Melovin: 10 facts about Ukraine’s Eurovision 2018 singer

Melovin will bring the heat — and his fiery Vidbir 2018 staging — to Eurovision 2018 for Ukraine. Singing the dramatic and pop-tastic tune “Under the Ladder”, he’s hoping to take Eurovision back to Ukraine for the second time in three years.

Producers have set the running order for the semi-finals and Melovin will perform last. It’s a telling decision that suggests organisers have faith he’s worthy of closing the show — and will keep people interested as the semi moves into the voting segment. Ukraine has never failed to qualify for the grand final — and that streak is poised to continue this year. As the curtain rises over Eurovision 2018, here are 10 facts you may not know about the Ukrainian entrant.

1. He won X-Factor Ukraine in 2015

Eurovision fans will be familiar with Melovin, following his attempt to represent Ukraine in 2017. But his rise to prominence started in 2015 when he won the sixth season of The X-Factor Ukraine. He was only 18 years old at the time of his victory.

Melovin won’t be the only X-Factor Ukraine winner at Eurovision 2018. His successor Sevak Khanagyan will also compete in Lisbon, representing Armenia. Who will come out on top in this battle of champions?

2. He had three unsuccessful X-Factor attempts

If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. We know Melovin’s appearance in Vidbir 2018 came after an unsuccessful attempt in 2017. But did you know he encountered a similar fate on The X-Factor Ukraine? He auditioned three times and never made it on to a televised show before taking the competition by storm in its sixth season.

Clearly persistence pays off for Melovin. This is fitting considering his song “Under the Ladder” is about overcoming failures and fighting for your dreams.

3. He has a cat called Citrus

A quick look at Melovin’s social media will give you some insight into his life outside of music. One of his other great loves is his cat Citrus, who makes an appearance in the studio from time to time. We wonder if this clever kitty played a part in the creation of “Under the Ladder”.

#QAmelovin ? ? ????? ? ???? ?????????? ??????????, ????? ???????? ?????? ? ????… ?

A post shared by MÉLOVIN ? (@melovin_official) on Oct 16, 2016 at 7:33am PDT

4. He is the first male soloist the Ukraine has sent since 2003

Ukraine debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 in Latvia with the song “Hasta la Vista” by Oleksandr Ponomariov. Since then, they have placed in the Top Three five times and have won the contest twice. But they never sent a solo male to do so (we’re counting the drag queen Verka Serduchka as a woman). If Melovin finishes on the left side of the scoreboard in the grand final, he will become Ukraine’s most successful male soloist. But can he replicate the heights of Ukraine’s high flying female divas?

5. He takes a photo in the same place every year

Melovin was born in the city of Odessa, Ukraine. Every year, he makes sure to take a photo in his favourite spot in Odessa. Looking at his last three photos is a great time capsule showing how he has changed since 2016. We can’t wait to see what hairdo he will be sporting in his 2019 photo.

6. He likes making perfumes and mixing scents

Melovin is a man of many talents. He compares the art of perfume making to the art of making music, saying that the process is the same. Melovin certainly has the capability to appeal to more than one of our senses. We wonder if he has come up with a special perfume for Portugal.

Want to share this night magic with you. This process resembles me music making. It’s same thrilling and is going on by holding the breath for not to forget the right chord. ———————————————————————— ?????? ?????? ???????????. ???? ??????? ??? ?????????? ????????? ??????. ????? ??????????? ? ? ????????? ???????, ????? ?? ?????? ?????? ??????. #Parfum #MELOVIN

A post shared by MÉLOVIN ? (@melovin_official) on Mar 11, 2018 at 6:36am PDT

7. The story behind his stage name

Melovin — real name Kostyantyn Mykolayovych Bocharov — performs under the stage name Melovin. The name is a combination of Halloween and the name of British fashion designer Alexander McQueen. The latter wore a contact lens in one eye which is also part of Melovin’s look on stage. Clearly some serious thought has gone into his name and look.

????????? ??????????? ???????? ????!) ? #ESC2018, #Eurovision, #Eurovision2018 Photo: @vansovycholeksandr #UnderTheLadder #MELOVIN

A post shared by MÉLOVIN ? (@melovin_official) on Apr 2, 2018 at 1:04pm PDT

8. He has a YouTube channel

This probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise as everyone has a YouTube channel, right? But Melovin has a YouTube channel with plenty of content aside from music. From vlogging to cooking videos to some Q&As, you can find just about anything on his YouTube channel. There’s plenty to see — and there’s plenty of good music on there too.

9. He has quite the toy collection

Taking a glance through Melovin’s social media, you will find no shortage of toys of all sorts. He seems to get a lot of them when Christmas comes around. Our favourite are these emoji plushies he has. One for every mood!

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A post shared by MÉLOVIN ? (@melovin_official) on Apr 11, 2016 at 11:39am PDT

10. We need to talk about his hair

If Eurovision was a contest for best hairstyle, it’s safe to say that Melovin would win it. At Vidbir 2017 we saw him sporting a half dark half light hairdo and one look through his social media shows how frequently his look changes. We can’t wait to see what his hair stylist will come up with for Eurovision.

What do you think of Melovin and “Under the Ladder”? How will he do at Eurovision? Let us know in the comments below.

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