Mogilevska is Mohyla, and Kamenskykh is Zhmur: real names and surnames of Ukrainian stars that few people know about.

Creating a unique image, making it easier to remember, and distancing themselves from their personal lives are just a few of the reasons why some artists adopt pseudonyms. And while sometimes the presence of a pseudonym is quite obvious or common knowledge, such as Jamala, Tina Karol, or ONUKA, we may not even know about the real names of some stars. Did you know that Nastia Kamenskykh, Max Barskykh, Zlata Ognevich, and Natalia Mogilevska had different first and last names at birth?

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If not, then OBOZ.UA offers to familiarize you with the list of stars who became famous not under their real names. The article will also show childhood photos of these artists because it was in their childhood that Max Barskykh was still Mykola Bortnik, and Zlata Ognevich was Inna Bordiug.

Max Barskykh as Mykola Bortnyk

The young Kolia came up with his creative pseudonym while participating in the Star Factory project. His real name did not seem bright enough to him.

Volodymyr Dantes – Volodymyr Hudkov

Another Star Factory alumnus and winner of the second season, Vova Dantes, is named Hudkov. As a child, the boy dreamed of working in the police like his father, but his creativity and passion for music won out. At the start of his career, the singer decided to adopt a pseudonym.

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Nastia Kamenskykh – Nastia Zhmur

It may come as a shock to many that Nastia Kamenskykh's real name at birth was Anastasia Zhmur. However, when she started her solo career, she decided to choose a more euphonious surname. "Kamenskykh" did not come to the singer from the ceiling. It is the maiden name of her mother, Lidia Kamenskykh, a soloist with the famous Veriovka Choir.

Zlata Ognevic – Inna Bordiuh

The singer merged so much with her artistic pseudonym that she eventually replaced even her real name in her passport with it. She did this when she joined the ranks of people's deputies, allegedly to avoid misleading the electorate. Rumor has it that the artist's father reacted negatively to these changes.

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Tina Karol – Tetiana Liberman

The singer whose real name is Tetiana Liberman also became Tina Karol by passport. She was once accused of "stealing" her pseudonym from Ani Lorak. They say that if you read it backward and add the letter "T," you get Tina Karol. However, the singer denied the ridiculous accusations, claiming that she had come up with a new name during a brainstorming session with her team.

Melovin – Kostiantyn Bocharov

As the singer himself admitted, his pseudonym is a derivative of his favorite designer Alexander McQueen, and the Halloween holiday of the "all dead".

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Jamala – Susanna Jamaladinova

It is reported that Susanna Jamaladinova allegedly became Jamala at the request of New Wave director Alexander Revzin. At the 2009 competition, she performed for the first time under her well-known pseudonym, which is an abbreviation of her real name.

Yulia Sanina – Yulia Holovan (Bebko)

Nowadays, the frontwoman of The Hardkiss is listed in documents as Yulia Bebko. This is her husband's surname. However, Sanina is not the favorite singer's maiden name, but her pseudonym. At birth, Yulia's name was Holovan.

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Natalia Mohylevska – Natalia Mohyla

It's obvious here: the singer believed that the surname Mohyla could have a negative impact on her career, so she "extended" it to Mohylevska at the start.

MamaRika – Anastasia Kochetova (Sereda)

Anastasia Kochetova, aka Anastasia Sereda, aka Erika, aka MamaRika. The singer has so many names. The first one was her birth name, the second one was her marriage name, the third one you might remember her by at the third Star Factory, and MamaRika is her updated pseudonym.

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ONUKA – Natalia (Nata) Zhyzhchenko

And although ONUKA is rather the name of the band, many people are used to calling the singer herself this way. For Nata Zhyzhchenko, this name is sacred without exaggeration. As you know, she is the granddaughter of Chernihiv musician and master of folk musical instruments Oleksandr Shlionchyk. When choosing her stage name, the artist wanted her grandfather to be always by her side, because it was to him that she owes her talent. This is how Natalia became "Granddaughter".

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Stepan Kazanin – Serhiy Kazanin

The Kvartal 95 actor came up with a pseudonym (although it's more like a nickname) long before he got on television. He said that when he started studying at the institute, no one could remember his real name, Serhiy. One day, the comedian "blurted out" that his name was Stepan, and everyone started calling him that.

Mika Newton – Oksana Hrytsay

In 2002, 16-year-old Oksana Hrytsai won the Black Sea Games festival in Skadovsk. There she met producer Yuriy Falla and signed a contract with him the same year. It was his mentor who came up with the young vocalist's stage name: Mika – from the iconic Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones and Mick Box of Uriah Heep, and Newton – from the English phrase "new tone".

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