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Ukrainian Musicians: Some of the Country’s Biggest Stars

Whether its techno-pop or ethnic folk, Ukrainian musicians have a lot to offer

Despite being a relatively young country – gaining independence in 1991 – Ukraine has come a long way. In a little over 30 years, contemporary Ukrainian culture has thrived. Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv and Lviv have been hotbeds of musical talent, churning out quality artists which span a multitude of genres, including, folk, rap, indie, rock, and pop. Although Ukraine is independent, Russia’s dark shadow looms. Throughout history, Russia has sought to erase Ukrainian culture from the map. And, with the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, its intention to conquer has never been more clear. It is now more than ever that Ukrainian culture needs to be celebrated. Here is a list of some of the most promising Ukrainian musicians. 

Luna

Ukrainian Musician Luna
Luna (Interview Magazine)

Often compared to Lana Del Rey because of her signature solemn vocals and nostalgic lyrics and sounds, Luna is one of Ukraine’s biggest pop exports. Born and based in Kyiv, Luna’s music can be described as being soulful pop with electronic, trance and techno influences. Luna’s music has catchy lyrics which have helped with commercial success, but the minimalist beats mean that each album could be played back to back at an electronic club. Luna is proud of her heritage and most of her visuals are shot by local and emerging directors and creatives. Now, following the war, Luna is embarking on a European charity tour, with the purpose of rallying support for Ukraine through music. 

Esthetic Education

Esthetic Education is a rock band based in the capital, Kyiv. Formed in 2004, the band was part of the new generation of indie and rock bands that shaped Ukraine’s modern cultural era. At a time when Ukraine wanted to distance itself from Russia and the East in favour of a progressive/European-centric future, Esthetic Education was among the artists which helped shape this image. In 2005 and 2006, the band became a huge success in their hometown, playing in front of 170,000 people in the Palace of Sports in Kyiv. Despite only releasing two records, the band’s music has left a big mark on a period of change for Ukraine. 

DakhaBrakha

DakhaBrakha
DakhaBrakha (Bristol 24/7)

Dubbed Ukraine’s biggest folk band, DakhaBrakha has enjoyed steady international success, playing at some of Europe’s biggest music festivals: including Glastonbury. The band – whose name translates to ‘give and take’ – is a folk quartet that fuses musical styles from several Ukrainian ethnic groups. For this reason, among many, DakhaBrakha is considered to be a proud representative of Ukrainian heritage. 

DakhaBrakha was founded in 2004 at the Dakh Theatre in Kyiv,” says Marko, one of the band members, to Mouthing Off Magazine. “The founder can be considered the director of the theatre, Vlad Troitsky. Yes, at first we made music for theatre performances. These were musical-visual actions, where everything that sounded from the stage was our music. Later, realising that we had a lot of musical material, we started making our concerts. And this has its buzz. We liked it.”

Jamala

Ukrainian Musician Jamala
Jamala (REDEF)

Jamala is probably the most well-known Ukrainian artist on the list, thanks to her spine-tingling performance of 1944 at the Eurovision Song Contest – which she won! Since taking home the prized trophy, Jamala’s career has gone strength to strength – even featuring as a judge on Ukraine’s version of the Voice. Commercial success aside, Jamala’s music is sonically stunning and lyrically beautiful. With recent albums, Jamala has explored a more raw Jazz sound, which has helped portray her as one of the most talented and diverse Ukrainian musicians. Nowadays, Jamala is helping with the Ukrainian war effort by performing in most European countries, through festivals and TV appearances. 

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Community Featured

Generation Rent: What is a Wise Investment in 2022?

If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s the importance of being financially prepared

A little nest egg can go a long way when it comes to bailing us out of whatever rainy days may lie ahead. For Generation Rent, this is far easier said than done. But, there are still investment opportunities available that can positively impact your bank balance. Although half of 2022 might be behind us, there is still time to explore them.  

What is Generation Rent?

Generation Rent is a term used to describe young adults between the ages of 18-40, who have been priced out of the housing market due to rising prices and stagnant wages. Many of these young people will never be able to buy a home and, instead, they will always have to pay a significant portion of their income on rent. Since Generation Rent cannot invest their money in the traditional real estate market, many are turning to other investment opportunities such as stocks, bonds, index funds, cryptocurrencies and even NFTs. 

Stocks investment
© Getty Images

Is There Such a Thing as a ‘Safe Investment’? 

While there may be no such thing as a ‘safe investment,’ investments do have varying degrees of risk and some are safer than others. If you’re looking to invest your money, you should be honest with yourself regarding your risk tolerance because, even though there is a lot to gain, there is also a lot to lose. Of course, even within various investment options, the risks may vary. For example, some stocks can swing wildly in price weekly, while other stocks will steadily climb throughout the year. When it comes to cryptocurrencies, the same thing applies and some coins, such as Ethereum, will be a relatively safe bet, as long as you’re willing to ride out the low points, while other coins are much more unstable. However, when it comes to investments, the higher the risk is, usually, the higher the reward will be too. 

