YAKTAK (Yaroslav Karpuk)

YAKTAK is a young Ukrainian singer performing in the genre of pop and hip-hop. He launched his project in February 2022. In a short time the guy managed not only to win the hearts of millions of listeners, but also to take the place of the most popular artist in Ukraine for 2023 in the Spotify rating, blowing up the authoritative charts with his songs. In short, to become an absolute sensation in the world of Ukrainian music.

Childhood and youth of the singer

The real name of YAKTAK (YakTak) is Yaroslav Karpuk. The future celebrity was born in May 2005 in a small village of Volyn region, in a family of civil servants. He began to study music at the age of 4. The love for it was instilled in the boy by his grandparents - teachers of children's music school and local professional lyceum.

Already from childhood Yaroslav began to participate in various vocal contests and festivals. Numerous fans of the artist can remember him from the show "Voice. Children". The 14-year-old at the blind auditions managed to attract the attention of all the coaches. Yaroslav chose Dzidzio, went to the superfinal and took second place.

At the age of 16, the young talent began to write songs and music for them. He wanted to do his favorite thing professionally. Therefore, after graduating from school, Yaroslav Karpuk entered the Kiev Academy of Variety and Circus Arts to specialize as a vocalist.

YAKTAK project

In February 2022, the 16-year-old singer launched his solo project, taking for him the creative pseudonym Yaktak. Oleg Psyuk, frontman of Kalush Orchestra, became the producer of the artist.

YAKTAK started his creative career with cover versions of Ukrainian hits, then moved on to performing author's compositions.

His songs won the hearts of the public in an instant, became firmly entrenched in the streaming tops and gained millions of listens on YouTube. The most popular tracks were:

• "Porichka";
• "Don't Mowchy";
• "Vrodliva";
• "Poglyad";
• "Checking in at home."
• "Narechenna".

The artist's songs recorded in duet with famous Ukrainian artists were not ignored: Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, Jerry Heil, MamaRika, SOBOL, DOVI, KOLA.

What is the secret of such popularity? YAKTAK's creativity is a unique combination of modern trends, soulful lyrics and Ukrainian folk motifs. It arouses interest among fans of different genres. Listeners are also attracted by the very lyrics of compositions, in which YAKTAK reveals his inner world and shares his personal experiences. These songs are the key to the phenomenal success of the artist, confirmed by wins in nominations:

• Megogo Music Awards - "New Wave of Pop Music";
• Cultura Music Awards - "Hit of the Year";
• Muzvar Awards - "Best New Names in Pop".

YAKTAK was honored with them a year after the project's launch. In the same year 2023 he became the most popular artist in Ukraine according to Spotify. And this without having a single album.

YAKTAK released his debut CD, which fans were waiting for with great anticipation, only a year later. The album was called "Pid gitaru". It included 8 compositions, which became a worthy addition to the repertoire.

Personal life of Yaroslav

YAKTAK is reluctant to share details of his personal life, so fans of the artist know very little about his chosen one. The girl's name is Alice. She is 2 years older than Yaroslav, because of which he some time strongly complexed. Young people have known each other since childhood, they are from the same village. Yaroslav noticed the girl at one of the local discos, and began to look after her. Now YAKTAK and Alice are together. The girl works in his team and supports the artist in everything that concerns his creative activity.

Interesting facts from the biography of YAKTAK:

• The pseudonym Yaktak is chosen not accidentally. It contains parts of the name and surname of the performer.
• Yaroslav since childhood dreams of representing Ukraine at Eurovision. In 2024 he got into the finalists of the national selection, but he failed to win.
• YAKTAK could have become a soccer player. At some point in his life, the young man faced a choice: music or sports. He made a decision, and does not regret it.
• Not all the hits of the performer are created in the studio. Yaroslav recorded his songs "Silhouette" and "Dancing Yourself" in a hotel room, in between performances on stage during tour trips. The same applies to video clips. One of them - "Narechena" - was filmed in the village, near an ordinary tree. The singer himself claims that his clips are very simple, and he makes no secret of it.