Daniel Leshchinsky

Daniel Leshchinsky: biography of the vocalist of the band Ziferblat

Childhood and youth

Daniil Leshchynsky was born on November 15, 1996 in Ukraine. He has a twin brother, Valentyn Leshchynskyi, with whom they would later form a successful musical group. From an early age, the brothers showed a character that Danylo himself described quite frankly in later interviews: “In childhood, my brother and I were very cruel to our peers, and often the two of us mentally destroyed the weak-minded children, driving them to hysterics.” This experience was later reflected in their work.

The twin brothers’ musical tastes were greatly influenced by their grandmother Victoria, who introduced them to academic music: the works of Gustav Holst, Chopin, Schumann, Schubert, and Ravel formed the soundtrack of their childhood. According to Danylo, his parents were not particular music lovers and mostly listened to popular music of the 1990s.

Another childhood hobby of the Leshchynsky brothers was the Eurovision Song Contest, which proved to be prophetic for their future careers. In addition to music, as children, Daniil and Valentyn tried their hand at modeling and even starred in a dumpling commercial.

Becoming a musician

The brothers took their first serious steps in music after 9th grade, founding their first band called Runnin’. However, Daniil Leshchynsky’s real career began in 2015, when he and his brother Valentyn formed the band Ziferblat. Later, they were joined by drummer Fedir Khodakov, forming the main lineup of the band.

Their first mini-album “KinoSeance” was released in 2015, although later, for unknown reasons, the band removed this work from all platforms. The first composition “Movie Session”, presented in 2017, was the beginning of work on their debut full-length album “Transformation”.

At the age of 18, Daniil started playing music professionally – he worked as a session drummer, recorded in the studio for various artists and played at concerts. Later, he also started teaching music. Interestingly, in parallel with his musical career, Daniel worked in offices for 8 years, leaving this job only in May 2024 to devote himself entirely to his art.

Music career with Ziferblat

The band’s path to recognition was not instantaneous. In 2018, the band won the grand prix at the Taras Bulba festival for young bands, and in the summer of 2019, they performed on the main stage of the festival. In the same year, Tsyferblat released the track “At Night” and took part in the X-Factor show, although this participation did not bring them much popularity.

The real breakthrough came in 2022, when the band presented the single “Earth” and its video. This work received significant recognition among listeners and music critics and became a hit. In particular, the famous singer Jamala publicly admitted that she listens to Ziferblat and “Earth” is her favorite song.

In September 2023, Ziferblat’s work was honored with a prestigious award from the Muzvar Awards – the band won in the Best New Alternative Music nomination.

Ziferblat has repeatedly participated in major Ukrainian festivals, including Bandershtat, Fine Misto, and Haida Fest. Such performances helped the band to find its audience and gain recognition in the Ukrainian music scene.

Eurovision: the way to victory

In 2024, Ziferblat reached the final of the National Selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 with the song “Place I Call Home”. The band received the highest scores from the judges, but did not win the competition.

The following year, the Leszczynski brothers tried their hand at the National Selection again. On February 8, 2025, the band Tsyferblat won with the song “Bird of Pray” (“Bird of Pray”). This composition was entirely created by Daniel’s brother Valentyn. The song is about freedom, life and hope for a happy future.

During his performance at the preparatory stage for Eurovision 2025 in Amsterdam, Daniel could not hold back his tears while performing the song “Bird of Pray”, which was related to the tragic events in Kryvyi Rih.

According to the results of the draw, Ziferblat will represent Ukraine in the first semi-final of the competition, which will take place in Basel, Switzerland, on May 13, 2025. After that, Ziferblat will advance to the final of the competition, which will take place on May 17.

Creative style

Dial is often called neo-romantics and intellectuals of the Ukrainian rock scene, although the musicians themselves disagree with such definitions, considering them “clichés”. They insist on the versatility of their work and strive to create music that is understandable to a wide range of listeners, jokingly calling themselves a “garage band.”

The band is known for their deep lyrics with non-trivial meanings, and their music belongs to the art rock genre. Valentyn Leshchynsky, who has a classical music education as a cellist, takes an active part in the creation of musical material and also performs solo vocal parts in some compositions (for example, in the song “Goodbye, My Yar”).

Personal life.

As of November 2025, Daniil Leshchinsky is 29 years old and a Scorpio by zodiac sign. It is known that Daniil used to have dark hair, but later turned blond.

As for his personal life, in one of his interviews (May 2025), Daniel said that his first relationship began when he was 16 years old, and despite different periods, he is still with this girl.

Interesting facts

• Daniil’s twin brother, Valentyn, has a classical music education and is a cellist.
• Since childhood, Daniil and Valentyn have loved watching Eurovision and have now become participants in the contest themselves.
• Until May 2024, Daniel combined his musical activities with office work, which he had been doing for 8 years.
• The song “Bird of Pray”, with which the band will go to the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, was written entirely by Valentyn Leshchynskyi.
• The band’s name “Ziferblat” means “dial” in German.

Daniil Leshchynsky is a talented Ukrainian musician who, together with his twin brother, has created a unique art rock band that will represent Ukraine on the international stage of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025.