Ivo Bobul is a Ukrainian singer, composer, teacher, People’s Artist of Ukraine.
Place of Birth, Education
He was born on June 17, 1953 in the village of Porubne (now Terebleche) of the Hlybotsky district of the Chernivtsi region in a large family.
In 1968, he completed his studies at an eight-year school and continued his education at the Vocational School No. 76 in the city of Slovyansk, Donetsk region.
In 2006, he received a professional musical education at the Chernivtsi Music College.
He also received a vocal education at the Kyiv Municipal Academy of Variety and Circus Arts.
Creative career
During his service in the army, he performed concerts in military units.
Later, he joined various vocal and instrumental ensembles, including “Sea”, “Vivaton”, “Cheremosh” and others. Many of his songs, including “Moonwheel”, “One United” and “Violin”, became real folk hits.
In 1990, Bobul performed one of the most famous compositions in his repertoire – “I will return to Ukraine”.
In 1991, the singer performed several compositions in a duet with Lilia Sandules, including “The Shore of Love”, “And the Linden Trees Bloom”, “Ray of My Heart” and others.
In 1995, he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine, and in 1998 – People’s Artist.
In 2003, Bobul was awarded the Order of Yaroslav the Wise V degree, and in 2013 – the Order of Merit III degree.
At one time, he headed the Department of Pop and Academic Vocals and Sound Engineering of the Institute of Contemporary Art at the National Academy of Managerial Personnel of Culture and Arts of Ukraine.
In addition to concert activities, Bobul actively participated in volunteer initiatives – he performed charity concerts in front of the Ukrainian military and residents of settlements in the Ukrainian-controlled territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Marital Status
Bobul was married four times. The first marriage lasted only three months. As the singer said, the reason for the breakup was the intervention of his mother-in-law, who turned his wife against him. The couple had a son, Ruslan, during the marriage.
In the second marriage, a daughter, Lyudmila, was born. The artist said that the reason for the divorce was then betrayal on the part of his wife.
The third marriage to Lilia Sandulesu, with whom they performed on the same stage, lasted ten years. However, they parted, as both noted, due to the incompatibility of characters. The couple did not have children together, but toured a lot together.
Bobul’s fourth wife is Natalia, 12 years younger than him. A son, Danylo, was born in the marriage.
Scandals
In 2016, there was a conflict between Bobul and athlete Viktor Virastyuk, due to the fact that the latter ironically commented on the singer’s personal number in one of the Chernivtsi hotels. A few years later, the singer publicly responded, calling the athlete’s behavior “pig”.
In 2023, a scandal erupted around Bobul again – this time because of an interview with journalist Emma Antonyuk. In it, the singer made a number of sexist statements, in particular, he said that women are “spoiled”, “want a lot” and “overdo it by men”. In particular, he argued that only money is a priority for women. After the journalist disagreed with his views, Bobul emotionally left the studio.
The interview caused a resonance: part of the audience supported the singer, the other sharply criticized his statements. Antonyuk later said that this broadcast is an opportunity to publicly raise the important topic of respect for women.
