Kalush (rap group) (original) (raw)

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Ukrainian rap group

This article is about the Ukrainian rap group. For other uses, see Kalush.

KALUSH
Background information
Origin Ukraine
Genres Rap, Hip hop[1]
Years active 2019–present
Labels Universal Music Group
Spinoffs Kalush Orchestra
Members Oleh Psiuk MC KYLYMMAN
Past members Ihor Didenchuk

KALUSH (Ukrainian pronunciation: [ˈkɑlʊʃ] ⓘ; stylised in all caps) is a Ukrainian rap group founded in 2019 by Oleg Psyuk, who at that time was the rapper Psyuchy syn and music producer Vanyok Klymenko. In early 2021, the group launched the side project Kalush Orchestra. Unlike the original line-up, Kalush Orchestra focuses on hip hop blended with folk motifs and elements from Ukrainian traditional music. On May 15, 2022 Kalush Orchestra became the winner of "Eurovision-2022" with the song "Stefania".[1][2][3][4][5]

KALUSH was formed in 2019 through the collaborative efforts of rapper Oleh Psiuk, also known as Psiuchyi Syn, and music producer Vanyok Klymenko. The band’s name was inspired by Oleh’s stories about his hometown of Kalush, which led to the choice. Oleh found multi-instrumentalist Ihor Didenchuk online after responding to his call on Facebook, among 20 sopilka players, and chose Ihor.[6] The third member of the group was the mysterious MC KYLYMMAN, a virtual person, behind whose mask can be any person. Since the creation of the group, more than 70 people have taken on the role of MC KYLYMMAN, and in each song, a new person appears behind the mask of MC KYLYMMAN.[1][2][6]

The group’s first music video for the song "Ne marynui" was released on their official YouTube channel on October 17, 2019. The video was filmed on the streets of the band’s hometown of Kalush.

After releasing their second music video, "Ty honysh," in November 2019, KALUSH signed a collaboration agreement with the American hip-hop label Def Jam, part of Universal Music Group. On December 9, the video for the song "Hory" was released, which the band performed together with Alyona Alyona. In 12 days, the video gained 1.2 million views on YouTube.[3]

In 2021, according to TopHit, KALUSH had 424,949 radio airplays on Ukrainian radio stations and garnered 37,318,425 views on YouTube.

In January 2021, KALUSH, together with Skofka, released the joint track "Otaman."[7] In May, another collaboration, "Dodomu," was released, which made it to the YouTube trends, Shazam charts, Spotify, and iTunes top charts. With this song, the artists decided to support the "Oko za Oko" project by the OKKO gas station network and the "Povernysʹ zhyvym" foundation. The project's goal was to raise funds for purchasing 25 SHARK drone systems.[8]

On February 19, 2021, the band released their debut album "HOTIN."[9][10]

On July 23, 2021, KALUSH and Skofka released a joint mini-album "Yo-Yo" and a new track, "Ne naprygaysya."[11]

On March 22, 2024, KALUSH and KOLA released two songs, "Pamyatai" and "Upiimai moie sertse" along with their music videos. One of the videos was released on KALUSH's YouTube channel, and the other on KOLA's YouTube channel simultaneously.[12]

On June 14, 2024, KALUSH released their third album, "Dlia dushi."[13]

Non-single album appearances

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Awards and nominations

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The leader and founder of the band KALUSH, Oleh Psiuk, has long been known for wearing a pink bucket hat. The singer bought his first bucket hat at a second-hand store for the filming of the music video for the song "Ne marynui." Since then, the pink bucket hat has become not only Oleh Psiuk's trademark but also a symbol of the entire KALUSH band, and later the Kalush Orchestra, which is a spinoff of the original project.[17]

The pink bucket hat even has its own Instagram account. It has also become a significant symbol, as it is actively sold at auctions worldwide, raising funds to support Ukraine during the war.[17]

  1. ^ a b c Mori, Yevhenii (2 February 2022). "Олег Псюк пояснив, чим відрізняється Kalush від Kalush Orchestra". Suspilne Kultura (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Ukraine: All you need to know about 'Vidbir' 2022 🇺🇦". Eurovision.tv. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b Pogodina, Ludmila (10 January 2022). "A folk-rap madhouse in your living room". Europavox. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Stefania: текст, історія створення, сенс пісні та її вплив на українську культуру". ТСН.ua (in Ukrainian). 16 May 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  5. ^ Bronson, Fred (10 March 2023). "Ukraine's Eurovision Winner Kalush Orchestra Returns To Tour U.S., Raises Money For War Effort". Billboard.
  6. ^ a b Sonchkovskaya, Yana (14 February 2022). "Хто такі Kalush Orchestra, які будуть представляти Україну на Євробаченні-2022". Obozrevatel (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  7. ^ Олександр, Костинюк (15 January 2021). "Гурт KALUSH та Skofka випустили новий трек з етномотивами (АУДІО)". Galka.if.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Око за око, зуб за зуб, загризуть тут за тризуб – гурт KALUSH і репер SKOFKA випустили нову пісню". ТСН.ua (in Ukrainian). 16 December 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  9. ^ Horobchuk, Bohdan-Oleh (13 May 2022). "Феномен KALUSH: від наркотиків до ностальгії та фольку". Espreso (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  10. ^ ""HOTIN" - дебютний альбом гурту KALUSH". Rap.ua (in Ukrainian). 19 February 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  11. ^ ""ЙО-ЙО" (KALUSH feat. Skofka)". Espreso (in Ukrainian). 23 July 2021.
  12. ^ ""Упіймай моє серце" та "Пам'ятай": KOLA з KALUSH випустили 2 прем'єри в один день | ВІКНА. Новини Калуша та Прикарпаття". Vikna (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Збірка антихітових пісень: Kalush видав мініальбом "Для душі" | Новини | Радіо Промінь". www.nrcu.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  14. ^ "New music this week (part 1): Songs from Chanel, Manizha, Cláudia Pascoal and more". Wiwibloggs. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Десята церемонія. YUNA 2021". YUNA (in Ukrainian). 15 February 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  16. ^ "TVORCHI, KALUSH, Пивоваров та Wellboy: премія YUNA оголосила номінантів 2022 року". Espreso TV (in Ukrainian). 14 December 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Рожева панамка KALUSH: як вона з'явилася і скільки зараз коштує тренд сезону". РБК-Украина (in Russian). Retrieved 8 August 2024.