Ukrainian singer Marta Adamchuk has spoken of her personal disappointment in her former idol Ani Lorak, saying the star's decision to side with Russia in the ongoing war had wounded her.
Speaking in an interview with Blik.ua, the Women's Quarter cast member said Lorak had once been her main inspiration. Adamchuk explained that as a child, she collected magazine covers featuring the artist and learned all of her songs.
Women's Quarter is a popular Ukrainian comedy and musical television show, featuring an all-female cast of performers and vocalists.
Adamchuk said that watching Lorak take the side of the enemy was a painful experience, because the singer had been such a role model for her growing up.
Ani Lorak is a Ukrainian-born pop singer who rose to fame representing the country at the Eurovision Song Contest. She has faced widespread backlash and the label of traitor in her homeland after continuing to live and perform in Russia following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Shared vocal coach
The connection between the two performers extended to their musical education. Adamchuk revealed that she had studied singing under Maria Kogos, the same vocal coach who taught Lorak.
She described Kogos as a deity to her at the time, noting that it felt like fantasy to be taught by the same woman who had trained her idol.
According to Adamchuk, the supportive environment created by Kogos was crucial for her development as a beginner. She credited the teacher's warmth for keeping her in the industry, saying that if she had received less love, she might have stopped singing entirely.
Adamchuk noted that she only studied with the coach for a year before her career path was decided. She explained that she had originally planned to study at the faculty of foreign languages in the western Ukrainian city of Chernivtsi after school, but chose to tie her life to music instead.
Her comments follow recent scrutiny regarding Lorak's financial ties to her home country. The Ukrainian news agency Unian previously reported that Lorak still owns real estate in Ukraine valued at millions of dollars.
