Yevhen Rybchynskyi on Povalіi: The Corpse is Alive and the Break Due to Civic Position.

According to ТСН: Famous Ukrainian poet and composer Yevhen Rybchynskyi sharply commented on the situation with Taіsiia Povalіi, with whom he previously shared a close friendship. According to Rybchynskyi, they last spoke in 2013, when the artist had already reached the heights of popularity and held the position of a people's deputy, while he had just returned from the USA. During the conversation, the composer openly expressed his disagreement with her civic position.

Communication in 2013

“In 2013 (the last time we communicated — ed. note). She was at the peak of fame, a people's deputy, and I had returned from America. And we communicated. She said that it was time to forget grievances. And I said, 'you are not going in the right direction at all. We stood on the Maidan in 2004 against all this, and you are now with them.' And she replied, 'You don’t understand, what you think will never happen — nationalism and Europe. I am absolutely convinced.' Nothing new for me. I have known her position for a long time, and it is exactly like that,” recalls the poet in a conversation with Anna Sevastyanova.

Atmosphere and Position

Rybchynskyi believes that Taіsiia Povalіi has never regarded Ukraine as her home and has always been drawn to Soviet culture. This explains his sharp and harsh poetry published in 2024. The poet considers her to be a 'living corpse' due to her attachment to the past era. He emphasized that the performer has not sung his compositions for many years, and this was a principled decision for both.

“Kyiv has never stood for her as the last place of her career. She has always dreamed of a career, conditionally, like Sofiia Rotaru. She has always envied that Sofiia Mykhailivna lived and established herself in the Soviet Union earlier. She has always seen herself as a Soviet person. That’s how I look at her. Why 'the living corpse'? Because this era no longer exists, yet she embodies an era that is no more. It’s a tragedy, I honestly say. She even sings Ukrainian songs. It’s just terrible. She hasn’t sung my songs for a long time, and this was a principled decision for us. Because since 2013, we agreed that she would not sing my songs,” said the poet.

It should be reminded that previously Yevhen Rybchynskyi spoke about his long stay in the USA and also shared information about his citizenship.

This statement by Rybchynskyi once again highlights the controversial relationships between creative individuals and their civic stance in Ukraine. In the context of constant changes in society, it is important to monitor how artists express their opinions and whether they continue to support their colleagues who choose a different path.