Onuka

About Onuka

ONUKA (literally: granddaughter) is a Ukrainian electro-folk band. Widely considered to be Ukraine's spiritual successor to Kraftwerk, successfully bringing together the ancient & modern. In similar cultural parallels to Kraftwerk creating a modern vision of a new national sound. The project was created in 2013 by Ukrainian musicians Yevhen Filatov and Nata Zhyzhchenko. Other group members are Daryna Sert (keyboardist and backing vocalist), Mariia Sorokina (percussionist) and Yevhen Yovenko (banduryst). The band's instrumentation includes electronic drums, trombones, French horns and Ukrainian folk instruments bandura and sopilka. The Ukrainian word Onuka translates to "granddaughter," a tribute to lead singer Zhyzhchenko's grandfather and renowned folk-instrument maker, Oleksandr Shlionchyk. Zhyzhchenko started her music career as a member of the band Tomato Jaws, a band that she started with her brother. Tomato Jaws remained active for 11 years. Several of its songs were remixed by Filatov's band The Maneken, ultimately leading to the creation of Onuka. Lead singer Nata Zhyzhchenko believes that she can revitalize old traditions and classic folk instruments (such as the bandura and sopilka), which disappeared in the Soviet times.