In an interview gifted to Good Star Vibes, Ukrainian singer and blogger SOWA opens up about her distinctive career and the significant role fashion plays in her life. Known for her unique timbre and captivating stage presence, SOWA delves into her journey as an artist, sharing personal insights and experiences that have shaped her path. From her early days in singing competitions to her current endeavours, SOWA’s story is one of resilience and self-discovery.
Within the heart of the interview, SOWA shares her multifaceted interests and aspirations beyond music. She speaks passionately about her charity foundation, “Guardian Angel”, and her dreams of helping animals in the future. SOWA also provides candid insights into her personal life, discussing her views on relationships, her inspirations, and her evolving lyrical themes influenced by the war in Ukraine.
Join us as SOWA takes us through her remarkable journey, offering a rare glimpse into the life and thoughts of a compelling and dynamic artist.
What is the role of fashion and good clothes in your life?
If I am not happy with my stage outfit, the performance is a failure. It’s important to me how I look, what I’m wearing, and how I feel in it. Dress and fashion are at the forefront of my life. Although in everyday life I don’t always follow trends, I follow my desires and dress as I feel comfortable. But on stage, it is important to me that every detail of the image corresponds to my inner feelings. As a child, I realized an important thing: if you wear something that doesn’t match your inner self, you won’t be able to be fully open with the world around you, because you won’t present yourself properly.
If it wasn’t for the singing profession, what would you be?
I have a cool skill that would help me succeed in any profession—I’m a quick learner. If I seriously delve into a topic and understand the goal, then there will be a result. As a child, in addition to being a singer, I also wanted to be a veterinarian, saying that I would collect all the animals I saw on my way and put them in my big shelter, make their lives happier.
One dream of the little girl inside me has already come true—I am a singer. And the second one is still relevant. Now I have a charity foundation called “Guardian Angel” through which I help the Armed Forces and children. But in the future, I also want to contribute my efforts to helping animals.
Are bright and stylish images important for an artist, and why?
Definitely yes! I am in favor of artists expressing themselves not only through songs but also through clothes. Images are also a tool for drawing attention to yourself and important topics. Through images, you can shout about messages without even saying a word. To do joint collaborations with Ukrainian brands and glorify Ukraine abroad and in the media in this way.
In my opinion, when an artist comes out, you should immediately realize that they are an ARTIST! I’m not really interested in watching an artist merge into the masses with their clothes. Of course, we are talking about the artist’s stage image and in the show business circle, not everyday conditions.
Which international artists do you like and why?
I used to be obsessed with the images of the Barbadian artist Rihanna. Even through her clothes, we can understand her hot-tempered and daring character. Oh, I get hot when I see her photos in costumes, it’s a total pleasure.
Now I draw more inspiration from the images of the American actress Jenna Ortega. We have a similar temperament, height, and body type. Catch a fact that will help you better understand what clothes will suit you: first, determine your type of appearance and body type. Look for media people who have the same body type and figure and you like their style of dress, and save their images, not random photos of different types of people on the Internet. This way, you can see from the outside which images will look good on you and find something interesting for yourself.
Could you describe your work before and after the war started, and have your music/lyrical ideas changed over these two years?
If before, I wanted to write just about love, then the topic turned into love for my country, patriotic songs, about returning home and strength. I remember when I wrote the song “Tears are my weapon” and listened to it all the time on the way back from abroad, when my family and I were leaving the country because of the explosions. And I caught myself thinking that once such words would not have evoked emotions in me, because I would not have understood their essence to the end, but when the full-scale invasion began, my own song brought me to tears every time and gave me hope that I would soon return to Ukraine, and so it happened.
Another song written during the war is “Home”. It’s a song about my father’s house and the city where I spent my childhood, Kherson. Here I convey my hatred for the Russians. And also about the silence of the war. Every phrase in the song has a strong message: “I want to be silver, not gold” is a phrase about when artists kept silent about the war, while ordinary people were screaming about it. It’s better to be ordinary people and have your say than to sit on a pedestal with your mouth shut.
