Ukrainian singer Max Barskih and director and producer Alan Badoev are ending their creative collaboration after 18 years of working together. The pair announced the split during a live broadcast of the show Fabrika Zirok on Sweet.TV that was dedicated to Barskih's music career.
Badoev described the move as a carefully considered decision that the two had been working toward for a long time. The director said that it had worked out that this very year, after 18 years, he and Barskih were concluding their partnership, adding that they had taken quite a long time to reach that point.
Barskih thanked Badoev for his many years of support and for their shared professional journey. Alongside the end of their working relationship, the singer announced that he plans to pause his creative activity for at least a year to devote time to himself and his personal recovery.
Final concert at Palace Ukraine in Kyiv
Before stepping away from music, Barskih will team up with Badoev for one last joint concert on December 8 at Palace Ukraine in Kyiv. The performance, titled Syohodni Maye Sens (Today Makes Sense), will also serve as the final concert of the singer's all-Ukrainian tour.
Officially known as the National Palace of Arts Ukraine, Palace Ukraine is the largest concert hall in Kyiv and the country's flagship venue for major musical events and stage productions. Sweet.TV, which aired the special Fabrika Zirok broadcast where the announcement took place, operates as one of Ukraine's main online television and streaming services.
History of the Fabrika Zirok partnership
The two artists first met in 2008 during the second season of the television talent project Fabrika Zirok (Star Factory), after which their creative collaboration began. Over 18 years of joint work, Barskih and Badoev collaborated on music videos, concert shows and stage productions that formed a central part of the singer's career, creating what Badoev said were many landmark videos and live staging concepts.
Fabrika Zirok was the Ukrainian television adaptation of the international Star Academy music competition format, designed to train young vocalists and launch domestic pop acts. Born Mykola Bortnyk in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, Barskih gained national attention as a contestant on the 2008 season and went on to establish himself as one of Ukraine's leading pop singers and songwriters under Badoev's visual and production direction.
Alan Badoev's directing career and Netflix documentary
Alongside his long-running work shaping Barskih's stage productions and music videos, Badoev is one of Ukraine's best-known film and music video directors. In May 2024, his documentary film Dovha Doba (known in English as The Long Day) was released on Netflix, assembling personal mobile phone footage recorded by Ukrainians to document the realities of the war in the country.
