One girl and 65 strings.
Many of us have already got used to a mix of folk songs and modern sound. However, when it comes to folk instruments, it’s not that easy. For many years there is a bias that Ukrainian plucked string instrument bandura has seen its days and belongs to old traditional music only. It’s always a pleasure to see musicians like KRUTЬ who prove the opposite.
KRUTЬ (Krut’) is Marina’s surname. She is a singer-songwriter, a bandurist and her slogan is simple as possibly can be. One girl – 65 strings (which is exactly how many bandura has). While some of her colleagues work on cover music or focus on live videos to make bandura great again, KRUTЬ decided to do something slightly different. After participating in various talent shows, Marina has finally shared a debut EP called “Albino” that consists of songs she wrote on her own. Simple, right?
Actually, there was something more about it. If you don’t know how bandura sounds like, you probably wouldn’t have noticed it on the record. Songs turned out to be relatable and catchy by its own. KRUTЬ’s music is not just about instrument, it’s about storytelling. For example, her second single “Ok” sounds like an introvert manifesto, proclaiming “when I’m not ok, I’m trying to hide away from my thoughts… run away from people”.
On another hand, in live performances the instrument is always a core element of the show. People get a chance to listen to bandura and see it in a different light.
On top of that, in her spare time Marina does ambient improvisations to show instrument’s true potential and beauty:
It seems like her simple plan to draw attention to the Ukrainian roots and authentic sound actually works.
Stream “Albino” EP on Soundcloud.
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