Is your heart free now, and if so, what are your preferences for men?
My heart is free now. I am afraid of men. I’m afraid because I don’t know how to build a romantic relationship with them. I love men because they defend our country, I love to see how they show their strength in helping others. How brave and unbreakable they can be. But I am afraid of men.
Safety is the most important thing I need to feel next to my partner. For me, safety is synonymous with love. I don’t want to be with a man who will treat me disrespectfully, use swear words, be aggressive, or show physical force. For me, this is a taboo behavior in any situation. Often, men are like chameleons, they pretend to be tolerant and kind, but when the time comes, they are completely dismissive and toxic to their partner. And it’s scary when you fall in love with a man and trust him, but then you fall into a trap.
I will never behave disrespectfully or toxicly towards my partner of choice for reasons that will be reciprocated. I fall in love with men who have humor. Humor is an indicator of intelligence. When it is accurate and subtle, sarcasm, irony, dark humor. I can join in the jokes too. I’m not offended by jokes in my direction if they are not aimed at offending me. After all, humor is a subtle tool that can successfully disguise the truth.
Progressiveness – It is important that a person has an open mind, is mentally flexible, and is not stuck in stereotypes, for example, about such topics as: LGBT community or feminism. I realized that life is different, there are no rules, no way to live. There is no right/wrong, there is only the way you choose. The world is changing, it’s becoming more progressive and open, so you have to keep up with it.
Finances – I’m a singer, which is a costly profession. I am a woman, and this is a costly project. It’s important for me that a man has a financial cushion, can fully meet his needs, and in times of need, become my shoulder. I believe that money is an important aspect of a relationship as well. If I realize that I’ve fallen in love with a person who is not ambitious, and I won’t have a comfortable life with them in the future, no matter what my feelings are, I will leave this relationship.
I have an example of a man—my father, although I didn’t get along with him emotionally, his language of love is money. He always works and tries to do everything for me so that I can live a good life. He could wear the same jacket for five years without buying any new clothes for himself, but he would invest that money in my new music video. It was hard for him to show love with words, but he did it with his language of money. So, when a man spares money, for me it is an antonym to love.
It is also important for me to be financially independent of my partner. My parents provide for me while my art does not bring me enough income to live on, but I am working on financial separation and finally becoming independent. For me, this is an important aspect of my personal life—to gain financial independence. In general, I believe that every woman needs to understand that she can provide for herself, in case of emergency, in order to be happy.
Have you ever tried to create your own clothes?
My mother is a designer, at least she was when I went to singing competitions, and she would draw sketches of costumes for other seamstresses to wear at the performances, so my clothes were created by my mother’s ideas. To put it mildly, I didn’t really like my mother’s ideas for my outfits, but she assured me that they were very beautiful, and, under my mother’s influence, I didn’t formulate my own taste in clothes, but was influenced by her tastes or those of others.
So, from the beginning of my career, I started to take control of my own preferences and went in search of them. Now I realize that I was far away from what I really like. I feel comfortable in the grunge style. Sometimes my images have elements of sexuality, layering, and extravagance. Also, these days I’m interested in learning more about avant-garde styles of clothing.
My first experiment with clothes was as follows: I bought all the paper clips in our local store and took my old black jacket that I bought in a second-hand store. I wrote SOWA on the back with soap and filled it in with staples.
Thank you, Sowa, for answering these questions and for gifting this interview to us. Your spirit and heart shine through completely. Your journey is one of profound growth, both personally and professionally, and your passion for self-expression, coupled with your dedication to charitable causes, paints a portrait of a multifaceted individual striving to make a positive impact in the world. We’re excited to watch you continue to make strides in your career.
You can listen to all of SOWA’s songs on the music streaming platform of your choosing, or you can even download the songs through iTunes or Amazon. Her voice is one that captures emotion and we’ve been streaming her music today as we compiled this interview together. We highly suggest you check out her artist profile on your favourite streaming platform, and watch some of her music videos on her YouTube Channel.