Learn Ukrainian With Song Lyrics
KALUSH Orchestra grew out of KALUSH, the Ukrainian hip hop group Oleh Psiuk formed with producer Vanyok Klymenko in his hometown of Kalush in 2019, later joined by multi-instrumentalist Ihor Didenchuk on the sopilka. In 2021 the group launched KALUSH Orchestra as a folk-rap side project, weaving traditional Ukrainian instruments and melodies into their rap verses for a bigger, more theatrical sound than the original lineup's straight hip hop.
That side project became the one the world remembers: KALUSH Orchestra represented Ukraine at Eurovision 2022 and won, days after the full-scale Russian invasion had begun. Psiuk has kept blending rap with folk melody since, using the band's platform to raise money and awareness for Ukraine throughout the war.
Anton Velboi, known as Wellboy, is an artist from Ukraine. He first came to public attention as a participant on the tenth season of X-Factor Ukraine.
Wellboy is widely recognized for his hit song "Гуси" (Husi), which became very popular. His music often features catchy melodies and a blend of pop sounds, as heard in other tracks like "Вишні" (Vyshni) and "No Problem".
PROBASS ∆ HARDI is a Ukrainian group formed in Kremenchuk in 2017 around producer and frontman Artem Tkachenko. They blend Ukrainian folk motifs with EDM, rock, and bass-heavy electronic production, a sound they call ukrobass. Their 2021 single "Доброго вечора, ми з України" ("Good evening, we are from Ukraine") took a greeting first used by DakhaBrakha singer Marko Halanevych and turned it into a rallying cry after Russia's 2022 invasion: millions of views, hundreds of thousands of TikTok clips, and a spot on a Ukrainian postage stamp.
This track pairs them with ТНМК (Tanok na Maidani Kongo), a Kharkiv rap-rock band founded by Oleksandr "Fozzy" Sydorenko and Kostiantyn "Kotia" Zhuikov in the late 1980s and formally active as ТНМК since 1996, when singer Oleg "Fagot" Mykhailiuta joined. ТНМК helped push Ukrainian-language rap into the mainstream with their 1998 debut "Зроби мені хіп-хоп" and the gold-selling "Сила" in 2005, known for rapcore energy and comic stage bits. Both acts have spent much of the time since 2022 on benefit concerts for the Ukrainian military and refugees.
