ONUKA feat. NAONI Orchestra performed as an interval act at the Grand Final of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in Kyiv.

Onuka (“granddaughter”) is a Ukrainian electro-folk band. It was created in 2013 by Ukrainian musicians Eugene Filatov and Nata Zhyzhchenko. Other group members are Daryna Sert (keyboardist and backing vocalist), Mariya Sorokina (percussionist) and Yevhen Yovenko (banduryst).

The band’s instrumentation includes electronic drums, trombones, French horns and the Ukrainian folk instruments bandura and sopilka.

ONUKA’s debut album was released on October 15, 2014, and it became the best-selling record of the month in iTunes Ukraine. Their first EP, Look, was released on May 15 and debuted at #1 in iTunes Ukraine.

ONUKA released a second EP, Vidlik on February 8, 2016. The EP includes five tracks: Svitanok, Vidlik, Other (Intro), Other, and 19 86. Zhyzhchenko cites the Chernobyl disaster and its impact on Ukraine as a major influence on the album. The EP’s name, Vidlik, means a new beginning, or countdown.

Mariya Sorokina, Nata Zhyzhchenko and Daryna Sert
Mariya Sorokina, Nata Zhyzhchenko and Daryna Sert

July 7th, ONUKA presented Vsesvit, the first single from forthcoming new album MOZAЇKA that will be released in the fall of 2017. Vsesvit is a spiritually uplifting World Music hit, the mood of which can be described as the mix of Sigur Ros and the soundtrack to The Lion King.

In the recording of Vsesvit has taken part the legendary French collective Deep Forest – pioneers of World Music genre and the one and only French group (except Daft Punk) that won the Grammy Award.

Vsesvit is released on ONUKA’a own label Vidlik Records and the music video for the song is planned to be shot.