Ukrainian Folk Motifs: Which Artists Use Them in Their Songs and How Audiences React

Ukrainian folk motifs in contemporary music.

Ukrainian folk music covers ritual, everyday, and lyrical songs, lullabies, dance melodies, and instrumental compositions. The recognizable sound of Ukrainian folklore comes from instruments like the bandura, kobza, sopilka, trembita, tsymbaly, and others.

Contemporary artists like LELÉKA, DakhaBrakha, Go_A, and ONUKA weave these elements into jazz, electronic music, and experimental melody. In this way, folk music is making a comeback into the mainstream and becoming a way to talk about Ukrainian identity in the language of the global stage.

How contemporary artists use Ukrainian folk motifs in their music — read on in this DeTalks article.

LELÉKA

LELÉKA is a Berlin-based ethno-jazz band that blends Ukrainian folk melodies with contemporary jazz. The band's name comes from the word 'leleka' ('stork'), which symbolizes love, family, and well-being in Ukrainian culture. The band was founded in Berlin in 2016 by singer and composer Viktoriia Leleka. Since then, the artists have created original music that goes beyond jazz and draws on Ukraine's folk heritage.

In 2025, the band released the album Kolysanky, devoted to the world of Ukrainian lullabies, one of folk music's oldest genres. On it, the musicians incorporated traditional folk symbols and legends about lullabies. Other recordings by the band, like the album Sonce u Sertsi, also showcase the connection between jazz improvisation and Ukrainian folk melody.

The band won Ukraine's national Eurovision 2026 selection and will represent the country at the song contest in Austria with the track 'Ridnym.'

DakhaBrakha

DakhaBrakha is a Ukrainian music group whose name translates to 'give and take' in Old Ukrainian. The band works in the ethno-chaos genre, drawing on folk song motifs. The project was founded in Kyiv in 2004, within an experimental contemporary art scene.

DakhaBrakha works with Ukrainian folk songs, which the band's members recorded together with folklorists during expeditions across different regions of Ukraine. Authentic vocals blend with instruments from many parts of the world, and the music's form incorporates elements of minimalism, hip-hop, soul, and blues. The musicians explain this approach as coming from their own connection to tradition.

Band member Marko Halanevych said Ukrainian folklore remains the core of their inspiration, adding that it matters now more than ever, and that the world is discovering Ukraine through their music, he said.

ONUKA

ONUKA is a Ukrainian electro-folk project that blends traditional folk instruments with electronic beats and contemporary sound design. The band's name reflects the connection between generations and the cultural heritage its founders aim to pass on.

The project was created in 2013 by Nata Zhyzhchenko and Yevhen Filatov, with the goal of bringing Ukrainian folk sounds into the space of the contemporary electronic scene.

Tracks like 'Look,' 'Misto,' and 'Zenit' feature the sopilka, bandura, and other traditional instruments woven into electronic arrangements. Band leader Nata Zhyzhchenko explains this approach as a desire to reimagine traditional sound.

Nata described wanting to show that Ukrainian folk instruments are incredibly stylish and capable of creating contemporary experimental music, calling it her great dream to preserve and revive them, since they carry the country's strength, unity, and boldness all at once, she said.

ONUKA's debut album came out in 2014 — their album KOLIR includes even a track, 'UYAVY,' featuring DakhaBrakha. Later, in 2023, ONUKA released the album ROOM, ten tracks blending ethnic elements with electronic sound. And in 2025, ONUKA and The Maneken released the single 'DZERKALO,' devoted to the theme of life during war and personal transformation.

Go_A

Go_A is a Ukrainian folktronica band that blends folk melodies and ritual lyrics with contemporary electronic music. The name combines the English word 'Go' with the Greek letter 'Alpha,' symbolizing a beginning and a return to the roots of musical tradition. The group formed in Kyiv in 2012, with the idea of blending Ukrainian folklore with electronic sound.

The project features traditional instruments — the sopilka, flute, trembita, and other woodwinds — alongside contemporary electronic elements. Lead singer Kateryna Pavlenko works with authentic vocal techniques, including the 'white voice' style rooted in traditional Ukrainian singing practices.

Early releases include the debut album Idy na Zvuk, which blends folk motifs with electronic beats. International recognition came to the band after their performance at Eurovision 2021 with the track 'Shum,' based on Ukrainian spring rituals and ceremonial melodies, where the word 'shum' ('noise/rustle') evokes the image of a forest spirit and the sound of nature.

The song placed fifth in the contest's final, becoming a step in bringing Ukrainian musical motifs to a global audience.

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