Dmitry Koldun (full name — Dmitry Alexandrovich Koldun; born June 11, 1985, Minsk, Byelorussian SSR) is a Belarusian singer, musician and songwriter who gained wide recognition after winning the television project Star Factory 6 and representing Belarus at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. With the song Work Your Magic, he finished sixth in the final — the best result in Belarus’s entire history of participation in the contest.
Among Dmitry Koldun’s best-known songs are Work Your Magic, Дай мне силу, Я для тебя, Царевна, Настройся на меня, В комнате пустой, Корабли, Ночной пилот, Облака-бродяги, Город больших огней, Почему, Манекен, Давай сыграем в любовь, Пёс бродячий, Приду без повода, Нереальная, Верю в хорошее, Милая, Мэрилин Монро, Карамель твоих губ, Целую другую and Музыка моя.
In Koldun’s music, pop melody is combined with pop rock, guitar arrangements and dramatic ballads. At the same time, his career extends far beyond Eurovision: after his television breakthrough, he moved away from constant dependence on producer-led projects, founded his own studio, began releasing original material and built a solo catalog that includes several full-length albums.
Minsk, chemistry and the first musical experiments
Dmitry Koldun was born on June 11, 1985, in Minsk. His older brother Georgy Koldun also connected his life with music, television and the stage.
His interest in music appeared during his school years. Dmitry began playing guitar, formed his own bands and rehearsed with friends in school rooms and garages. At the same time, he was a strong student and after graduating from school chose a field completely unrelated to show business.
Koldun enrolled in the Faculty of Chemistry at Belarusian State University and later received a university degree. However, even during his studies, music was gradually becoming the main direction of his life.
Before gaining television fame, he studied at composer Oleg Eliseenkov’s Grand Prix vocal studio and worked with the State Concert Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus under Mikhail Finberg. As part of the studio, he performed at music festivals including Molodechno and Slavianski Bazaar.
People’s Artist 2
Dmitry Koldun’s first major television exposure came in 2004, when he became a contestant on the Russian project People’s Artist 2 on the Rossiya television channel.
Koldun reached the final stage of the competition but did not become one of the main winners. Nevertheless, the project gave him his first experience on a major television stage and made him recognizable outside Belarus.
After People’s Artist, he continued taking part in competitions and working with Belarusian musicians without giving up the idea of building a professional singing career.
The first attempt to reach Eurovision
Dmitry’s interest in Eurovision appeared before his famous 2007 performance.
At the end of 2005, he took part in the Belarusian national selection for Eurovision 2006 with his own song Maybe. He did not win at that time, but only a year later the situation changed dramatically.
Winning Star Factory 6
In 2006, Dmitry Koldun passed the casting for the Russian television project Star Factory 6, whose music producer was Viktor Drobysh.
The project became a genuine turning point. Koldun did not simply reach the final — he finished in first place according to the viewers’ vote.
During Star Factory, he performed Несерьёзно, Прости за всё and other material, while one of the most notable performances was a collaboration with Scorpions on Still Loving You.
After the performance, Scorpions vocalist Klaus Meine invited Koldun to perform the song with the band during future appearances. In November 2008, Dmitry also opened the Scorpions concert in Minsk with his own program.
K.G.B.
After the end of Star Factory 6, Dmitry spent some time participating in Viktor Drobysh’s new project K.G.B..
The name was formed from the surnames of the three members: Koldun, Gurkova, Barsukov. Dmitry performed together with Alexandra Gurkova and Roman Barsukov.
The project existed only briefly and was mainly connected with the touring period of Star Factory participants. After it ended, Koldun focused on his solo career.
Work Your Magic and Eurovision 2007
At the end of 2006, Dmitry again took part in the Belarusian Eurovision selection. During the preliminary stage, he performed the song Ангел мечты, but the song was replaced for the final.
The main competition entry became Work Your Magic. The music was written by Philipp Kirkorov, with lyrics by Karen Kavaleryan.
In January 2007, Koldun won the national selection and earned the right to represent Belarus at the Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki.
On May 10, he performed in the semi-final and finished fourth, becoming the first Belarusian representative to qualify for a Eurovision final.
In the final on May 12, Work Your Magic finished in sixth place. This remains Belarus’s highest result in the contest.
The staging was built around the image of an illusionist and combined dynamic choreography with theatrical stage effects. Eurovision made Dmitry Koldun known far beyond the audience of Russian television music competitions.
Дай мне силу, Я для тебя and Царевна
A Russian-language version of Work Your Magic was recorded under the title Дай мне силу. It became one of the main hits of Koldun’s early solo period.
After Eurovision came Я для тебя and Царевна. The latter became a particularly prominent radio track and in 2009 earned the singer the God of the Air award in the Radio Hit — Performer category.
