Ukrainian model rejects Jason Derulo collaboration over Russia concerts
Kateryna Bilyk explained why Jason Derulo became “persona non grata” for her (photo from personal archive)
Model and influencer Kateryna Bilyk refused a collaboration with well-known American pop artist Jason Derulo over his stance on the war in Ukraine. The reason was the singer’s performances in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, according to the model’s Instagram account.
Bilyk was approached by the singer’s team with a proposal to record a transition video for his new track #SexyForSummer.
In return, Derulo’s team promised to repost the video in the artist’s stories, engage with the post, and drive additional traffic to Kateryna’s page.
Kateryna Bilyk refused a video with Jason Derulo over his concert in Russia (screenshot provided by Kateryna Bilyk)
It is worth noting that Jason Derulo’s Instagram audience is around 45 million followers, so such a collaboration could have given the Ukrainian influencer significant international reach.
Jason Derulo has around 45 million followers (screenshot)
However, Bilyk declined the offer due to her public stance and the Ukrainian context.
In her response to the artist’s team, she noted that she is Ukrainian, lives in Ukraine, and as a public figure cannot take part in collaborations that could be negatively perceived by the Ukrainian audience.
The reason was information that Jason Derulo had performed in Russia after the start of the full-scale invasion.
The model responded to the singer (screenshot provided by Kateryna Bilyk)
In particular, Ukrainian media reported on his concert in Moscow and the criticism from Ukrainians over the artist’s performances in the aggressor country.
The Moscow Times also reported that Derulo performed in Saint Petersburg and Moscow in 2025.
Despite the refusal, Kateryna left the door open for another format of cooperation.
She noted that she would consider a collaboration if the artist recorded a video in support of Ukraine.
“I would be happy to consider a collaboration video if he is open to recording a video in support of Ukraine. In that case, the message would be meaningful, respectful, and appropriate for me and my audience,” Kateryna responded to the artist’s team.
Kateryna Bilyk (photo: instagram.com/bilykkateryna)
