The 2010s
A historic event — the Revolution of Dignity — occurred at the end of 2013. Ukrainians launched a genuine act of national resistance against the ruling system that oppressed their rights to freedom and dignity. This struggle claimed the lives of 107 protesters, later honoured as Heroes of Ukraine and remembered as the Heavenly Hundred. As a result, Viktor Yanukovych, the former President ofUkraine, along with his supporters, fled the country. By the spring of 2014, the russian-Ukrainian War had begun, leading to russia’s annexation of Crimea and its invasion of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. These events drove Ukrainians to reassess their values, rekindle interest in their authentic culture — distinct from the traditions of the ‘brotherly nation’ — and actively promote and expand the musical achievements of Ukraine’s significant heritage. The Lemko folk lament ‘Plyve kacha po Tysyni…’ [‘A Duckling Is Floating on the Tisza’], performed by the Ukrainian a cappella group Pikkardiiska Tertsiia, became a requiem for the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred and the fallen defenders of Ukraine.
Okean Elzy, performing on the Maidan Nezalezhnosti on 14 December 2013. Photo by Petro Zadorozhnyi. © National Memorial Complex of Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred – Museum of the Revolution of Dignity
Another powerful composition of this decade is the song ‘1944’ by Jamala, a singer of Crimean Tatar descent, who represented Ukraine at the 61st Eurovision Song Contest and won. The song’s central theme reflects the memory of the horrific tragedies of the past, particularly the criminal deportation of the Crimean Tatars from the peninsula by Soviet authorities, which resulted in the genocide of this ethnic group. A part of ‘1944’ incorporates an excerpt from the Crimean Tatar song ‘Ey, güzel Qırım’ [‘My beautiful Crimea’], which, according to some versions, was written by deported Crimean Tatars Fatma Khalilova and Shukri Osmanov in 1968 during their visit to Crimea.
This decade also saw the rise of new music festivals, including Faine Misto (2013) in Ternopil, OSTROV Festival (2013), and Atlas Weekend (2015) in Kyiv. Moreover, the new Ukrainian folk music scene flourished, with artists and bands such as Dakha Brakha, ONUKA, YUKO, and Go_A. In 2016, authorities introduced quotas for Ukrainian-language content on radio and television, which undoubtedly spurred the growth of Ukrainian pop music and boosted the development of the music industry.
With the introduction of quotas for Ukrainian-language content on radio and television in 2016, the Ukrainian music industry received a new impetus for growth and development.
Ukrainian culture is making its name more and more prominent in the global art landscape. Concerts are reaching a new level, featuring non-standard productions, visual shows and sophisticated scenography. Ukrainian content is becoming more popularand of higher quality, and activity on digital platforms is growing, marking the dawn of a new era in Ukrainian show business.
During this period, individuals also had an opportunity to present their talents through prominent music projects, such as X-Factor (since 2010) and The Voice of Ukraine (since 2011), broadcast on television. These talent shows served as aspring board for many now-famous artists — Khrystyna Solovii, the bands KAZKA and Bez Obmezhen, and others.
Kyiv, 6-A Pyrohova St
