Kyiv Soul by Nastasia Y

There is a word in Ukrainian - "dushevna", stemming from “душа” (dusha), which means "soul." The word literally translates to "soulful" or "psychic", but it can be used to describe a person, or a simple conversation as being "open" and "healing."

This album explored two themes: war and love, - seemingly opposite ends of the human heart, which can also be inseparable voices of the soul's duet. In today’s day and age, people can be closed and cautious to expose their vulnerabilities, gravitating to happier music that is less connected to the душа (dusha). But my family has gifted her a repertoire of heart-wrenching songs, "Ukrainian Blues," - stories of loss, misfortune, and fateful ends, carrying messages from my ancestors.

The album's sound mirrors my journey from Ukraine to Canada. Born in Kyiv during the fall of the USSR, I grew up with resistance songs my father would sing. My dad, Kost' Yerofeyev, was a freedom fighter through journalism and music. Upon moving to Canada, an encounter with Motown and soul in a high school auditorium transformed my musical passion, shaping my path as a professional musician. I embraced her new home, Toronto, celebrating its uniqueness and multiculturalism, (originally performing and recording under the name “Stacey Y”).

In 2008, I was jolted back home, as my dad passed away on Ukraine's Independence Day. He symbolically passed on to me his legacy of resistance, just as a cultural and political rebirth began in Ukraine, culminating with the "Revolution of Dignity'' in 2014. Back in Canada but immersed in this movement, I began blending Ukrainian folk songs with jazz, (originally naming this project "DoVira").

A decade later, on February 24, 2022, my world was shattered by the full-scale invasion of her homeland. This altered the vision of the album that initially sought to explore love and soul through Eastern European songs.

Trauma exposes the душа, and sad songs become a necessity. I felt the pain of my ancestors profoundly on that day, from my father’s songs, to the hunger of the Holodomor genocide. I learned that fighting back is an act of love and hope. I continue to experience losses that are daily, and yet, I also found love that was stronger than before, from new powerful connections, to everyday soulful moments.

When my father passed, an article honoured him with the phrase “heart - for Ukraina''. This was a lyric from his album “Through Roads of War and Love” - the roads I now walk.

In a world where people shy away from news to avoid suffering, shielding themselves from fully comprehending global events, I want to open the souls of my listeners. I invite you to join me on the “Roads of War and Love” through music genres like jazz, funk, rock, electro, and pop. My mission is to engage others with these songs that carry ancestral warnings.. To share the magic of Ukrainian and Slavic folk songs that have empowered generations through oppression and colonialism. With this album, I want to give to others what was gifted to me: the Kyiv Soul.

Nastasia Y is a Ukrainian-born artist in Toronto on a mission to sing to the world about Ukraine, combining jazz, funk, rock, pop, and electronic elements with Slavic folk.

Her album ‘Kyiv Soul’ (May 2024) features Juno and Grammy award nominated musicians, exploring themes of resistance, generational trauma, and ancestral magic.

Pronunciation: nas-TA-s’yah

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