“Music saved my life”: How Ukrainian musician Postman came to play at Immersed Festival

Kostiantyn Pochtar – known by his stage name Postman, which is a literal translation of his surname – played his first international gig at Immersed Festival earlier this year, thanks to a unique scheme to discover new music talent.

The 34-year-old, who was born and raised in Kyiv, always knew he wanted to be a musician, but admits that he didn’t initially see himself as a solo artist.

“I’d played in a band – 5 Vymir –  since I was young, and as we were quite successful, I hadn’t really thought of putting my own songs out there,” said Kostiantyn. “But when I released some of my tracks online, I needed a stage name, and that’s how I officially became Postman.

“I knew from the age of 11 that I wanted to make music my career. Growing up in Ukraine in the late 1990s was tough. It was a new state, and both my parents lost their jobs due to the collapse of the Soviet Union at the time. But I remember hearing The Beatles for the first time, and their music really moved me. I was inspired by the feeling that everything was going to be alright.

“I then discovered other UK bands, like The Kinks, The Hollies, and The Zombies, who became popular in the 1960s, and music became a huge part of my life. Looking back, music really saved my life because it gave me a purpose. It helped me to survive those hard times as a teenager, because I believed that things would get better.

“After university, we [the band] released our first album, which was quite a breakthrough in Ukraine and allowed us to become professional musicians. But eventually I realised that some of the songs I’d written would work better as solo tracks, and so I started to release my own material on SoundCloud, which thankfully had a great response from the public.”

Kostiantyn left Ukraine a couple of years before the war started, settling in Berlin, and later in Wroclaw, Poland.

“I never intended to leave Ukraine for good,” he said. “I was keen to travel and experience living in different places, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced me to settle, and later, the war had its impact as well.”

Kostiantyn’s performance at Immersed was made possible thanks to BBC Horizons – a scheme delivered by BBC Cymru Wales in partnership with Arts Council Wales to develop new, independent music – and Excite Music Network, a collaborative project uniting eight partner organisations across Europe to spotlight exciting new talent.

After being invited to be part of the festival line-up, he was excited to come to Wales and perform to a totally new audience in Cardiff.

“I was super happy to have the chance to play at Immersed,” he said. “I had heard such amazing music from Welsh bands, and loved being in such a great city with fantastic people. I’m coming back to the UK in August to play a gig in London, so I’m deeply grateful for the doors this experience has opened for me.”

Bethan Elfyn, Project Manager for Horizons, said: “We were thrilled to work with USW, the Immersed team and Excite to bring Postman to Cardiff. The unique, student-led atmosphere of Immersed adds so much vibrancy to artists’ experience of our city, people and music.

“Ukrainian artists in particular have obviously faced extreme challenges in recent years, which has seen their own homegrown festivals and events being silenced during the war, so their opportunities are limited. We are so proud to have partnered with Immersed and other Welsh events to build our ambition to make Cardiff a music city. Music united us with common experiences, themes, and connections, beyond boundaries and beyond the challenges we face.”

Romeo Sfendules, Project Manager for Excite Music Network, added: “We were so happy to see Postman perform at Immersed Festival. Giving emerging artists access to international stages and audiences is what this collaboration is all about. Especially in today’s world, where borders can feel more closed and cultural exchange more fragile, it’s crucial that we create opportunities for artists to connect, grow, and be seen beyond their home countries. The Excite partners helped make this possible, and it was inspiring to see the enthusiasm from the audience and the local industry in Cardiff.”

Roan Hopkins, 21, is a final year BA Popular and Commercial Music student from Worcester, and had the invaluable opportunity of taking on an Artist Liaison role for Immersed. This meant that he was tasked with looking after Kostiantyn during his time in Cardiff – even lending him his guitar to use for his performance.

Roan said: “I really enjoyed working with Postman. It was rather hectic, as we only found out a couple of days before Immersed that his visa had been approved and he was able to travel. As he was coming from Poland, he would have had to buy another plane ticket for his guitar, so I offered him mine for his acoustic songs, which he was very appreciative of, and even gifted me one of his vinyls as a thank you.”

Lucy Squire, Head of Music at USW and founder of Immersed, added: “It was a pleasure to host Postman at this year’s Immersed Festival. His story and music embody the values of cultural awareness and global citizenship that we champion at USW. Through our partnerships with Excite and BBC Horizons, we are excited that our students can play an active role in international events; gaining hands-on industry experience while engaging with diverse perspectives and contributing to a truly global creative community.”