Oksana Voyage Opens Up About a Mysterious Illness, Turning Down Yanukovych and Support from Pugacheva

In the 2000s, Oksana Voyage was one of the most prominent singers on the Ukrainian music scene. Her songs were everywhere, while her provocative stage looks attracted just as much attention as her music. Corsets, plunging necklines, sheer inserts, cut-outs and sparkling rhinestones – the artist dared to wear what few others were willing to try at the time.

However, at the height of her popularity, Voyage suddenly disappeared from the big stage. The reason was a serious health crisis that doctors were unable to clearly diagnose for years.

In an interview with OBOZ.UA, the singer spoke about the difficult period in her life, a mysterious story involving a “curse to death,” support from Alla Pugacheva, her decision to turn down performances at Viktor Yanukovych’s campaign events despite a large fee, admirers arriving with suitcases full of dollars, and her new television project.

“I felt like I would never return to a normal life”

According to Voyage, her health problems began with severe attacks that doctors described as sympathoadrenal crises.

“Essentially, they are a form of panic attacks. Today, during the war, many people know what that feels like. They understand the reason for their fear: shelling, constant stress, anxiety about their loved ones. But I was living in Ukraine in peacetime and simply could not understand why this was happening to me. I saw countless doctors and spent huge amounts of money on examinations. Yet no serious physical cause was found,” the artist recalls.

She says she eventually almost stopped eating and lost a significant amount of weight – from 55 to 45 kilograms.

“You cry constantly, literally all day long. You are scared, but you cannot even explain what exactly you are afraid of. Your body seems to shut down completely, and life inside you comes to a halt. My husband tried to feed me with a spoon like a little child. At one point, I felt that I would never return to a normal life, let alone the stage,” she says.

Her condition continued to deteriorate. During one massage session, she suffered a severe attack: the walls seemed to spin before her eyes, her lips and fingers turned blue, and she began losing consciousness.

“My heart was pounding wildly, my blood pressure was jumping, and I was shaking so badly that my teeth were chattering,” Voyage recalls.

“They told me: you have a curse to death”

Unable to find a diagnosis, the singer began looking for other explanations for her condition. According to Voyage, she once visited a clergyman who was considered a clairvoyant.

“He took my hand and held it for a long time, then said: ‘Don’t waste your money on doctors – it’s pointless.’ And then came the words that made the ground disappear beneath my feet: ‘You have a curse to death,’” the singer recalls.

After that, she began regularly attending church, praying, going to confession and taking communion.

“I never looked for someone to blame for what happened to me. For me, it was more important not to find out who had done it, but to figure out how to get out of that situation,” she says.

The problems also affected her voice – the singer’s main professional instrument.

“I had very serious problems with my throat. Constant inflammation and sores that made it impossible for me to sing properly. I was terrified of losing my voice because, for a singer, that is the most frightening thing. But thank God, I prayed my way through it,” Voyage says.

Eventually, her condition improved and the artist began returning to performing.

Turning down Yanukovych came at a high financial cost

Voyage’s career peaked in the 2000s. At the time, she toured extensively and worked under contract with a production company.

One of her best-known songs was “Ne Zi Mnoiu” (“Not With Me”), which she recorded with musician Valerii Horlov. According to the singer, the song became so popular that it was even sold under the names of other performers.

Alla Pugacheva helped make the music video.

“My producer contacted her and arranged for her rare Plymouth Prowler to be provided for the video shoot. My producer handled all the organizational matters,” Voyage recalls.

Later, the song was played on Alla Radio, and Voyage was told that Pugacheva liked the track.

At the same time, there was a point in the singer’s career when she consciously turned down a substantial amount of money. It happened during Viktor Yanukovych’s presidential campaign.

“I was categorically against him. The Orange Revolution was a very personal story for me: I went to the Maidan and supported it. And then my producer called: ‘There will be campaign concerts. They are offering triple the fee,’” the artist recalls.

According to Voyage, instead of her usual fee of around $5,000 per performance, she was offered approximately $15,000.

“I could have bought another apartment or built another salon. But my principles were more important than money. I said, ‘No,’” she says.

According to the singer, her producer subsequently left her without payment for New Year’s concerts.

“Love and respect cannot be bought with a suitcase of money”

Oksana Voyage admits that she received plenty of attention from admirers during the years of her popularity. Some of them tried to impress her with expensive gifts.

“There were some very persistent admirers. Some would come to my beauty salon and try to impress me with money. I remember one man walked into the bar area, opened a briefcase and simply poured a huge pile of dollars onto the table. I had never seen that much cash in my life,” she recalls.

However, the money did not impress the singer.

“Love and respect cannot be bought with a suitcase of money,” Voyage emphasizes.

According to her, on one occasion, the attention of an admirer even created tension in her relationship with her husband. However, the couple managed to get through the situation.

A beauty salon and a new life

Alongside music, Voyage has been running her own beauty salon for more than 30 years. She opened it in Brovary in the early 1990s.

“I wanted to create not just a place for services, but a space for communication and relaxation. We have a bar, a showroom, a boutique area with clothes and jewelry. We even have a small stage,” the artist says.

On June 25, the salon plans to celebrate another anniversary and present Voyage’s new album. During the event, funds will also be raised for Ukraine’s 136th Territorial Defense Battalion.

Among the salon’s clients, the singer names Pavlo Zibrov, Ivo Bobul, Kamaliya and Olga Sumska.

“The biggest enemy is your comfort zone”

Today, Voyage continues to work on herself. She studies English, stays physically active and spends a lot of time in nature.

One of the artist’s biggest passions is mushroom picking.

“I’m absolutely obsessed with mushrooms. If there is a chance to escape to the forest, you don’t have to persuade me for long. Sometimes I think that in a past life, my husband and I must have been some kind of forest creatures,” she jokes.

According to Voyage, the forest helped her get through the most difficult period of her life.

“When I was having panic attacks and searching for answers to my questions, we spent a lot of time in the forest. I could simply lie on the grass, look at the sky, pray and remain silent. That was where I found a sense of peace that I couldn’t find anywhere else,” the singer recalls.

Voyage has also long dreamed of writing a book. Its working title is “And at 90, I’ll Still Be 90-60-90.”

“Star Mushroom Hunt”

The singer may soon try herself in a new role – as a television host. She has been offered a project about mushroom picking.

“At first, they suggested the title ‘Mushroom Voyage,’ but I like ‘Star Mushroom Hunt’ more. The idea is simple: I invite a well-known colleague, we go into the forest together to look for mushrooms, walk around and talk, while they also tell me about themselves and their lives,” Voyage explains.

According to her, the format could be interesting precisely because people reveal themselves differently in an informal setting.

“In the forest, people often open up in a completely different way than they do in a television studio,” the singer says.