Slava Vakarchuk (Ukrainian: Святосла́в Іва́нович Вакарчу́к, born May 14, 1975) is the lead vocalist of Okean Elzy, the most successful post-Soviet rock band in Ukraine. In 2007 he was also, for roughly one year, a member of the Ukrainian parliament.
Vakarchuk was active in supporting the Orange Revolution and Euromaidan-protests, and is involved in many social and cultural projects. He is one of the most successful musicians in Ukraine and has a degree in theoretical physics.
Vakarchuk is the son of Ivan Vakarchuk, a professor of physics at Lviv University and a former Ukrainian Minister of Education and Science.
Vakarchuk was born in Mukachevo, in western Ukraine, raised in a family of scientists.[1] His mother and father were both university professors of physics.[1] His father Ivan Vakarchuk is also former Education Minister.[2]
Vakarchuk founded the band Okean Elzy ("Ocean of Elza"), in 1994 as an undergraduate at Lviv University.[1] At this university he earned a Ph.D. in the field of supersymmetry.[1] After graduation Vakarchuk moved to Kiev.