What Should I Invest In For The Next 5 Years? 

If you’re beginning your journey into the world of investment, then it’s important to weigh your options and have faith in the fact that with a little research and some patience, you can greatly improve your financial situation within 5 years. The trick is learning how to make your money work for you. If you’re a new investor, you should seek out as much investment advice as possible. Ask your family and friends how they invest their money and don’t be afraid to do your own research. It may seem intimidating at first, but as you learn, you will come to realise that investing can be exciting, as you’re taking the first steps towards financial freedom. 

If you’re looking to find opportunities which will bring you a return within 5 years, then you’ll need to be looking for medium-term investment opportunities rather than long-term options, which can keep your money tied up for 10, 20 or 30 years, or even until retirement. 

For safe and steady long-term returns, stock funds such as an EFT, a mutual fund, the S&P 500 Index Funds or Nasdaq-100 Index Funds are great options. They allow investors to dabble in the stock market without spending their time researching which stocks to invest in, as essentially, these funds are a bundle of the most popular and highest-performing stocks. You can invest in these funds yourself, through apps such as Trading212, where you can also buy individual stocks. 

Investing in individual stocks is another great option, but you must do your research. Stick to companies which investors consider to be ‘high growth stocks’ that are predicted to succeed over the next 5 years, usually, these will be technology companies. 

Investment money
© Adobe Stock

Are Cryptocurrencies a Good Investment?

Cryptocurrency has been a buzzword in recent years, as young investors are flocking to invest in crypto over more traditional opportunities. And, while the value of many top cryptocurrencies has been sharply declining in 2022, this doesn’t necessarily mean that crypto is a bad investment. In fact, the best time to buy is when prices are low, as they will most likely rise again. Platforms such as Coinbase or Binance will allow you to buy and trade your cryptocurrencies easily. As with stocks, it is important to do your research and invest in crypto projects that excite you or seem to have a real-world application. Make sure to stay level-headed and don’t get caught up in the hype, as things can easily turn sour, as it did with Luna earlier this year.

Although, don’t let the fear mongers discourage you. Of course, investing in cryptocurrency is risky, but it is also here to stay and the rewards can be amazing. The key to any successful investment is diversification and so, as long as you make sure not to put all of your eggs in one basket, you should be sure to see some returns. 

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Featured Gaming & Tech

Luna Crypto Crash Raises Concerns About Cryptocurrencies

The crypto world has been shaken and not in a good way

In the last week, Bitcoin’s value plummeted, reaching peak lows ever since its peak in November 2021. It dropped below $30,000 for the first time since July 2021. And, with Bitcoin falling, the entire crypto market collapsed. Some investors, specifically those with Terra (LUNA) and TerraUSD (UST), have lost tens of thousands in savings. The crash seems unthinkable at first glance, given how both cryptocurrencies experienced a bearish trend in the past month.

As per Investopedia, the crypto markets are in such turmoil that losses have reached an astronomical $600 billion a week. Luna and TerraUSD fell more than 99%, with Luna’s official Twitter page mentioning how they’d be giving $500 to all those who liked their tweet to make up for their losses at one point. 

The crypto crash panic extended towards social media, with a dreadful outpour of investors mourning their losses filling up the associated subreddits and dominating the trending sidebar on Twitter. Panic reached such levels that some forum mods had to pin suicide headlines at the top of the Cryptocurrency subreddit and many other associated threads.

The meltdown led some crypto investors to believe that LUNA and UST are Ponzi schemes or pump and dump scams due to their hyped-up marketing and the significant investment Terra secured. The lack of measures to lessen the damages caused by the UST and LUNA crash lends some credibility to this school of crypto thought.

Terra Luna Crash
Terra Luna Crash ⓒ Business2Community

It is believed that LUNA will never recover its value after getting knocked down 98% compared to its April peak. Still, consumer sentiment and trust in algorithmic stablecoins and cryptocurrencies, in general, are likely to be affected in the long term.

Stablecoins are believed to maintain their value due to their backing by fiat currencies. However, TerraUSD’s burn and mint mechanic evidently backfired, and its Bitcoin-backing didn’t help mitigate the collapse.

The crypto bubble has burst, as many crypto experts, supporters, and detractors alike, have expressed. 

Other Redditors expressed how they doubt that anything illegal happened, considering how the dangers of both algorithmic stablecoins had been explicitly discussed, with many crypto investors predicting the crash beforehand.

It should be noted that, no matter how ‘stable’ a stable coin, one should never invest all of their savings in any financial vehicle. Extra care should be taken with crypto, as it has always been known as a very volatile investment, and due research should be performed on any crypto before investing in it.