After Eurovision, there were several possibilities for Koldun’s future production. For some time, he worked with composer Alexander Lunev, also known as the author of Never Let You Go by Dima Bilan.
However, by 2008 Dmitry had decided to move toward much greater creative independence.
Original music and the Yashcheritsa studio
After giving up constant work with a producer, Koldun began recording new songs independently and developing material for his debut album.
In 2009, together with Alexander Astashenok, a former member of Korni, he opened his own recording studio in Moscow called Yashcheritsa.
The studio allowed the artist to control the music-making process much more closely — from the initial demo recording to working with musicians and final production.
That same year, Koldun presented his first major solo concert program and released his debut album.
Колдун
The first studio album Колдун appeared in 2009. It marked an important transition from an artist previously known mainly through competitions and material created by different producers to an independent solo discography.
Musically, the album leaned noticeably toward pop rock. Alongside characteristic radio ballads, it featured live guitars and heavier arrangements that reflected Dmitry’s long-standing interest in rock music.
Songs from this period include Дай мне силу, Царевна, Настройся на меня and other material from the first years of his solo career.
The rock opera The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta
The rock side of Koldun’s work was expressed not only through his own songs.
In 2008, he received the role of Joaquin in a new production of Alexey Rybnikov’s rock opera The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta. Initially, the singer was invited to record the lead character’s vocal part, after which he also appeared in the role on stage.
The production differed significantly from the usual television pop format and allowed him to use a more dramatic vocal style closer to musical theater and rock opera.
Ночной пилот
The second studio album Ночной пилот was released in 2012.
One of its central tracks was Корабли, which became one of Dmitry Koldun’s most recognizable songs. The album also included ballads and pop-rock compositions continuing the direction of his first solo release.
Compared with the early period, the music became noticeably less dependent on his image as a Eurovision participant. Koldun gradually built his own audience around a Russian-language repertoire.
Город больших огней
The next full-length album, Город больших огней, was released in 2013.
It included:
- Город больших огней
- Облака-бродяги
- Останься
- С дождями
- Вверх
- Не грусти
- Не вспоминай о ней
- Не так
- Сердцем
- Она
Облака-бродяги and the title track Город больших огней became especially successful. Both songs earned Koldun Golden Gramophone awards in consecutive award cycles.
The album consolidated his transition toward a more mature pop repertoire, where romantic drama and melody moved to the foreground while the heavier rock element was used more selectively.
Манекен
The fourth studio album Манекен appeared in 2015.
It included Почему, Манекен, Я буду любить тебя, Медленно, Время нам разойтись, Мало тебя, Метели, Скажи, Любовь — война, Холодные облака and Поезд.
One of the most notable songs was Почему, which remained among the artist’s most popular works many years after the album’s release.
Манекен continued Koldun’s characteristic line of emotional pop music, while the arrangements still retained traces of his guitar-based musical background.
Toch-v-Toch and television projects
Dmitry Koldun continued to appear regularly in Russian and Belarusian television music projects even after the era of televised competitions that had first brought him fame.
One notable project was the show Toch-v-Toch. During the 2016 super season, the artist transformed into various performers and musicians, including Vladimir Presnyakov, Alexander Marshal and members of ZZ Top.
Koldun also repeatedly appeared as a host of televised concerts, music events and festivals.
Граффити
After Манекен, Dmitry did not release another full-length album for some time, focusing mainly on individual singles.
In March 2020, the mini-album Граффити appeared. It became an intermediate release between his classic album discography of 2009–2015 and a new period of active digital releases.
In the following years, he released Этой ночью, Декаданс, Зависимость, Нереальная, Между нами только LOVE, Заметает, Приду без повода, Солнце и любовь, Гололёд and other songs.
Верю в хорошее
After a gap of almost nine years between full-length records, Dmitry Koldun released his fifth studio album Верю в хорошее on March 1, 2024.
The album contains 12 songs and reflects a more contemporary stage of his pop sound.
The material includes Верю в хорошее, Милая, Для тебя, Если бы, Счастье там, где ты, Плачет дождь and other compositions.
The title track had previously been released as a standalone single, while Милая became one of the artist’s most successful new songs.
Милая and the fourth Golden Gramophone
In December 2024, Dmitry Koldun received a Golden Gramophone award for the song Милая.
It became the fourth Golden Gramophone of his career. He had previously received the award for Дай мне силу, Облака-бродяги and Город больших огней.
The success of Милая showed that more than fifteen years after Eurovision, the artist was still receiving major radio airplay with completely new material.
2025–2026: new singles
After the album Верю в хорошее, Koldun maintained a high pace of digital releases.
