Artem Kotenko
Artem Vitaliyovych Kotenko is a Ukrainian child singer. He represented in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song "Hear Me Now", finishing 3rd overall with 203 points.
Early life
Kotenko was born on 12 January 2012 in Okhtyrka, Sumy Oblast, Ukraine.In addition to his vocal career, Kotenko studies choreography, theatre arts, and piano. He also has experience hosting municipal events.
Career
Early career: Black Sea Games 2021 and United Kids Festival
Kotenko began singing in early childhood. By the age of three, he had joined the vocal ensemble Kroshky, and from the age of five he began professional vocal training. His vocal teacher was Larysa Anatoliivna Kroshka, the head of the ensemble.In August 2020, Kotenko was included in the 4th edition of the children's talent encyclopedia Vydatni dity Ukrainy, which was presented on 29 August in Kyiv. The encyclopedia featured children from various regions of the country recognized for their achievements. That same year, Kotenko won the international project "Razom iz zirkamy" as part of the Spivaiu z Ruslanoiu festival. Following the project, Kotenko was selected by Ruslana Lyzhychko's team to participate in the music video for the song "Balada pro pryntsesu", performed jointly by Ruslana and the festival winners to mark the 25th anniversary of the song's release. The music video was released in January 2022.
In 2021, he won first place at the 18th All-Ukrainian Charity Children's Festival in the category "Junior Group, Vocalists aged 6–11". The festival took place from 20 to 22 August 2021 in Skadovsk, Kherson Oblast.
In 2022, Kotenko received the Grand Prix at the international children's vocal festival United Kids Festival in Poland. The festival brought together about 50 participants from Ukraine, Poland, Germany, and Kazakhstan. Kotenko competed in the 10–12 age category, where he reached the final and won the competition's main award.
2023–2024: Junior Eurovision 2023 and 2024
After the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine announced 's participation in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023 on 17 June 2023, Kotenko submitted his application and was one of 143 candidates. On 13 July, Suspilne published the longlist of the national selection featuring 10 participants, including Kotenko. However, he did not make it to the list of 5 finalists. During the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2023, Kotenko served on the national jury of Ukraine as one of two child members appointed by the broadcaster.On 2 September 2024, Kotenko became one of the winners of the charity competition for children Dity.Help Music 2024 in the category "Vocalists, 11–13 years old".
On 24 July 2024, Suspilne announced the national selection for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2024 and the list of 15 artists who made the longlist, which included 12-year-old Kotenko. On 1 September, 10 artists were selected from the 15 for the shortlist. On 8 September, it was announced that Kotenko had reached the top six finalists of Ukraine's national selection. The finalists' songs were first presented on 15 September as part of the musical reality show Shchodennyky Dytiachoho Yevrobachennia, including Kotenko's song "Dim". The final of the national selection took place on 22 September 2024. Kotenko scored 11 points, tying with Zlata Ivaniv, but was declared the winner due to receiving a higher score from the public vote. Although Kotenko's song was titled "Dim" during the national selection, on 6 October, its title was changed to "Hear Me Now" in order "to make it more understandable for Europe". The lyrics, written by Svitlana Tarabarova specifically for the contest, feature both Ukrainian and English. The song presents the concept of home as a symbol of safety, support, strength, and warmth, emphasizing its significance for Ukrainians who were forced to leave their homes or lost them due to the war.
Following the announcement of Kotenko as Ukraine's representative for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2024, he became the target of online harassment by Russian bots spreading negative and derogatory comments on social media, similar to attacks directed at the Ukrainian representative the previous year
At the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2024, held in Madrid on 16 November 2024, Kotenko performed 14th, following and preceding. The performance was staged by Daniil Demekhin, who was responsible for the direction and artistic design of the act. At the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2024, Kotenko placed second in both the public and jury votes, resulting in a total of 203 points and a 3rd place finish overall, marking 's best result in the contest in 11 years.
On 27 December 2024, a music video by for the Ukrainian version of the song "Try sestry" was released, featuring Kotenko.
2025–present: ''REPEAT'' album
On 8 February 2025, during Ukraine's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, Kotenko performed as part of the interval act together with Svitlana Tarabarova. They performed the song "Hear Me Now" in a special version that focused on the theme of Ukrainian children illegally deported to Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.On 19 April 2025, Kotenko took part in the charity art event "For children for future. Ukraine – Azerbaijan", organized by the as part of the People of the Future project. The event took place in Baku and aimed to support Ukrainian children affected by the war and undergoing rehabilitation in Azerbaijan.
On 12 July 2025, Kotenko opened the Golden Union Cup charity children's football tournament by performing the song "Golden Union", written specifically for the sporting event as its official anthem. The track was created by Yurii Hlushko and Vlad Sotnikov and recorded at Andrii Tymoshchyk's studio. The song premiered at the tournament opening on 12 July and was released on streaming platforms on 1 September 2025. Subsequently, Kotenko performed "Golden Union" during the tournament's second stage, held from late August to mid-September.
On 18 July of the same year, Kotenko released his debut studio album Repeat, which included both new songs and previously released singles. On the same day, he also performed at Atlas Festival 2025 on the first day of the festival on the Blockbuster Mall Stage, alongside other participants and winners of national selections for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, where he performed "Hear Me Now" and presented the album. In 2025, Kotenko also appeared as a guest performer at the second Dity.Help Music charity competition, the final of which took place on 15–16 August in Kyiv. As part of the concert program, he performed his own songs and performed with the 2024 contest winners.
On 12 October 2025, during Ukraine's national selection for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025, Kotenko opened the show with the song "Hear Me Now". On 13 December 2025, he served as Ukraine's spokesperson at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Tbilisi, announcing the results of the national jury of Ukraine, which awarded its maximum 12 points to.
In November 2025, it was announced that Kotenko would take part in the concert tour of Svitlana Tarabarova's music project Mamyne Namysto. Alongside Zlata Ivaniv, he was announced as one of the main characters of the program, which will be presented as a musical and run from January to March in several Ukrainian cities.
On 15 January 2026, Kotenko participated in the press conference dedicated to the final of Ukraine's national selection for Eurovision Song Contest 2026, held on the Origin Stage in Kyiv. During the event, he performed on stage with other guest artists during the presentation of the finalists' songs and their running order draw.