Ivan Sveda was born in Slovakia. He began playing drums at the age of ten and performed with the thrash metal band Betrayer from the age of eleven. At the age of seventeen, Ivan participated in a folk music project with artist Robert Hulej and recorded drums and percussion for his debut album. In 2004, he moved to the UK and joined the death metal band Threshold Sicks in 2007. During this time, he recorded two albums and toured around the UK and EU. In 2009, he enrolled in Perth College UHI and graduated with an honour degree in popular music. His studies mainly focused on jazz, Latin, and progressive rock music. He received the Music Performance Prize for Excellence in 2009 and the UFIP Cymbals RWJ Drum Store and Italy Award for Achievement in Drum Kit Performance in 2011.
In 2011, Ivan organized a drum clinic tour in Slovakia accompanied by his brother Milan. In 2013, he became the founder of the Drummers Collective festival in Slovakia. After graduation in 2014, Ivan became a music lecturer at Perth College UHI. The same year, he joined the Americana band Red Pine Timber Company, recorded one album, and toured around the UK. Their biggest success was playing at the American Country festival C2C in the O2 arena in London.
Ivan has collaborated with many bands and artists such as Tunna, Cosmic Funk, Katie Whittaker, The Perth Jazz Quintet, Chris Small Trio, Fizzle Chimps, Finn Anderson, Graeme Stephen, Stuart Nisbett, Kevin Murray, Maria Speight (US), Roberto Cassani (IT), Steve Grossart, Brodie Jarvie, Fraser Burke, Kenny Irons, Pete Honeyman, Bruce Michie, Martyn Philip, Derek Thomson, Bob Ross, Ruairidh MacLean, John Martin, Frank Rossiter, Walt Smith, Stuart Small, Ronnie Goodman, Simon Jauncey, Walter Hall, Robert Hulej (SK), Adrian Malovanik (SK), Milan Sveda (SK), and many more.
Ivan’s current gear includes a DW drum kit, Evans drumheads, Zildjian K cymbals, Vic Firth drumsticks, The Duallist pedals, and LP percussions.