Shurov was born on 31 October 1981 in Vinnytsia. His father, Ihor, is a poet and painter,[1] and his mother is a teacher and musician. Dmytro started playing the piano at four years old.[2][3]
Shurov studied in lyceum Auguste Renoir in Limoges, France and in Utah, United States where he sang in the choir and played in the jazz band and the orchestra, which performed compositions of the Baroque period; he also played in the quartet "Barbershop".[4] After coming back from the U.S., Shurov applied to Kyiv National Linguistic University.
Career
Pianoboy in Green Theatre, 2014
Shurov joined Okean Elzy as a session member in 2000. Later in 2001, he became part of the band and gained popularity alongside the increasingly popular band. In 2004, Shurov left the band to join a newly formed band, Esthetic Education, with another member of Okean Elzy, bass player Yuriy Khustochka. Esthetic Education remained active until 2008. In 2009, Shurov started his own project called "Pianoboy" (Pianoбой).[5]
In 2016, Shurov participated in a charitable photography project called "Щирі. Спадщина" (Sincere. Heritage) aimed at raising funds for Ukrainian museums.[8][9][10]
In 2018, Shurov became actively involved in advocating for women's rights by joining the HeForShe movement. He and his son were appointed as ambassadors for the movement in Ukraine, focusing on addressing gender inequality issues like domestic violence.[11]
In response to the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Shurov became a volunteer. He actively participated in transporting humanitarian aid and organizing charitable concerts for military personnel, medical professionals, and rescuers. These efforts aimed to support the urgent needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ZSU) and raise funds for tactical medicine. As a testament to his significant contributions, Shurov was bestowed with the esteemed state recognition of the Order of Merit third class, in August 2022.
Controversy
In April 2021, Shurov faced public backlash for smashing a contestant's guitar as a judge in the 8th season of the Ukrainian X-Factor, as he did not like the contestant's performance.[12] It was later revealed that the contestant, Juri Hancurkan[13] (whose real name is Sergey Pelykh), had received the guitar from his late father. As a result, Shurov was fired from The X Factor the day after the incident aired.[14] To date, neither Shurov nor X-Factor have publicly apologized for the incident.[13] Some media reports suggest the act was merely a publicity stunt to gain more viewers for the show.[13]
Personal life
Shurov married Olha Tarakanovska in 2003.[15] The two have a son, born 23 August 2003. The family lives in Kyiv.
