Ukraine
Kyiv · Lviv · the Carpathians · Odesa
Bandura players’ epics, Carpathian mountain songs and the strong polyphony of village women. Ukrainian-language songs were loved even in Soviet times; since independence, many groups have layered tradition with modern sound.
28 recordings, 1972–2025
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1972
Sofia Rotaru, Chervona Ruta
A singer from the Chernivtsi region. Volodymyr Ivasyuk’s “Chervona Ruta” was loved across the Soviet Union as a Ukrainian-language song.
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1980
Kvitka Cisyk, Kvitka
A singer raised in a Ukrainian émigré family in New York. Her recordings of Ukrainian songs were loved by the diaspora and in Ukraine alike.
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1989
Braty Hadiukiny, Vso chotko! Брати Гадюкіни — Всьо чотко!
The debut by Braty Hadiukiny, the leading band of the Lviv rock club, released the year the Chervona Ruta festival was held in Chernivtsi. Blues-based but mixing in reggae, funk and chanson, with sarcastic, self-mocking lyrics, its songs became instant hits.
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1989
Kvitka Cisyk, Kvitka Two Colors
Ukrainian-American singer Kvitka Cisyk’s second album of Ukrainian songs, recorded at Clinton Recording Studios in New York in spring 1989, arranged and conducted by her first husband Jack Cortner and produced by Ed Rakowicz. The title comes from the song “Dva kolory” (Two Colours).
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1992
Mertvyi Piven, Eto Мертвий Півень — Ето
The debut by Mertvyi Piven (Dead Rooster), formed in 1989 around Lviv University by Lyubomyr Futorsky and others and released after their win at the Chervona Ruta festival. Recorded in 1991, it features co-founder Mykhailo “Misko” Barbara on vocals.
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1994
Theodore Kuchar & Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra, Lyatoshynsky: Symphony No. 1 & 'Grazhyna', Op. 58
Boris Lyatoshynsky’s First Symphony, his graduation work, and the symphonic ballad Grazhyna, written for the centenary of Mickiewicz’s death — recorded for Marco Polo in May 1994 at the State Broadcasting Studio in Kyiv under Theodore Kuchar.
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1997
Vopli Vidopliassova, Muzika Воплі Відоплясова — Музіка
Kyiv band VV, pioneers of Ukrainian-language rock, cheerfully mixing folk song with punk.
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1998
Okean Elzy, Tam, de nas nema Океан Ельзи — Там, де нас нема
Okean Elzy’s debut, made with producer Vitaliy Klimov at studios including Nova Records in Kyiv’s Obolon; the title song was cut on Orthodox Christmas night, 6–7 January 1998. The band moved to Kyiv the same year.
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1998
Ruslana, Myt Vesny – Dzvinkyi Viter
Ruslana’s debut, released on 14 February 1998, puts two albums on one disc: Myt Vesny, recorded in the studio, and Dzvinkyi Viter, made up of songs performed live.
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2001
Okean Elzy, Model
A band formed in Lviv. With Sviatoslav Vakarchuk’s voice it became the leading Ukrainian-language rock band of the independence era.
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2003
Ruslana, Dyki tantsi (Wild Dances)
A singer from Lviv whose dance-pop drew on the music of the Carpathian Hutsuls; it won Eurovision 2004.
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2003
Okean Elzy, Supersymetriia Океан Ельзи — Суперсиметрія
Okean Elzy’s spring 2003 album, followed by a tour of 40 Ukrainian cities; together with Gloria (2005) it cemented their status as Ukraine’s rock stars.
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2003
Tartak, Systema nerviv Тартак — Система нервів
Tartak’s second album, led by Sashko Polozhynskyi and built around duets — “Ni, ya ne tu kokhav” with the duo Svitiaz and “Ponad khmaramy” with Katya Chilly were hits. Afterwards the band added a drummer and bassist for a full live sound.
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2004
Haydamaky, Bohuslav Гайдамаки — Богуслав
The second album by Haydamaky, who came out of Kyiv’s reggae, ska and punk underground. Released in April 2004, it dug deeper into Ukrainian folk music, with traditional musicians such as violinist Vasyl Hekker.
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2004
Volodymyr Sirenko, National Choir of Ukraine “Dumka” & National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Valentin Silvestrov: Requiem For Larissa
Valentin Silvestrov’s requiem for his wife Larissa, who died in 1996, written 1997–99. Recorded in Kyiv in 2001 by the National Choir of Ukraine “Dumka” and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine under Volodymyr Sirenko, and released by ECM in 2004.
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2004
TNMK (Tanok na Maidani Kongo), Pozhezhi mista Vavilon (Fires of the City of Babylon) ТНМК — Пожежі міста Вавілон
Tanok na Maidani Kongo’s anti-Soviet album mixes funk, rap and social irony, including the track “Ivo Bobul”; it is credited with cementing the group’s cult status in Ukrainian hip-hop.
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2005
Druha Rika, Rekordy (Records) Друга Ріка — Рекорди
The third album by Druha Rika, a rock band formed in Zhytomyr in 1996, released by Lavina Music in April 2005. It went gold, and the single “Tak malo tut tebe” stayed near the top of Ukrainian charts for 32 weeks.
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2006
Boombox, Family biznes Бумбокс — Family бізнес
The second album by Ukrainian band Boombox, released in June 2006 and called a cult record of that year by public broadcaster Suspilne; with only two Russian-language songs, it still went platinum in Russia.
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2015
Vakula, A Voyage to Arcturus
Konotop DJ and producer Vakula (Mykhailo Vityk) released this on his own Leleka label: 16 tracks named after the chapters of David Lindsay’s 1920 novel, a record he described as closer to a soundtrack than an album.
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2015
Jamala, Podykh
Jamala’s autumn 2015 album, a diary-like cycle about love and parting sung in Ukrainian, Russian and English; Beehype ranked it Ukraine’s top album of 2015.
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2016
DakhaBrakha, The Road
A quartet born in a Kyiv theatre, joining Ukrainian village songs with cello and African and Asian percussion.
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2016
ONUKA, Vidlik
Kyiv’s ONUKA join Ukrainian folk instruments — sopilka, bandura — to electronics. The title means “countdown.”
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2016
Dakh Daughters, If
The debut of Dakh Daughters, the women’s ensemble that grew out of Kyiv’s experimental Dakh theatre: nine tracks of “freak cabaret” mixing punk, rock and rap with Ukrainian folk song, released in November 2016.
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2018
Kurbasy, The Miracle of Creation
The second album by Kurbasy, the vocal group begun in 2008 by actress-singers of Lviv’s Les Kurbas Theatre: calendar-cycle, Kupala and wedding songs that set Ukraine’s traditional polyphony in an ambient, modern frame.
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2019
alyona alyona, Pushka
Debut album by alyona alyona, a rapper who had worked as a kindergarten teacher near Kyiv. Released in April 2019, its 13 tracks include the third part of her breakout song “Rybky.”
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2021
Go_A, Shum
A Kyiv group combining the old spring-calling vesnianka singing with electronic music.
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2022
Kalush Orchestra, Stefania
A rapper from Kalush with folk instrumentalists. Their song for his mother won Eurovision 2022.
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2025
DakhaBrakha, Ptakh ДахаБраха — Ptakh
DakhaBrakha’s first album in five years: 14 pieces from different periods, mostly recorded in Kyiv in 2025 — Marko Halanevych said it mattered to make it in Ukraine — with a guest turn from writer Serhiy Zhadan.