Happy June! Hope you are enjoying the long sunny days and looking forward to the eventful summer. MEU here, with news and updates about the Ukrainian music scene.
A new English-speaking media THE GAZE about Ukrainian culture, social and political events is officially launched! This initiative has an independent editorial board and stands firm in its commitment to the principles of independent and responsible journalism. To begin with, start from discovering Anna Borsuk's music, a DJ from Kyiv who conquers Polish clubs.
Our co-founder, Dartsya Tarkovska, is on a podcast with you every two weeks! UAUAUA is a set of episodes to get acquainted with new Ukrainian music by the Liverpool-based radio Melodic Distraction and Music Export Ukraine. Dartsya talks about hidden gems of Eurovision selections, talented female acts, the most promising emerging bands, and the influence of war on the Ukrainian music industry. Tune in here.
For years, Jamala, Eurovision 2016 winner, has been working on collecting the musical heritage of her ancestors – Crimean Tatars: folk songs, stories, melodies that represent the culture and history of people, who were deported from their homes to the steppes of Central Asia by Josef Stalin in the World War II, and who are still largely prosecuted by Russian authorities in the Crimean Peninsula that has been occupied since 2014. Jamala and her team thought that they lost all their years-worth of work on the album when the full-scale Russian invasion began on the 24th of February. Luckily, the recordings were saved, and we can now listen to the collection of tradition Crimean Tatars’ songs collected throughout Crimea by Jamala and her team via this link.
Last, but not least, a few thighs on Eurovision! We are grateful to the UK for hosting the Eurovision and showcasing our culture and heritage on behalf of Ukraine. The talents that were presenting Ukraine in Liverpool, among others, included Ukrainian singer of the band The Hardkiss Julia Sanina as one of the hosts of the event, as well as winners and participants of Eurovision of various years: Kalush Orchestra, Go A, Jamala, Tina Karol, Verka Serdiuchka, Ruslana and others. We applaud our 2023 representatives Tvorchi for their performance with the song “Heart of Steel”!
