Kalush (rap group)
Kalush | |
|---|---|
 Kalush in 2022, left to right: MC KylymMen, Didenchuk and Psiuk | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Kalush Orchestra |
| Origin | Ukraine |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Labels | |
| Members |
|
Kalush (stylised in all caps) is a Ukrainian rap group formed in 2019. The group consists of founder and rapper Oleh Psiuk, multi-instrumentalist Ihor Didenchuk, and breakdancer MC KylymMen (lit. 'CarpetMan').[1][3][5] Didenchuk is also a member of the electro-folk band Go_A, which represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021.[1]
In early 2021, the group launched the side project Kalush Orchestra, with , Vitalii Duzhyk, and Dzhonni Dyvnyy as additional members.[3] Unlike the original line-up, Kalush Orchestra focuses on hip hop blended with folk motifs and elements from Ukrainian traditional music.[3][6] On 14 May 2022, the group won the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with 631 points, securing Ukraine's third Eurovision victory with their song "Stefania".[7]
History[]
Kalush was formed in 2019 by Oleh Psiuk and Ihor Didenchuck, together with Daniil Chernov as MC KylymMen.[3][5][8] The group was named after Psiuk's hometown of Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast.[1][8] Their debut single "Ne marynui" (Не маринуй) was released in October 2019. After the release of their second single "Ty honysh" (Ти гониш) in November 2019, Kalush signed a recording contract with the American hip hop label Def Jam Recordings.[6]
On 19 February 2021, the trio released their debut album Hotin (Хотінь), named after a neighbourhood of the town Kalush.[9][10] On 23 July 2021, Kalush released their second album, entitled Yo-yo (Йо-йо), together with rapper .[11]
Kalush Orchestra[]
In 2021, Kalush announced the launch of the side project Kalush Orchestra, which focuses on hip hop with folk motifs and elements from Ukrainian traditional music. The core members of Kalush were joined by multi-instrumentalists Tymofii Muzychuk and Vitalii Duzhyk, and backing vocalist Andrii Handziuk (alias Dzhonni Dyvnyy, or Johnny Da Strange).[3][12][13][14]
2022–present: Vidbir and Eurovision Song Contest[]
On 12 February 2022, Kalush Orchestra competed to represent Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin, Italy with the song "Stefania". In the final of the national selection Vidbir, they took second place with 14 points (six from the jury and eight from the audience).[15] Due to technical difficulties that occurred during the voting process, Psiuk believed that Alina Pash had been wrongly chosen as the winner.[16][17]
Despite coming in second place, the band were offered the chance to represent Ukraine at Eurovision, after Pash withdrew her candidacy due to controversy regarding her travel history in Crimea.[18][19] On 22 February, Kalush Orchestra accepted the offer.[20] On the same day, the Ukrainian public broadcaster UA:PBC published the official voting results of Vidbir 2022, confirming that Pash had been correctly chosen as the winner, contrary to Psiuk's claims.[21]
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Daniil Chernov has been serving in the Territorial Defense Forces around the capital Kyiv.[4][22] When the group left the country for the Eurovision Song Contest in April that year, fellow dancer Vlad Kurochka replaced him as MC KylymMen, while (alias Sasha Tab) replaced Dzhonni Dyvnyy as backing vocalist.[4][23] Dzhonni Dyvnyy stated that he could not travel to Turin due to commitments with other musical projects.[24]
The group won the Eurovision final on 14 May with 631 points, securing Ukraine's third Eurovision victory. "Stefania" became the first song with rap lyrics to win the contest, as well as the winning song with the highest number of televote points in the history of the contest.[25][26] The group later announced that they would put their Eurovision trophy up for auction to raise money for the Ukrainian armed forces.[27] The trophy was sold for US$900,000, with proceeds earmarked for purchase of combat drones for Ukraine's military.[28] The group subsequently embarked on a promotional tour across Europe and North America to raise awareness and donations for Ukrainian efforts in combating the Russian invasion.[29][30][31]
