Over the last year or so since it was violently invaded by Russia, Ukraine has sadly come to be associated with war, blasted buildings, disrupted lives and a great deal of sadness.
In the midst of all this suffering, pain and destruction, it’s easy to lose sight of the artistic soul at the heart of a country which has contributed substantially to the musical richness of Europe and the world, with Ukraine winning the Eurovision Song Contest, including most recently last year when Kalush Orchestra and their song “Stefania” won the day.
So, rather than focusing on what militarily ails this rich and beautiful country, at least for one post, let’s shine the spotlight on the wondrously diverse musical scene in the country, of which the following five artists are exemplars, all of them pointing to how creatively thoughtful its musicians and singers are and how rich the music is that they create …
(courtesy YouTube (c) SadSvit)
Known to his parents as Bohdan Rozvadovsky, SadSvit (combines the English word “sad” and the Ukrainian word for “world”), known to his fans across Ukraine and Eastern Europe as SadSvit, is a very talented 19-year-old indie-pop and post-punk performer, composer and songwriter. With three albums and two EPs to his credit, SadSvit creates music that has an ethereally melancholic edge to it and comes complete with thoughtful lyrics on love, romance and youth. While not formally trained, SadSvit can play the guitar and is eminently skilled at using his laptop to craft a compellingly introspective sound with danceable grunt as his track, “Kaceta”, drawn from his 2001 album of the same name.
(courtesy YouTube (c) Схожа (Skhozha))
Схожа (Skhozha) crafts music that has a highly, lustrously ethereal emotive edge to it which she marries with some beautiful lyrical intensity. described by Slukh as “calm and atmospheric Indie pop with the elements of synthwave and tropical house”, Skhozha’s songs take a deep dive into the existential angst that seems to come with growing up and having to grapple with all the big questions of life. Her music, then, is the perfect marriage of lyrical thoughtfulness and beguilingly beautiful melodies, proof you can find some deep emotional truths in the quieter moments of life.
(courtesy official Instagram account)
Founded in 2020, Tember Blanche, consisting of Kyiv-based Vladyslav Lahoda and Oleksandra Hanapolska, is a Ukrainian indie-pop/folk duo which says they are, first and foremost, “about the synergy of two people”. They believe that “lyrics should be thought-provoking, or at least be poetic” which makes sense when in the words of Slukh, they “sing about love, life, friendship and human relationship problems”. Their song “About Kyiv” exemplifies the couple’s approach to love and life beautifully with emotive vocals, guitar-driven, playful music and a lo-fi sense of the wonder of life.
(courtesy official Instagram account)
A producer, singer and art director, TUCHA aka Maria Tuchka has a gift for bringing together dark electro and EBM together with English and Ukrainian lyrics to create songs which intense but emotionally accessible and quite powerful to listen to. Topically, according to Slukh, she addresses appropriately meaty, musuclar issues such as toxic relationships and people, masochism and war. Rather wonderfully the site describes TUCHA as a “gloomy character of Ukrainian electronic music” which may possibly be apt but good lord if being gloomy makes music this good, this bring more of it on.
(courtesy official Instagram account)
Holding down a day job as the art director of Banda advertising agency, Sera Sheer has gift for bringing together lyrics and music to captivating effect. Armed with a emotionally resonant voice, Sheer has been likened to Kate Bush, with Slukh noting that she “is not afraid of experimenting with genres and lyrics” while delvng into an electic mix of genres such as electronic music, trip-hop, indie folk and pop, which together lend songs like “Mech” a machine-like but warmly human feel.
Want to listen to more? Check out Slukh.Media for 20 Ukrainian artists worth listening to!