Honored Artist of Ukraine, singer, producer, and founder of the Mozgi ENT production center.
Born on May 8, 1981, in Kyiv.
Education
Until the 4th grade, Potapenko attended School No. 105 in the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv, but was later transferred to School No. 141 in Rusanivka, which he graduated from.
He holds two higher education degrees:
- Physical education teacher and water polo and swimming coach, which he earned at the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine. His choice of educational institution was influenced by the fact that Potapenko had been involved in swimming and water polo since his youth and had even earned the title of Master of Sports.
- Master of Economic Sciences, Entrepreneurship, and Auditing – Vadym Hetman Kyiv National Economic University. Oleksiy received his second degree at his father’s insistence, as his father did not want his son to become a teacher or coach and insisted that he earn a degree in economics.
It is worth noting that Potap had no formal musical education, although, in his own words, he began writing song lyrics, creating his first melodies, and even recording his own compositions while still in school.
Career
Oleksiy Potapenko made his first attempts at public performance during his college years. While studying at the university, he played on the student KVN team. Some sources also report that in 1997, Potap formed his first band. At that time, he wasn’t rapping yet, preferring hard rock, and he became interested in rap a little later.
In 2000, Potap joined the rap group "VuzV" (Entrance in Changeable Footwear), with whom he worked for the next 7 years. During this time, the artist managed to record several soundtracks for feature films. Thus, Potap’s song “On My Own Wave” (Russian: На своей волне) became the soundtrack for the film “One for All” (Russian: Один за всех).
In 2006, the song "Sholnya," which Potap recorded together with the groups "New'Z'Cool" and "XS," became the soundtrack for the film of the same name.
In 2006, Potap left "VuzV" but continued working as a solo artist. The rapper was looking for a female vocalist to sing the choruses for him, and one of his friends introduced him to Nastya Kamenskykh. According to eyewitnesses, Potap didn’t like the singer at first, but later the musicians recorded the song “Bez Lyubvi” together. The song was a hit, and Potapenko and Kamenskykh began receiving invitations to perform together. That’s when they formed the duo “Potap and Nastya.” Potapenko took on the roles of producer, performer, songwriter, and music video director.
Nastya Kamenskykh and Potap. Photo: instagram.com/realpotap
The duo’s debut song, “Ne para” (Not a Match), became a hit, and just a year later, Potapenko won an award at the Russian festival “Novye pesni o glavnom” (New Songs About What Matters) as its author.
Over 11 years of working together, the duo has released six commercially successful albums and presented 29 music videos. Among their most famous tracks are “Chumachechaya Vesna,” “Vse Puchkom,” and “Udi Udi.”
In 2017, the duo was honored with the M1 Award for their contribution to the development of the domestic entertainment industry. That same year, Potap and Nastya announced the end of their collaboration.
Potapenko continued his career under the pseudonym PTP, while Kamenskykh continued as NK. Despite the duo’s breakup, Potapenko continued to write songs for NK’s project—notably “Trimay,” which topped Ukrainian charts for over a year and won the YUNA-2019 award, as well as “Peligroso,” which spent six weeks in the top 25 of Billboard’s global tropical songs chart.
Mozgi Entertainment: Potap’s Production Work
Alongside his career as a performer, Potapenko founded the production company Mozgi Entertainment, which at various times represented such groups as "MOZGI" and "Vremya i Steklo," as well as singers Michelle Andrade, Bruno Mars, and INGRET.
In 2015, Mozgi Entertainment projects won awards at the M1 Music Awards. "Vremya i Steklo" received the "Hit of the Year" award for the song "Imyo 505," while "Potap and Nastya" won "Band of the Year" and the special "Golden Gramophone" award. Potapenko was also recognized as Best Producer.
