ONUKA

ONUKA. Electronic music with the spirit of ethnicity.

Genres: chillwave, electronica, synth-pop, folk-tronica

Date of creation: 2013

Participants: 7

Albums: 9

What is ONUKA about?

A modern, original electronic band that uses traditional folk instruments and creates truly mystical and deep compositions that are unlike anything else, has immediately captivated music lovers not only in Ukraine but also abroad. Natalia Zhyzhchenko, the band's vocalist, named her band in honor of her grandfather, the outstanding master of folk musical instruments Oleksandr Shlyonchyk (the word “onuka” means granddaughter in Ukrainian). In addition to reviving folk instruments, the master is also responsible for the education of two contemporary electronic musicians, Natalia Zhyzhchenko and her brother Oleksandr. According to the performer, it was her grandfather who made her first flute and taught her to understand her homeland. Natalia continued her education at a music school, where she learned to play the piano, violin and flute. Natalia is an ethnoculturalist by training, which certainly helps her understand the depth of Ukrainian musical traditions and successfully combine them with electronic sound.

The band's history

Natalia began her first attempts to compose music with a synthesizer at the age of 10, and at 15, under the influence of her older brother, she finally became interested in electronic music. Together with her brother, Natalia played in the first Ukrainian electronic band to perform live, called Tomato Jaws. At the same time, she began collaborating with Russian musician Artem Kharchenko. Even then, Natalia was combining Ukrainian folk instruments with the cutting-edge capabilities of electronic devices. In the summer of 2013, the singer finally decided to start a solo project. Probably not the least role in this was played by her acquaintance with Yevhen Filatov, the leader of the electronic band The Maneken. Their professional relationship began long before that. In May 2014, ONUKA presented its first English-language single "Look". Even then, electronic music was combined with the sound of flute and bandura, which became a rather successful experiment. The self-titled EP immediately took fourth place in the Ukrainian segment of iTunes.

The beginning of take-off

In the summer of 2014, ONUKA performed live for the first time during a joint concert with The Maneken. In October of the same year, the musicians released their debut album ONUKA. The record was distributed freely and immediately surpassed Okean Elzy in terms of downloads. The CD consisted of 10 tracks, 8 of which were performed in English. After the release of the record and its presentation in the Sentrum space, the American music label Most Addictive Record noticed the Ukrainian musicians and released the single "Zavtra". According to Cultprostir, the band received the title of debut of the year, and the first record became the album of the year.

In 2015, the band was selected among other Ukrainian bands to participate in the international music festival Sziget, which takes place annually in the Hungarian capital Budapest.

In February 2016, she released her second album, “VIDLIK”, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Chornobyl accident. For Natalia Zhyzhchenko, this is a very personal story, as her father was a liquidator in April 1986 and worked in the exclusion zone for some time. In the composition "1986" Natalia first performed the part on the thereminvox, and also used real recordings of the dispatchers' negotiations on the day of the accident. After the release of the album, 1+1 TV channel announced that it would use ONUKA's music in a movie to mark the anniversary of the tragedy.

The first single from the band's new album "MOZAЇКА" was presented on July 7, 2017, with Eric Mooke, the founder of Deep Forest, taking part in the recording of the composition. The same year, ONUKA's frontwoman entered the top 100 most successful women in Ukraine. Also, the organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest held in Kyiv invited the band to perform in the final of the contest as a star guest. And in March 2018, ONUKA presented its second studio album, "MOZAЇКА".

Three years later, on June 18, 2021, the band pleased fans with the album “KOLIR”, which has 10 tracks in the style of folk and electronica, 5 of which became the album's singles. This album also featured a collaboration with the Ukrainian band DakhaBrakha – “Uyavy”.

In 2023, Onuka released a new album “ROOM”:

"ROOM is a manifesto album and a dedication to each of us, Ukrainians, with special attention to our inner world and the challenges we face every day. It has an important mission - to tell the world and to sound as loud as our creative voice will allow us!" 

The musicians commented on their Instagram.

Musical family

The band's frontwoman is Natalia Zhyzhchenko, who also plays percussion, flute, ocarina, and other instruments. The musician is married to Yevhen Filatov, who is currently the main composer, sound producer, art director and arranger of the ONUKA project. In addition to the couple, the project includes keyboardist and backing vocalist Daryna Sert, drummer Maria Sorokina, and bandura player Yevhen Yovenko. The band uses a large number of instruments, so they work with a many of musicians: Andriy Voichuk, who plays cymbals and drymba, Serhiy Kashyn and Mykola Bloshkin (trembita and trombone), Vitaliy Baklazhenko and Oleksnadr Lisun, who play trombone, Taras Dovhopol, who plays Cossack trumpet and French horn, and Vladyslav Petrenko, who also plays French horn.

Albums:

• 2014 – LOOK

• 2014 – ОNUKA

• 2016 – VIDLIK

• 2017 – Live with NAONI Orchestra

• 2018 – MOZAЇKA

• 2019 – MOZAЇKA (live with NAONI Orchestra)

• 2021 – KOLIR

• 2021 – KOLIR(Remixes)

• 2023 - ROOM

Awards and nominations:

2015 – Award in the nomination “Discovery of the Year”, YUNA Award

2019 – Nomination “Th best pop band”, YUNA Award

2019 – Nomination “The best album” (ONUKA – “MOZAЇKA”), YUNA Award

2019 – Nomination “The best electronic hit” (for song “Animal”), YUNA Award

2020 – Nomianation  “The best duo”, YUNA Award

2021 – Award “The best music video” (music video “ZENIT”), ARFF (Around International Film Festival)

2021 – Nomination “The best electronic hit” (for song “Сеанс”), YUNA Award