Ukrainian folk group YAGODY combines traditional folk vocals and percussion with a pop sensibility that's been celebrated throughout Europe since their founding in 2016.
"This is their mission, to spread Ukrainian music culture all over the world and to share with this culture, with different people, with a different audience, with different societies," said manager Victor Lihodko, who translated during the band's interview with WYSO music director Juliet Fromholt. "Ukrainian music history, folk music tradition counts about more than 15,000 folk songs of Ukrainian music tradition. Ukraine is really, really music- traditional country and people."
The band uses rhythm and lush arrangement to innovate on traditional folks songs as well as their own compositions. Original song “Tsunamia,” was chosen as the national selection for Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2024.
"When they are creating music, they are trying to combine rhythms and melodies with them, things that are connected with the culture of Ukraine, with the nature, and sometimes you can hear the birds singing or something like a river streaming, so some kind of these natural elements. So when they're traveling abroad out of Ukraine in Europe or like nowadays we're in the United States, we're trying to share our music and how we feel our music in our nature."
YAGODY is currently on its first North American tour with a stop in Yellow Springs on April 3 for a performance at the Foundry Theater at Antioch College. Tickets and more information are available here.
