Music Talent Shows: Which Artists Built a Career After Their TV Run

Which participants of Ukrainian music shows went on to become popular.

Music talent shows in Ukraine are often seen as a direct path to fame, but reality tells a different story. Some artists who didn't win their shows, or didn't make it far, later build successful solo careers and draw audiences in the tens of thousands.

The DeTalks team has gathered examples like these in one roundup.

KAZKA: From Semifinalists to Global Charts

The band KAZKA took part in the 8th season of X Factor (2017), and even then took the casting stage with original material. Performer Oleksandra Zarytska and musician Nikita Budash presented the song 'Sviata,' which they'd already been performing outside the TV format at that point.

Nastia Kamenskykh, who was on the judging panel, noted that it was the first time in a long while she'd heard an original song on the show, and Andrii Danylko called the band the discovery of the day.

But despite the judges' positive feedback, the band didn't win. They made it to the semifinal before leaving the competition without the top title. The season's winner was Mykhailo Panchyshyn.

After leaving the show, the band's career gained far wider recognition. In 2018, KAZKA released the track 'Plakala,' which entered the global Shazam top 10, becoming the first Ukrainian song to achieve that result. The music video for 'Plakala,' meanwhile, racked up nearly 500 million views.

As it turned out, KAZKA's popularity after 'Plakala' significantly exceeded the media recognition of that season's X Factor winner.

TAYANNA: The Post-Show Path That Shaped a Solo Career

The performer's first attempt to get on The Voice of the Country came back in 2014. At the time, Tetiana Reshetniak competed under her own name and didn't make it past the blind auditions. But just a year later, the singer returned to the show, this time under the stage name TAYANNA.

She joined Potap's team and made it to the final stage. Based on the vote, TAYANNA finished second on her coach's team, losing to Anton Kopytin.

After the show ended, TAYANNA's career developed independent of the TV format. The performer focused on solo work, released a string of hits, and became a participant in Ukraine's national Eurovision selection.

In 2017, the singer tied with the band O.Torvald on points, but based on the audience vote, it was the rock band that headed to the international contest.

MONATIK: From Casting to Stadium

In 2010, Dmytro Monatik took part in the first season of X Factor. During the casting round, the 24-year-old performer sang Okean Elzy's 'Taka, yak Tu.' But the judges didn't see a future leader of the Ukrainian scene in him.

Ihor Kondratiuk explained the decision like this.

“Dima, when you sing, you're closed off. When you dance, you're open. This isn't as much your element as dance is.”

Rapper Serioha also publicly questioned the contestant's vocal potential.

“I don't think you're going to shine.”

But in 2011, Dmytro Monatik did launch a professional music career and released his debut music video, 'TaiUletaiu.' Later collaborations with various artists, including the band Quest Pistols, cemented Monatik's reputation as a multi-hyphenate artist. Later, the song 'Mokraia' became a massive hit in 2016, and later got a Ukrainian-language version that again topped the charts.

In 2016, MONATIK won M1 Music Awards in the 'Best Singer' and 'Breakthrough of the Year' categories. Two years later, the YUNA Awards named the artist Artist of the Year, and his 'Vitamin D' concert tour covered the US and Canada.

The peak of his popularity came with a 2019 show at Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex, attended by over 50,000 spectators. Before that, only the band Okean Elzy had managed to sell out a full stadium among Ukrainian artists.

LAUD: From The Voice of the Country's Super Final to a Solo Career

In 2016, LAUD took part in the sixth season of The Voice of the Country. The performer got through every competitive round and made it to the super final. Based on the audience vote, the singer didn't win, but cemented his status as one of the season's strongest contestants.

After the show ended, LAUD focused on solo work. The artist developed his own musical style, worked as a songwriter, and gradually built a recognizable radio presence. His tracks consistently appeared in rotation on Ukrainian radio stations. His track '2 Dni,' for instance, racked up over four million views on YouTube.

The next stage of his career was taking part in Ukraine's national Eurovision selection, where LAUD competed as an already-established solo artist. The judges and audience scored LAUD 18 points, earning him silver at the contest.

KHAYAT: A Standout Finalist Without a TV Win

Andrii Khaiat took part in the 9th season of The Voice of the Country (2019). The performer made it to the final but never won.

After the show, the singer focused on developing original material. KHAYAT built his own ethno-pop style, blending electronic sound with elements of traditional music. One of his key works was the song 'Temno,' which racked up roughly 1.5 million streams on YouTube.

A separate strand of the artist's career was his repeated participation in Ukraine's national Eurovision selection. In 2019, KHAYAT became a semifinalist; in 2020, he finished second in the final, and in 2025 and 2026, he made the final again, in part thanks to the audience vote cast through the Diia app.

ALEKSEEV: An Early Exit From the Show

Mykyta Alekseev took part in the fourth season of The Voice of the Country. The performer didn't make it to the final, leaving the competition at one of its early stages. Even so, being on the show gave him public recognition and became the starting point for his later career.

His first notable success after the show came with the track 'A Ya Plyvu,' from Iryna Bilyk's repertoire. The music video topped the FDR chart for several weeks, and a remix by the band MOZGI expanded the performer's radio presence. Iryna Bilyk liked that interpretation of the track so much that the artist invited ALEKSEEV to take part in her concert project 'BILYK. LITO. TANTSIUIEMO.'

In October 2015, the singer released the song 'Pianoe Solntse,' which became a turning point in his career. The song quickly gained popularity and became the first track by a Ukrainian performer to enter the global Shazam Top 100.

The commercial success of 'Pianoe Solntse' was confirmed by strong digital sales and heavy rotation. By the end of the year, ALEKSEEV won the YUNA award in the 'Discovery of the Year' category.