Latter-day Saint woman takes second on ‘The Voice” in Ukraine, shares her faith

Yulia Tymochko, a 37-year-old Latter-day Saint from Rivne, Ukraine, finished as the runner up on a televised competition similar to “The Voice” in the United States this past weekend. | YouTube screenshot

Videos: See her perform a duet with her favorite singer

Yulia Tymochko may not have won Ukraine’s “Voice of the Country,” but her run to second place on the national TV show gave her a chance to showcase her talents and potentially open new doors of opportunity for her singing career.

That is all the gracious 37-year-old returned Latter-day Saint missionary ever really wanted.

Tymochko finished as the runner-up last weekend in the Super Finale of a Ukrainian televised singing competition similar to “American Idol” or “The Voice” in the United States.

“I feel great about my performance. I participated in the competition because I truly believed that I had this talent. ... I went out there and gave it my all,” Tymochko wrote in an email to the Deseret News. “I am grateful for the outpouring of support that I received throughout Ukraine and beyond. I’m also very grateful for the show and the producers that have opened doors for me to take the next step in my career.”

Because Tymochko continued to advance through the finals this past weekend during the competition in Kyiv, Ukraine, she was able to perform all four songs she had prepared. The highlight of her experience was singing an on-stage duet with her coach, Tina Karol, a Ukrainian pop star. Singing the duet fulfilled a dream for Tymochko.

YouTube screenshot

Right, Yulia Tymochko sings a duet with Tina Karol, a Ukrainian pop star, during the Super Finale of “Voice of Ukraine,” a competition similar to “The Voice” in the United States.

“We had a special connection,” she said. “Having the chance to realize that dream of singing with Tina on stage during the Super Finale was very special to me.”

Another highlight was seeing her sister, Aliona Teuscher, along with other family and friends, cheering for her on a video screen as they viewed the competition live from Utah.

“Family and friends are the most important thing to me, and I loved being able to experience this journey with them,” she added.

YouTube screenshot

Family members and friends look on via video technology while Yulia Tymochko performs in Kyiv, Ukraine, this past weekend. The 37-year-old singer finished second in a Ukrainian televised singing competition similar to “The Voice” in the United States.

Not only did she appreciate the chance to represent her home country and city Rivne, but she welcomed the opportunity to represent her faith and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“People were surprised when they learned that I didn’t drink or smoke,” Tymochko said. “It was important to me that people understood the spiritual side of my life as it plays a huge role in who I am, how I got here and where I’m going.”

Being coached by Karol and participating in the competition allowed Tymochko to develop her talents and learn a great deal in a short amount of time. Her next goal is to produce an album and music video and use her increased name recognition “as a springboard to something greater,” she said.

Jordan Teuscher, Yulia’s brother-in-law, set up a GoFundMe page to help her fund her album.

“The important thing for me is to look ahead and not lose out on this tremendous opportunity I’ve been given,” Tymochko said.

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