dance course to help Ukrainian women overcome stress through dance. Oleksandra teaches mixed dance styles: heels, jazz funk, twerk. Oleksandra told Drive Music Media about the path from scratch, her own course and the complexity of such dance styles.

Oksana Trofimchuk is a Ukrainian portraitist who will present her first digital exhibition "BOUNDLESS ECHOES" on February 16. Art connoisseurs will be able to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the artist's hidden meanings with the help of the metaverse. Oksana told Drive Music Media about how her artistic journey began, exhibitions and why she chose the portrait genre.

NEWMA is a Ukrainian singer who cannot imagine her life without music. Despite the problems with her voice, which the artist had since childhood, she managed to overcome them and build a musical career. The woman actively participates in charity concerts in support of Ukraine and collaborates with various foreign musicians. In December, she released "Truth&Lies" in collaboration with Danish musician Teo Arcus. About the release, future plans and unceasing thirst to perform on stage, NEWMA is ready to tell in the interview of Drive Music Media.