Having been born in 2012 on the fragments of the Gaidamaki group, the folk-rock band Kozak System never ceases to amaze its fans with a new sound and search for topics for creativity.
Despite the fact that the name of the band has changed, the line-up of artists has remained stable: Ivan Leno (soloist), Alexander Demyanenko (Dem) (guitar), Vladimir Sherstyuk (bass), Sergei Solovey (trumpet), Sergei Borisenko (percussion instruments).
History of the Kozak System group
In the 1990s of the last century, a group of enthusiastic students organized the Aktus group, which was popular among the Kyiv youth.
When the group was replenished with a new member - accordionist Ivan Leno, the direction changed sharply towards the union of rock with Ukrainian authenticity.
Music critics did not give the Aktus group a chance to survive in the world of show business. But in 1998, the first magnetic album was released, and in the early 2000s, already under the name "Gaidamaki", the rockers continued their victorious march through European concert venues, signing a contract with the British label EMI.
Members of Kozak System attended numerous rock festivals, toured a lot, released CDs, prepared albums, on March 7, 2008 they gave a solo concert in the October Palace in Kyiv.
The musicians did not stop there, they constantly improved the sound, which received the name "Kozak-rock" in professional circles. In 2011 they received their first "gold disc" for the CD "Creation of the World".
And at the very peak of fame, disagreements arose in the team. After the vocalist Yarmola was fired from the group, he began to harm his former colleagues in every possible way.
Yarmola took possession of the group's Internet resources, gave false interviews, slinging mud at the remaining musicians in the Gaidamaki group. Negotiations with the "dirty man" did not lead to positive results, Yarmola considered himself the owner of everything.
The guys took a radical step and started everything from scratch, changing the name of the group to Kozak System. From that moment Ivan became the vocalist. I had to record new songs and prepare a new album. But talent is not wasted, and the group continued its triumphant march.
Albums of the group Kozak System
Over the past 8 years, the rockers have managed to release four albums:
- "Shablya" (2012);
- “Songs of homing” (2014);
- "Live and love" (2015);
- "Not mine" (2018).
The beginning of 2020 was marked by the release of the fifth album of the rock group Zakokhanі Zlodії.
Many compositions were recorded by Kozak System musicians in collaboration with other pop stars. So, Sashko Polozhinsky, Sergey Zhadan, Katya Chili and other Ukrainian performers took part in the work on the song "Shablya".
In the second album in a row, the musicians, at the suggestion of the bass guitarist, decided to combine ethnicity, rock and reggae into one whole. The disc "Pisn_ self-guided" was released together with Taras Chubai.
In the third album, the group surprised the audience by releasing all the tracks in two languages - Ukrainian and Polish. This is not surprising, since Legno had Polish roots in his family.
By the way, Ivan, who was born in the Ternopil region, after graduating from the Uman Music College, was forced to enter the Voronezh Conservatory, since there was only an accordion class there.
And while studying at the Kyiv Conservatory, he was recognized as the best performer on the hand harmonica. They have both patriotic tracks and lyrical ones that take the soul.
Video clips
To date, the group has filmed over two dozen music videos for their singles. Some of them deserve special attention.
"So calm"
Filming took place in Gatne, in a Cossack house. A positive melody, reminiscent of Balkan melodies, a positive attitude. Starring Ostap Stupka and Irena Karpa.
The plot is about a respectable woman when she is next to her husband, and a perfect fury when he is not around. This single became the soundtrack to the film "The Last Muscovite".
"Autumn has your eyes"
After the composition "Not mine" opened access to radio stations for the Kozak System group, they recorded several more lyrical compositions. “At autumn your eyes” is not as driving as the previous songs of the group, but very gentle. The main role in the video clip was played not by a professional actress, but by a young lawyer from Lugansk.
"To finish the sum of pіsen"
Once the musicians woke up closed in a room, not knowing how they got there. Their tools lay nearby. There was nothing left but to start composing music. But not a sad, but rather optimistic melody came out.
Thanks to the sound of the instruments, they were heard and released from captivity. It turns out that they were imprisoned thanks to a crazy fan who was successfully handed over to the police. Here is a short video plot for this composition.
The single will be included in the band's upcoming album, the presentation of which is scheduled for February 29.
Participation in the Eurovision Song Contest
Surprisingly, the Kozak System group received low scores from the jury and the audience during the qualifying round for participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018.
Despite the fact that the jury member Jamala admitted that while studying at the conservatory she was in love with the soloist, and the rockers received only 1 point from competent specialists. Andrei Danilko noted that he did not have enough courage.
The audience rated the song "Mamai" at C grade. Thus, the group did not qualify for the final of the National Selection for the Eurovision Song Contest.
But in Poland and other European countries, the Kozak System group is always welcome guests, and they are often invited to international music festivals.
