Катерина Павленко

Early Life

Kateryna Anatoliivna Pavlenko, born on August 10, 1988, in Nizhyn, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine, grew up in a family that faced economic hardships, including a period of homelessness. Surrounded by folk music from a young age, she was influenced by her grandmother, a singer who taught her the traditional 'white voice' singing style, and her grandfather, who played the accordion. Despite her teachers encouraging her to pursue opera, Pavlenko's passion for rock music led her to perform in a local rock band during her teenage years.

Career

Pavlenko is best known as the lead vocalist of the Ukrainian electro-folk band Go_A, which gained international attention when they were set to represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with their song "Solovey". Although the contest was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Go_A represented Ukraine in 2021 with the song "Shum". Beyond her work with Go_A, she has directed various folk ensembles and released music under her pseudonym, Monokate. Notably, on August 24, 2023, she released "Vorozhyla", a soundtrack for the Ukrainian film Dovbush, in which she also acted as a Carpathian molfar. In 2026, she competed in Vidbir with her song "Tut (song)", finishing 6th in the final.