Nastasia Y

Nastasia Y (nas-TA-sya Why) braids ancient folk songs with modern grooves to create a sound uniquely her own – but if you need a genre, try Ukrainian soul. Her artistry is shaped just as much by growing up in Kyiv, raised on her late father’s freedom songs, as by jazz school days in Toronto listening to Stevie Wonder and Erykah Badu. Weaving ancestral sounds with lush synths, funky loops, and groovy basslines, her music is fresh yet nostalgic – entangled in the complex emotions of war and love, heartbreak and hope. Her album Kyiv Soul (co-produced with Grammy award winning Justin Gray) earned praise from CBC, World Music Charts Europe, and two Canadian Folk Music Award nominations.

Photo credit : Zahra Saleko

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