Ukrainian singer Kyrylo Pysarenko on his project Lightingale: Original music is an opportunity to create something new, not just reinterpret someone else's material

Kyrylo Pysarenko is a Ukrainian musician who created his solo project Lightingale, continuing his musical career under this name. His first serious original music project, The Tempest, emerged spontaneously during his university years and concluded after four years of dedicated work. This decision came as all the band members recognized the inefficiency of creating "gargantuan" music. Following this, the musician decided to establish the solo project Lightingale, through which he released the track "Hummingbird". The song explores an important topic: humanity’s purpose in the world. Kyrylo shared his journey into music, his original projects The Tempest and Lightingale, as well as his future plans for his solo career with Drive Music Media.

Interviewer: What were your first steps in music? Why did you decide to dedicate your life to this art form?

Kyrylo: For as long as I can remember, music has always fascinated me. As a child, I sang at home while my family played the piano, and I participated in an amateur school choir, performing Christmas carols, traditional songs, and folk melodies. However, my deepest urge to create music emerged during my teenage years. That’s when I decided to learn to play the guitar. Before I could even tune the instrument, I was already making up simple songs and melodies. Once I learned the basics, I could spend hours improvising to my favorite tunes. In school, I formed my first band, ROSE, where we played naïve romantic music and covers. We rehearsed in my father’s garage, using an old music center as an amp and borrowing a Squier guitar from the leader of the band Brunettes Shoot Blondes. This was my first experience in writing original music. Over time, songwriting became a form of self-therapy for me, a way not only to express profound emotions and ideas but also to cope with life’s challenges.

Interviewer: The Tempest. Tell us about your role in this band and the period when you were actively performing. Why did the band dissolve after years of collaboration, and what led each member to pursue solo projects?

Kyrylo: The Tempest was my second original project and an experiment in musical avant-garde. The band formed spontaneously during my university years, uniting four friends and music enthusiasts. We were inspired by progressive rock, prog metal, and power metal bands, striving to create progressive music in various languages. Our creative pinnacle was a 13-minute conceptual ballad called “Stone Flower”, which explores the emotional struggles of a sensitive and creative individual facing injustice. The protagonist must choose between taking responsibility for their world’s well-being or turning into a “stone flower”. The band didn’t officially break up. At some point, we realized that creating such complex, “gargantuan” music wasn’t very effective or accessible to a broader audience. After four years of collaboration, the project faded out naturally. Still, it was an invaluable training ground for my skills as a guitarist, songwriter, and project leader.

Interviewer: Tell us about the name of your solo project, Lightingale. Why did you choose it?

Kyrylo: "Lightingale" combines the words “light” and “nightingale”. It reflects my belief that living in darkness requires no effort, while igniting light – unleashing energy  – demands significant inner strength. Lightingale represents my aspiration to extract light from within myself in a world that can often feel bleak. This is especially relevant during dark times, like war.

Interviewer: After a long pause, you released a song titled "Hummingbird" in October this year. Tell us about it – how did the writing process go, and what inspired you to explore the themes of purpose and the importance of freedom?

Kyrylo: The song was originally written in 2020 as part of a creative songwriting incubator by America House, Kyiv, in collaboration with American songwriter Derik Nelson. I believe the song had been maturing within me for quite some time – it emerged in response to my need for change (in activities, states of mind, goals, and challenges). Since I also work in project management alongside music, I often find myself torn between my creative, free-spirited side and the grounded, practical side.The track was recorded with Ukrainian musicians Rostyslav Dzhyndzherytskyi, Illia Chemeris, and Dmytro Kim (ex-Jinjer, NoApology) during the full-scale invasion.

Interviewer: When did you realize it was time to write your own songs and move on from performing covers? What motivated this shift?

Kyrylo: Covers are, in essence, someone else’s thoughts and emotions, filtered through your own perception and reinterpretation. They are an excellent learning tool for musicians, helping us discover elements to incorporate into our unique sound and artistic identity. But eventually, I felt the need to express my own experiences and ideas, which led me to write original music.

Interviewer: What projects are you currently working on? Since you write in English, do you plan to enter the international music scene?

Kyrylo: As part of Lightingale, I plan to release at least an EP featuring mostly my lighter and more romantic compositions. However, I haven’t forgotten my metal roots, so I’m also preparing some energetic tracks for fans of heavier music. Right now, I’m still working on finding my sound. Will the lyrical side prevail, or will the energy take over? That will be revealed in the next releases! Lightingale is an English-language project, and whether it will reach a global audience remains to be seen. Its themes are universal, and I want these songs to resonate with everyone. I also write songs in Ukrainian, but they don’t stylistically fit within this project. Perhaps they’ll find their place in another band someday.

Interviewer: How difficult is it to continue your music career given russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine? What challenges have you faced?

Kyrylo: It’s no harder than doing any other work right now. The restrictions, risks, and challenges are the same for all civilians in Ukraine: missile strikes, power outages, and so on. But our soldiers have it far harder, so I won’t complain.

The biggest challenge for me was starting to sing at full volume again. For the first few months, I only sang lullabies to my son.

Interviewer: Is there a song of yours that will never be released? Why? Tell us about it.

Kyrylo: As of now, there isn’t an unreleased song I plan to leave unheard. I intend to keep writing and releasing music for as long as I have something meaningful to say.

Interviewer: What is your goal as a musician? What message do you want to convey to the world through your songs?

Kyrylo: As a musician, I aim to capture the beauty I see in people, nature, and the universe, to find and preserve that beauty – even if only for a brief moment – in the form of a melody or a perfectly crafted phrase. Through this process, I heal myself.

As a person, I strive to fulfill my potential. If my music inspires even one person, I’ll feel that it was all worth it.

Interviewer: What single word would you like people to associate with your music? Why that word?

Kyrylo: "Autumn sunlight through the leaves". It’s the magic of a fleeting moment, accessible to anyone who pays attention. That’s the feeling I try to convey through my work.

Pictures were provided by Lightingale