KAZKA

• Foundation date – March 1, 2017
• City – Kyiv (Ukraine)
• Language – Ukrainian, English
• Genre – pop, indie, electropop, folk, ethno, EDM

Lineup:

• Olexandra Zaritska – vocals;
• Mykyta Budash – guitar, keyboards (until 2026);
• Dmytro Mazuryak – brass.

Band history

KAZKA is a Ukrainian music band from Kyiv that creates pop music with elements of the electro-folk style. The band was produced by Yuriy Nikitin and the mamamusic company. The KAZKA band was founded in 2017. At the origins of the creativity of the new star in the Ukrainian show business sky stood the leader of the group, vocalist Oleksandra Zaritska, and multi-instrumentalist and sound engineer Mykyta Budash. In early 2018, Dmytro Mazuryak, known for his ability to play more than thirty wind instruments, joined the group. The musician's talent first attracted attention after Dmytro's performance with the trembita on television.

The very name of the group KAZKA creates an atmosphere of mystery and charm. After all, it is associated with something fictional, illusory. The music immerses listeners in a special fairy-tale world, where fantasy has no limits.

Creative path

The group first announced itself with a song debut with the track "Holidays". The song instantly became a hit and conquered Ukrainian radio stations, charts and the hearts of hundreds of thousands of fans of modern Ukrainian music. According to FDR MEDIA, the song was among the leaders of rotations in 2017 and took 9th place in the rating. A stylish video clip in red tones was shot for the song. The work quickly collected almost 4 million views.

It was with the track "Svyata" that KAZKA participated in the casting of the eighth season of the show "X-Factor". Thanks to the talent of the band members and the bright charisma of the frontwoman, the group, led by star Andriy Danilko, reached the fifth live broadcast. This period was marked by the growth of the band's popularity and brought the artists recognition from a wide audience. The band also presented a second single called "Dyva". On the day of the presentation, the track became the leader of the iTunes top chart.

In 2018, KAZKA became participants in the National Selection for Eurovision. With the song "Dyva", the group took sixth place. The same year, the debut album KARMA was released. The album contained 10 songs. In June, the musicians presented the release to their fans at their first solo concert in the capital. Building on their success, KAZKA conquers the stages of various Ukrainian festivals: BeLive (Kyiv), Impulse (Kharkiv), MRPL City (Mariupol).

Style and development of the band

In the second year after its creation, the KAZKA band confidently took the leading positions in the Ukrainian charts. The band with a high-quality sound and an original concept quickly gained wide popularity, gathering an audience of thousands of fans. And the project's compositions became an integral part of the country's musical space. In the fall of 2018, the musicians went on their first Ukrainian tour called KARMA. Together with the main participants, drummer Yevhen Kostyts and a group of backing vocalists joined the live shows.

By that time, the single "Plakala" from the debut album had already occupied the first places in the music charts of several countries. In particular, in Ukraine, Latvia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Colombia and others. The track set new and new records in the music industry. And in the end, KAZKA became the first among Ukrainian-speaking bands to make it to the TOP 10 of Global Shazam.

In 2019, the band presented their first English-language single Apart in the semi-final of the National Selection for Eurovision 2019. And in the spring, the European part of the KARMA tour began. As part of the tour, the band conquered the stages of Lisbon, Warsaw, Tel Aviv and other major cities. The musicians reached a new peak in March 2020, playing a major solo concert in the Kyiv Palace of Sports.

Period 2020–2026

In 2020–2021, KAZKA continued to actively experiment with sound and expand their creative horizons. It was during this period that the band presented a number of high-profile collaborations: together with Alekseev, the compositions “Next to” and Till the End of Time were released, with Tina Karol – the song “Zirochka”, and in collaboration with ROXOLANA the track “Not My Own” was born.

In 2022, the band presented the collection “SVYATA (The Best Of Kazka)” and went on an international charity tour. Performing in different countries of the world, the musicians not only introduced listeners to their work, but also raised funds to support Ukraine. In 2024, the band’s discography was replenished with new singles – “Mushli”, “Koly zannuly sini gory” and “Zoloto”.

2026 was a special year for KAZKA: the band began a large-scale world anniversary tour "TOGETHER", dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the band. The route covered the cities of North America and Europe, uniting thousands of fans of Ukrainian music. At the same time, the musicians presented new works - a joint composition with MONATIK "About You", as well as the singles "HELLO, SUPPORT!" and "All around".

At the beginning of 2026, soloist Oleksandra Zaritska announced changes in the band's concert lineup. Long-time member of KAZKA Mykyta Budash decided to take a creative leave, and the guitar parts wereThe song is performed by Matviy Monakov. Sopilkar Dmytro Mazuryak, who currently serves in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, remains part of the group and joins the group's performances whenever possible.

Social activity

In May 2019, the KAZKA group, together with the Ronald McDonald House Foundation, presented a children's book called "KAZKA. In Search of Yourself." The text was written by Sashko Dermansky. For two weeks, the publication could be purchased at McDonald's restaurants. All funds raised were donated to foundations for the creation of Family Rooms in Ukrainian hospitals.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the KAZKA group has visited many countries around the world with charity performances, concerts-auctions. The funds received from the events were used to purchase cars and ammunition needed at the front. Important public initiatives were also supported. The musicians also joined rallies in support of Ukrainians, popularized our culture, creativity, and called on the world community to continue to stand with Ukraine. The artists' charity tour covered Finland, Spain, Austria, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and other countries.

Awards and distinctions

Today, musicians in the status of world ambassadors of modern Ukrainian music have many prestigious awards:

• YUNA 2018 ("Discovery of the Year");
• "Golden Firebird 2018" ("New Names");
• M1 Music Awards ("Breakthrough of the Year", "Hit of the Year" - "Plakala");
• YUNA 201 ("Best Pop Group", "Best Song" - "Plakala");
• "Golden Firebird 2019" ("Pop Group", "Hit of the Year" - "Plakala");
• Top Hit Music Awards 2019 ("Song of the Year (Female Vocal)" and "Video Clip of the Year (Group) YouTube Ukraine" - "Plakala");
• Top Hit Music Awards 2021 ("Song of the Year (Female Vocal)" - "M'yata"; "Song of the Year (Mixed Vocal)" - "Poruch" (feat. Alekseev).

Interesting facts about the band:

• within a year of its founding, the young band received the title of "world sensation" and "phenomenon of Ukrainian pop";
• the band's concert tours covered several continents. The musicians' faces appeared on the screens of New York's Times Square and Tokyo's Shibuya district;
• in 2019, the track "Plakala" received almost 200 thousand airplays on Ukrainian radio, and the video clip for the song collected over 32 million views on YouTube.