Ruslana Panchyshyna is a Ukrainian-born singer living in Madrid. She is one of the most recognized contestants on the musical talent show Operación Triunfo 2023. The artist prepared her first national concert tour after her participation in the Coca-Cola Music Experience festival in September. Last Saturday, November 30th, she presented her sixteen-track album Génesis at the Sala Gekko in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, to a sold-out audience.
What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in your artistic life since the end of Operación Triunfo? «Everything. The most radical thing is having lived a dream. When I leave the academy, I realize it’s coming true.»
What goal do you plan to achieve at this point in your artistic career? «I’d say a tour of my own. I’d like to see people, even if it’s in small venues. I love that people come to see me and know the songs that mean something to them.»
What would you say to emerging artists struggling to make it in the music world? «Never stop thinking and believing. What works is waking up every day of your life and thinking about how much you want to be an artist or achieve something.»
«Starting a tour outside of Spain would mean people would join in.»
What do you do to motivate yourself? «You shouldn’t stop thinking for a single day that you want to be in a certain position or place. I want to be on stage and release my music. I want to be Ruslana, an artist, and that’s it.»
All girls are bad. Are there any good girls left? «Every good thing has its bad side, and every bad thing has its good side. That’s it. Human beings are contradictory. That’s just how we are.»
Would you like to tour outside of Spain? «I hope so. That would mean more people joining. I’d love to make music with people from abroad and work with English-language music. It would be a major achievement.»
«Dancing has been a big part of my life»
What role does the dance group play in your shows ? «Dance has always been a big part of my life. You could say the people who’ve danced with me are friends of mine. I’m excited to put together a cast of people with whom I’ve experienced the project firsthand. It shouldn’t just be a job, but something personal.»
What do you think about the K-pop genre ? «This genre is really taking off. I didn’t have any faith in it before, but now I believe in it more. It’s not my favorite genre, but it does have aspects we could all learn from and develop preferences for.»
