Tember Blanche

1. Year of foundation – 2020
2. City – Kyiv (Ukraine)
3. Language – Ukrainian
4. Genre – indie pop, indie folk

Lineup:

1. Oleksandra Ganapolska (vocals, songwriter);
2. Vladislav Lagoda (guitar, sound producer);
3. Andriy Yakovʼyak (drums).

History of the band

Tember Blanche is a Ukrainian indie pop band from Kyiv. The duo was founded in 2020 by vocalist, songwriter and performer Oleksandra Ganapolska and guitarist and sound producer Vladislav Lagoda. The band's history is full of romance and sincerity. The future members of the team met and got to know each other while playing music on the street. This moment marked the beginning of their creative journey, as well as a strong personal and professional connection. At a certain stage, the duo decided to stop performing on the street, fully focusing on creating original material.

Oleksandra Ganapolska and Vladyslav Lagoda began to create their own songs, which at first were just a way to express their thoughts and emotions. However, it quickly became clear that this material had something more - a soul capable of touching the hearts of listeners. Thus was born Tember Blanche, a duo that began its journey with street melodies and grew into a bright phenomenon of modern Ukrainian music. Perhaps the band's production at that time was still far from ideal, but this was where its charm was concentrated.

In 2023, a new member joined the team - drummer Andriy Yakovʼyak. Interestingly, Oleksandra and Vladyslav discovered Andriy's talent thanks to the social network Twitter. The name of the band has a special history, closely related to the personal moments of the lives of its members. The first word – Tember – comes from the English September (“September”). This is the month when the couple began their relationship (Olexandra and Vlad officially married in 2024). The second part of the name – Blanche – is a kind of tribute to the favorite drink of the duo members, Blanche beer. In addition, the French word blanche translates as “white”, which adds a metaphorical meaning to the name of the group: it can be deciphered as “White September”.

Creative path

The song debut “Hide and Seek” was the duo’s first step on the path to recognition by a wide audience. The work, released on October 13, 2020, became a real hit and brought the artists popularity in the world of the domestic music industry. Later, on January 31, 2021, a video clip for the composition appeared on the official YouTube channel of Tember Blanche. The director was student Oleksandr Khomenko, and the script was written by Ivan Boyko, a graduate of the University of Civil Engineering and Architecture. The song deeply resonates with the inner experiences of every person, as the lyrics touch on the topic of existential crisis. The composition "Hide and Seek" became a manifesto of the search for the meaning of life, which is close to many listeners.

Tember Blanche continued to win the hearts of fans by releasing several strong tracks. Among them is a modern interpretation of the world-famous carol "Shchedryk" called "Yak den posune nich", as well as the compositions "Prologue" and "U svit bez primars", which became a kind of creative experiment and consolidated the recognizable style of the new stars of Ukrainian music. The release of the fifth song, “Vechornytsy,” was especially significant for the band. The song not only gained popularity among listeners, but also conquered iconic charts.

“Vechornytsy” took first place in the Local Pulse Kyiv chart on Spotify, 13th place in the ranking of the top 100 Ukrainian songs for 2022 on Apple Music. The track also took second place in the “Public. Media” chart and literally tore TikTok apart. Thanks to its sincerity and sensual melody, “Vechornytsy” became a real breakthrough for Tember Blanche, cementing the band in the status of one of the brightest new duets on the Ukrainian scene.

On November 26, 2021, Tember Blanche presented their debut album entitled “There Is No One Here But Us.” The work became a kind of manifesto of the artists' musical identity - frank, melodic and deeply emotional. The release quickly attracted the attention of listeners, because each track breathed sincerity and conquered with a special atmosphere. In December 2021, Tember Blanche held their first solo concert in Kyiv. The event was a real success: all tickets were sold out in a few days.

The style and development of the band

Answering questions about, as the couple finds a common language in their work, Oleksandra explains: while working on new material, an interesting dynamic reigns in the duo. Its essence is that it is not people who conflict, but ideas. If one of the participants believes that something is not working, he can always voice it. Gradually, the material began to be developed. The musicians started talking about plans to organize a tour of European countries, which was to include concerts in Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Spain and Slovakia.

In 2023, the second LP "You Are Just a Human" was released. The album opened nine stories to listeners, each of which touches on the problem of human vulnerability. In these songs, the heroes are not ashamed of their weaknesses, because they are what make people real. However, the second album is not only about shortcomings, but also about their acceptance. Each track makes you think about how important it is to be honest with yourself and the world, even when everything is far from ideal. Unlike the debut album “There is no one here but us”, the second recording was created in a professional studio, which significantly improved the sound quality. A special highlight of the album was the track “You are just a person”, recorded in collaboration with the military violinist and long-time friend of the duo Moisey Bondarenko.

At the end of 2024, Tember Blanche leader Sasha Ganapolska announced her intentions to make changes to the concept of the group's work. In her address, the singer shared a new vision of the future for her musical group, explaining that after a frank conversation with Vlad, a joint decision was made to stop the duo's activities in its usual format. However, the artist reassured fans, assuring them that Tember Blanche would continue its activities. At the same time, the team will soon change its positioning. According to Sasha, the future of the group involves a collective approach, where all participants will have more space for creative self-expression, and the central attention will not be focused exclusively on the soloist.

Social activity

Tember Blanche never stay away from the problems that exist in the lives of Ukrainians. During a full-scale invasion, the musicians actively participate in various charitable initiatives aimed at supporting the defense capability of our country. Even on the occasion of their own wedding, the artists held the so-called "Wedding Collection". Then they managed to collect a significant amount, which the couple transferred to the needs of the air defense forces. Such an act once again confirmed that Tember Blanche is not only about music and creativity, but also about responsibility to society.

Famous singles by Tember Blanche:

1. «Hide and seek»;
2. «Into a world without ghosts»;
3. «Evenings»;
4. «Kaluski vechornytsy (feat. Kalush)»;
5. “You are alive”;
6. “I am at home”;
7. “A good guy”;
8. “To make it to 30”;
9. “In the same room” and others.

Interesting facts about the band:

1. before the appearance of Tember Blanche, the band members performed covers of Ukrainian and world hits by such groups and artists as Odin v kanoe, Latexfauna, U2, Oasis, Coldplay, Edit Piaf and others;
2. the band recorded their first album in the simplest possible conditions - in an ordinary bedroom, which was not at all adapted for the studio process. All tracks were created using a Zoom recorder with an audio interface and microphone. The technical setup consisted of a laptop and equipment with a total cost of about $400;
3. at the end of 2022, the duo tried their hand at the National Selection for Eurovision 2023. The artists performed the song "I'm Home" in the final of the competition and took ninth place in the final table.