In 2025, he released Эти глаза, Сегодня ветрено, Похоже, серьёзно, Карамель твоих губ and Голуби, as well as a dance version of Завтра и навсегда.
At the beginning of 2026, Весёлый старичок and Целую другую were released. The latter also received its own music video.
On April 3, 2026, the artist released the single Музыка моя. As of August 2026, it remains the latest release in Dmitry Koldun’s main digital catalog.
At the same time, the singer continues his solo concert activity with live musicians. His touring program combines songs from the Eurovision period, major radio hits of the 2010s and newer material.
Dmitry Koldun’s musical style
Although digital services usually classify Dmitry Koldun as pop, rock remains an important part of his musical background.
Even before beginning his professional career, he played guitar, while one of his most notable Star Factory performances was Still Loving You with Scorpions. His debut album was also deliberately created with pop-rock elements.
As his solo career developed, however, the focus gradually shifted toward melodic Russian-language pop music.
Дай мне силу and Work Your Magic represent theatrical competition-oriented pop rock.
Царевна and Я для тебя belong to the romantic period of the late 2000s.
Корабли and Ночной пилот strengthened the melodramatic side of his music.
Облака-бродяги and Город больших огней brought him closer to the mainstream radio format of the 2010s.
Верю в хорошее and Милая represent more contemporary pop production, where rock elements are used more as part of the arrangement than as the main genre characteristic.
The connecting element remains his voice — a high male vocal with a pronounced dramatic delivery, allowing Koldun to work equally naturally with ballads, pop rock and larger-scale stage compositions.
Dmitry Koldun studio discography
Колдун — 2009
Debut studio album with a pronounced pop-rock direction.
Key songs from the period: Дай мне силу, Царевна, Настройся на меня.
Ночной пилот — 2012
Second full-length release.
Key compositions: Корабли, Ночной пилот and other songs from his early-2010s concert program.
Город больших огней — 2013
One of the most successful radio-oriented releases in the singer’s discography.
Key songs: Город больших огней, Облака-бродяги, Останься, С дождями.
Манекен — 2015
Fourth studio album.
Key compositions: Почему, Манекен, Я буду любить тебя, Медленно, Любовь — война.
Верю в хорошее — 2024
Fifth studio album and the first full-length release after a long period of standalone singles.
Key songs: Верю в хорошее, Милая, Для тебя, Счастье там, где ты.
Other releases
Граффити — 2020 — mini-album.
In addition to the main albums, a significant part of Dmitry Koldun’s catalog exists as standalone singles. These include Давай сыграем в любовь, По улицам Москвы, Вертолёты, Пёс бродячий, Нереальная, Приду без повода, Мэрилин Монро, Эти глаза, Карамель твоих губ, Целую другую and Музыка моя.
Main awards and achievements
- 2004 — finalist of People’s Artist 2;
- 2006 — winner of Star Factory 6;
- 2007 — first Belarusian participant ever to qualify for the Eurovision final and sixth place with Work Your Magic;
- 2009 — God of the Air award for the song Царевна;
- 2013 — Golden Gramophone for Облака-бродяги;
- 2014 — Golden Gramophone for Город больших огней;
- 2024 — Golden Gramophone for Милая, becoming the artist’s fourth statuette;
- 2024 — special MUSICBOX award “20 Years on Stage.”
Dmitry Koldun’s main songs
The central part of his catalog includes:
Work Your Magic, Дай мне силу, Я для тебя, Царевна, Настройся на меня, В комнате пустой, Корабли, Ночной пилот, Облака-бродяги, Город больших огней, Почему, Манекен, Давай сыграем в любовь, По улицам Москвы, Вертолёты, Пёс бродячий, Нереальная, Приду без повода, Верю в хорошее, Милая, Мэрилин Монро, Эти глаза, Карамель твоих губ, Голуби, Целую другую and Музыка моя.
From Eurovision to an independent career
Eurovision remains the biggest international event in Dmitry Koldun’s biography, but his subsequent career shows why reducing his story to Work Your Magic alone would be inaccurate.
Winning Star Factory 6 gave him his first mass audience, Eurovision made him known beyond the Russian-speaking music scene, and the following years brought a different challenge — building a career without constantly relying on a television competition.
Koldun gradually moved from working with producers to his own studio and solo band, released five full-length albums and built a repertoire in which Eurovision occupies an important, but far from exclusive, place.
His return to major radio success in 2024 was particularly significant: seventeen years after Work Your Magic, Милая earned the artist another Golden Gramophone, while subsequent releases continued the new stage of his discography.
For this reason, Dmitry Koldun occupies a distinctive place in Belarusian and Russian-language pop music: an artist who began with television competitions and Eurovision but managed to turn competition-era fame into a long-running solo career with his own albums, live band and original material.