Members[]
- Oleh Psiuk (2019–present) – rap
- Ihor Didenchuk (2019–present) – instrumentals
- Vlad Kurochka (2022–present) – breakdance (MC KylymMen)
Kalush Orchestra[]
- Tymofii Muzychuk (2021–present) – vocals, telenka
- Vitalii Duzhyk (2021–present) – sopilka
- Sasha Tab (2022–present) – backing vocals
Temporarily absent[]
- Daniil Chernov (2019–2022) – breakdance (MC KylymMen)
Discography[]
Albums[]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Hotin |
|
| Yo-yo (feat. Skofka) |
|
Singles[]
As Kalush[]
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Ne marynui" | 2019 | Hotin |
| "Ty honysh" | ||
| "Hory" (feat. Alyona Alyona) | ||
| "Kent" | 2020 | |
| "Tipok" | ||
| "Virus" | Non-album single | |
| "Vibe" | Hotin | |
| "Góry" (feat. Alyona Alyona, Gedz & Skip) | Non-album single | |
| "V trendi pafos" | ||
| "Bimbo" | ||
| "Takykh yak ya" (feat. Yarmak) | ||
| "Zori" | Hotin | |
| "Voda" (feat. Alyona Alyona) | Non-album single | |
| "Otaman" (feat. Skofka) | 2021 | Yo-yo |
| "Pirnaiu" (feat. Stanislavska) | Non-album single | |
| "Khalepa" (feat. Yuyu) | ||
| "Dodomu" (feat. Skofka) | Yo-yo | |
| "Davai nachystotu" (feat. Skofka) | ||
| "Taksi" (feat. Khrystyna Soloviy) | Non-album single | |
| "Khvyli" (feat. Jerry Heil) | ||
| "Mala v 19" | ||
| "Kaluski vechornytsi" (feat. Tember Blanche) | ||
| "Soniachna" (feat. Salto Nazad & Skofka) | 2022 | |
| "Maibutnist" (with Artem Pivovarov) |
As Kalush Orchestra[]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UKR [32] |
BEL (FL) [33] |
GER [34] |
IRE [35] |
ITA [36] |
LTU [37] |
NLD [38] |
NOR [39] |
SWE [40] |
UK [41] | |||
| "Shtomber Womber" | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Stefania" | 2022 | 1 | 24 | 22 | 30 | 53 | 1 | 36 | 19 | 7 | 38 | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart in that territory. | ||||||||||||
As featured artist[]
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Sterzhen (Own Core)" (Alyona Alyona ft. Kalush, Otoy, Bilyi Bo, Shershen, Dyktor & Dyadya Vova) | 2020 | Galas |
| "Pozhovkla vesna" (Dima Varvaruk feat. Kalush & Vláda) | Non-album single | |
| "Balabon" (Panini feat. Kalush) | 2021 | |
| "Peremoha" (Okean Elzy feat. Kalush) |
Non-single album appearances[]
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "You ze fa" (Sasha Tab feat. Kalush) | 2021 | Refresh |
| "Dobre pre" (Alyona Alyona feat. Kalush & Kukon) | Galas |
Awards and nominations[]
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work or act | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021
|
Best Hip Hop Hit | "Hory" (feat. Alyona Alyona) | Won | [42] | |
2022
|
Best Pop Group | Kalush | Nominated | [43] | |
| Best Album | Hotin | Nominated | |||
| Best Song | "Zori" | Nominated | |||
| Best Hip Hop Hit | "Zori" | Nominated | |||
| "Dodomu" (feat. Skofka) | Nominated | ||||
| "Taksi" (feat. Khrystyna Soloviy) | Nominated |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Turin 2022 / Participants – Kalush Orchestra". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest: Kalush will in Turin gewinnen". Euronews (in German). 9 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Mori, Yevhenii (2 February 2022). "Олег Псюк пояснив, чим відрізняється Kalush від Kalush Orchestra". Suspilne Kultura (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 3 June 2022.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Краш всіх україночок: який вигляд має танцівник Kalush Orchestra без маски – фото". TSN (in Ukrainian). 19 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Ukraine: All you need to know about 'Vidbir' 2022