Stepan Giga Petrovich is a Ukrainian pop singer, composer, People’s Artist of Ukraine.
Place of Birth, Education
He was born on November 16, 1959 in the village of Bilky in Transcarpathia.
While studying at school, he simultaneously took vocal lessons and mastered the accordion.
He entered the Uzhhorod Music College on the fourth attempt. He studied there for three years instead of the planned four, as he passed the final exams as an external student. After that, he was educated at the vocal faculty of the Kyiv Conservatory, where he studied in the class of People’s Artist of Ukraine and head of the department Konstantin Ognevy.
Career
After graduating from school, Giga got a job as a locksmith at a local agricultural machinery company, and later worked as a truck driver.
Later he was drafted into the army. Returning from service two years later, he entered a music school.
From the 7th grade until the end of his studies at the music school, he was a member of the ensemble “Green Carpathians”, and later headed the team.
In the second year of the conservatory, Giga joined as a soloist in the then popular synthesis group “Stozhary”. At the same time, he sang in the opera studio of the Kyiv Conservatory under the direction of People’s Artist of the USSR Dmytro Hnatiuk.
After graduating from the conservatory, the singer received several job offers, in particular from the Volyn Philharmonic, where the Rendezvous team was formed especially for him. In the end, he decided to return to Transcarpathia.
In 1988, he became a soloist of the Transcarpathian Regional Philharmonic, and the next year he created the jazz-rock band “Beskyd”.
In 1991, after the disbandment of Beskyd, Giga was left without a job. During this period, he first tried himself in arranging, began to write his own songs and founded the recording studio GIGARecords.
In 1995, his debut solo album “My Friends” was released. Subsequently, two more albums were released: “Natalie Street” and “Roses for You”.
The album “Natalie Street” became a turning point in the career of Stepan Giga – in 2002 its sales reached a million copies. Thanks to this, he became the first performer in independent Ukraine to receive the Golden Disc.
Giga’s last album, titled”The Road to the Temple”, was released in 2014.
Death
He died on December 12, 2025 in intensive care in Lviv.
This happened after the singer was hospitalized in November after complications of a viral infection against the background of diabetes, and then he underwent knee surgery and leg amputation.
Awards
On February 20, 1998, the singer was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine, and on December 28, 2002 – the title of People’s Artist of Ukraine.
In 2002, Giga was also awarded the Golden Order of Prince Konstantin Ostrozky of the First Degree for his contribution to the development of Ukrainian culture and services to the people.
In November 2005, he received the Silver Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, II degree, and in January 2006, he was awarded the Golden Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, I degree.
Family
His wife, Halyna, was an administrator at the Transcarpathian Philharmonic, and later became the director of the GIGARecords recording studio.
The children – daughter Kvitoslav and son Stepan – are also artists, and often performed with their father at concerts.
