Oleksandr Ponomaryov is a Ukrainian singer who was the first representative for Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003.
Originally wanting to go into boxing, Oleksandr had to quit because his eyesight was failing. As a result, he turned to music as an alternative career. Despite enjoying singing and having a good voice, when he had to apply to a music college, his eyesight once again gave him a disadvantage. However, the professors let him in with the condition that he cram seven years of music in one year, which he did.
Throughout the 1990s, he performed at a wide variety of festivals within Ukraine and abroad. Eventually, he was chosen to be Ukraine's first Eurovision representative in 2003 with the song Hasta la Vista. With a performance featuring a circus act, he placed 14th with 30 points.
He was one of the five jurors for Ukraine in the 2021 contest in Rotterdam.
Trivia[]
- If counting Verka Serduchka (2007) as a woman, he remained Ukraine's only solo male performer until Melovin in 2018.