On March 10, People's Artist of Ukraine, author of the song " The musician turns 73 this year.. His compositions have been heard on stage for decades, and the hit “Ukraine” has long become the unofficial anthem of the country.

The song " During the Soviet period, it could become the basis for accusations of “nationalism”, so the musician did not dare to record it for a long time.

In the end, the composition was created virtually secretly on Ukrainian radio. Subsequently, it became one of the most famous Ukrainian songs and turned into a symbol for several generations of listeners.

Even before the independence of Ukraine, Petrinenko’s work repeatedly came under pressure from Soviet censorship.. His original compositions were prohibited from being performed, and the programs had to be coordinated with government agencies. The singer himself recalled that because of these restrictions he even had to work outside of Ukraine for some time..

After returning to his homeland, the musician continued to perform and create new songs.. His album " Over the years of his work, the artist received a number of state awards, in particular the National Taras Shevchenko Prize of Ukraine and the title of National Legend of Ukraine.

Petrinenko is also known for his active civic position. He supported protests during the Revolution on Granite, performed on stages during the Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity.

After the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, the singer remained in his house near Kiev and continued performing. Together with singer Tatyana Gorobets, with whom he has been working on stage for many years, the musician holds concerts in different cities of Ukraine. The last ones were in November 2025 in Ternopil and Lutsk.

At the same time, the musician says that he rarely writes new songs. According to him in an interview with Suspilny, he does not like to create music “on the topic of the day” or specifically for a certain situation. The artist is convinced that a real song should be born naturally, and not appear only because the moment demands it..

“When I suddenly have the need to write something, of course I will write, but I don’t want to provoke this in myself. I don't like doing things on purpose, to order.. If it appears, it will appear, I will definitely inform you about it,” said the musician.

Petrinenko himself explains his attitude to music simply: it is important for him that the songs not only entertain, but also make the listener think.

That is why, as he said in an interview with Rostyslove Production, he is in no hurry with new releases, but continues to go on stage and perform compositions that have already become part of Ukrainian musical history.

However, sometimes Petrinenko agrees to unexpected creative experiments. In 2024, he recorded the duet composition “Hour” together with musician and soldier Alexander Polozhinsky. According to Polozhinsky, the singer agreed to cooperate, although he usually refuses such offers. " But we can’t refuse you,” his colleague Polozhinsky recounted Petrinenko’s words.. “I’m very attracted to this attitude.”.