YUKO

Year of foundation – 2016
City – Kyiv (Ukraine)
Language – Ukrainian
Genre – folktronics

Lineup:

Yulia Yurina – vocals, work with folklore;
Stas Korolev – multi-instrumentalist.

History of the group

YUKO is a Ukrainian musical group whose work is a unique combination of folklore texts and electronic drive. That is why the group is often called a folk-rave group. The YUKO group is a vivid example of how the combination of folklore and electronic music can create something completely new and gain wide recognition and popularity among thousands of fans. The group consists of only two members. This is Yulia Yurina - a vocalist, folklorist and researcher of folk songs, and Stas Korolev - a multi-instrumentalist, responsible for the musical part.

Yulia recalled that she had been singing Ukrainian songs since she was three years old and dreamed of a band. For a long time she did not understand how it was possible to write new compositions if the people had already expressed everything to her. But later she understood: her favorite work and professionalism can be combined with modern forms and rethink hits that have lived in the people's memory for decades.

Yulia brought folklore depth to the duet, and Stas - an experimental approach. The musician even gave up the guitar he played before and moved into a completely different musical field. This decision made it possible to create a unique sound, where each new instrument opened up new horizons.

Yulia and Stas met in 2016 while participating in the sixth season of the show “Voice of the Country”. There, the future stars presented an extremely original number that stood out among all the performances in the entire history of the project. On the advice of their coach, they decided to create their own group, combining folklore with electronics in a new genre – folktronics.

Creative path

In just two years of existence, the band has released nine releases, including two albums: the debut DITCH (2017) and the conceptual DURA? (2018). The latter work was dedicated to victims of domestic violence. This is not just a collection of songs – it is a real plot story with deep meaning. The musicians wanted each composition to convey a certain emotion and reveal a separate page of the story. With the release of their second album, YUKO became more mature and conscious in their creativity.

In 2018, the duo with its unique charisma began to actively perform at European festivals in Poland and Hungary. And in 2019, it took part in the national selection for Eurovision. In the first semi-final, Yulia and Stas presented their own interpretation of the folk song "Oh, in the meadow, the viburnum stood." Performed by YUKO, the composition sounded like Galyna guliala. The group reached the final and took fourth place there.

Creative style

YUKO's creativity is not only a modern interpretation of Ukrainian folklore, but also raising complex social topics. Ten years ago, the duo tried to open a new musical direction, giving new life to traditional songs and trying to reach the younger generation. Back then, radio stations didn't always accept progressive tracks, and listeners didn't immediately accept the fresh sound. They even said that YUKO was ahead of their time.

A decade has passed - and today folktronics is confidently marching through the world, and the combination of electronics with folk sound is becoming a trend in various genres. Many artists are trying to add folk elements to their own music. But YUKO were one of the first to take this step in the vastness of the Ukrainian music industry. The openness, honesty, and sincerity of the songs became the calling card, thanks to which the group was able to gain the trust of the listening audience.

End of the story

2020 was a turning point for the duo. In an address to fans, Yulia and Stas noted that two creative personalities could no longer work together. It was time to part ways, but at the same time they emphasized that this was not a goodbye forever, because everyone would continue to create new music.

In farewell, the band presented the last track “It is possible, it is possible”, which became a symbolic finale of joint creativity. This is how the story of YUKO ended - a group that gave Ukrainian music a new direction and proved that the combination of tradition and modernity can give birth to real masterpieces.

At the same time, in one of her interviews in 2025, Yulia Yurina shared that she and Stas had recently had a joint experience in the creative field again. They acted as mentors at the Pomitni camp “On its basis”. During the week, both worked with different teams of musicians and artists, helping them create new songs. At the same time, Yulia emphasized that the interaction this time was indirect - not as members of the same band, but rather as mentors.

According to the folklorist, it turned out to be a very interesting experience. After all, Stas and Yulia were able to appreciate each other not only as performers, but also work as directors and music producers. Yurina noted that communicationwith Korolev, the atmosphere is quite normal and without tension. The singer also intriguingly added that both artists are already preparing for the events planned for 2026.