Is there a way to fight with domestic violence using music? Ukrainian duo YUKO strongly believe there is.
The story of YUKO has plenty bizarre twists – at first, Yulia Yurina met Stas Koroliov in 2016 on the TV contest “The Voice” in Kyiv. Then two musicians were compiled into a band by their mentor Ivan Dorn. Together, they started to mix traditional Ukrainian folk songs with electronics. Add strong visuals and emotional performances – voila, you got a brand new duo!
However, YUKO has a lot of things to say other than save the cultural heritage. Late 2018 they presented their second album “DURA?” (“Silly woman”) dedicated to the problems of domestic violence. The whole story is based on traditional folk songs, yet tell a story familiar for many of us.
How to handle harassment, how to stop the abuser and deal with society’s reaction on your weakness? We’ve been facing these problems for centuries and no wonder that our first reactions are still formed by outdated traditions and stigmas.
“Sorry” song vividly differs among others. It is the first song written from scratch by Yulia and Stas and represents more modern reaction to these problems. It’s all here: understanding that you need to finish toxic relationship, madness and sorrow. The song also naturally combines Russian and Ukrainian languages.
The video caused a lot of discussions due to specific video footage of one-man show and a ladder. Fans are searching for hidden meanings and Easter eggs, while the story goes on.
Stream “DURA?” LP on Spotify.
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