At the same time, Potapenko worked on film soundtracks. In 2011, he wrote the song "Vykrutasy" for the official soundtrack of the comedy blockbuster of the same name starring Milla Jovovich—the track, performed by the duo "Potap and Nastya," became a key element of the film’s promotional campaign. In 2018, for the film "Crazy Wedding," he created two tracks: "The Best Day" in a duet with Oleg Vinnik and "Ray" performed by artists from Mozgi Entertainment. Both songs were nominated for the M1 Music Awards 2018 in the "Project of the Year" category.
Stance on the War in Ukraine
With the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, Potap publicly condemned the aggressor country’s actions. As a result, the musician was banned from entering Russia.
Although the full-scale war caught the artist’s family in Spain, Potap returned to Ukraine. In the early years of the full-scale invasion, Potap emphasized patriotism, releasing several songs on this theme. Additionally, the rapper stated that he had tried to enlist in the Territorial Defense Forces.
In 2023, he dedicated a separate song to volunteers, but it sparked controversy. The song "Volunteer" was criticized for its simplistic lyrics, which belittled the work and efforts of people engaged in unpaid community service. The melody was also deemed entirely inappropriate. Potap was accused of trying to capitalize on the themes of war and volunteering.
In 2023, Potap left Ukraine. According to the rapper, before leaving, he spoke with Valeriy Zaluzhny, who was Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the time.
After living in Colombia for a while, in the summer of 2024 the artist moved to Barcelona, where he opened an office for his music company, renamed Mozgi International.
As of 2026, Potapenko and Kamensky spend most of the year in two countries: the United States and Spain.
Scandals and Criticism
Potapenko’s creative work and public behavior have repeatedly drawn sharp criticism.
In 2014, during the Russian-Ukrainian war, he traveled to Russia and performed at the RU.TV Awards, where, with his pants down, he thanked the aggressor country on behalf of Ukrainian artists. He was later criticized for continuing to perform in Russia despite the military aggression against Ukraine.
In November 2020, Potapenko announced his intention to record a song with Russian singer Olga Buzova, known for her support of the annexation of Crimea and the Russian government. The track and music video were ready, but due to a wave of criticism, they were never included on the album.
The track “Volunteer,” released in 2023, was also received extremely negatively by the Ukrainian audience. That same year, in November, Potapenko vacationed in Dubai with Russians and visited the elite restaurant of renowned chef Nusret Gökçe, which sparked outrage.
The announcement of his solo performance in the German city of Bielefeld caused a particular stir—the artist was listed on the poster as a performer of Russian retro music.
In 2025, Potap published several AI-generated videos in which well-known Ukrainian artists—Olga Freimut and Masha Yefrosinina—were depicted as animals fighting, which provoked another wave of outrage.
Potapenko has also been repeatedly accused of plagiarizing Western artists.
Family
Father – Andriy Oleksiyovych Potapenko, born January 17, 1956. A military man, athlete, and USSR water polo champion. Ukrainian Wikipedia notes that Potap’s father was linked to the KGB, though no evidence has been provided to support this claim. Several media outlets also note that Andriy Potapenko was successfully involved in business linked to organized crime in the 1990s, though no concrete evidence of this has been provided either.
Mother – Lyudmila Anatolyevna Potapenko, born February 9, 1958. World champion in underwater swimming (relay). After retiring from her athletic career, she worked as a children’s swimming coach in Kyiv.
First wife – Iryna Horova, born December 20, 1977. A well-known Ukrainian producer and founder of the music label Pomitni. Potap and Iryna married in 1999 and divorced 17 years later, in 2016.
Son – Andriy Oleksiyovych Potapenko, born in 2008. The son of Potap and Gorova. Andriy currently lives in the United Kingdom and attends ACS Cobham International School, an elite boarding school in the suburbs of London. Andriy’s mother told the media that she does not know if her son plans to return to Ukraine after completing his studies.
Oleksiy Potapenko (Potap) with his son. Photo: instagram/realpotap
His second wife is Anastasia Oleksiyivna Kamenskykh, born on May 4, 1987. She is a well-known Ukrainian singer.
Potap and Nastya Kamenskykh. Photo: instagram.com/kamenskux