The YUKO team has become a real "breath of fresh air" in the National Selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The group advanced to the final of the competition. Despite the fact that she did not win, the performance of the band on stage was remembered by millions of viewers for a long time.
The YUKO group is a duo consisting of Yulia Yurina and Stas Korolev. Celebrities were united by love for everything Ukrainian. And as you can already guess, the guys simply cannot live without music.
Brief information about Yulia Yurina
Yulia Yurina was born in the Russian Federation. After receiving a school certificate, the girl decided that she would go to Kyiv for higher education.
In 2012, Yulia went to the capital of Ukraine and became a student at the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts. By the way, the girl, oddly enough, studied Ukrainian folklore.
Yurina recalled that as a child she loved to sing Ukrainian songs. “I lived in the Kuban. Most of the residents are immigrants from Ukraine. It was from them that I learned to sing in Ukrainian…”. In Kyiv, the girl met her future husband. The couple was in an open relationship for four years, and then decided to legitimize the relationship.
In 2016, Yulia became a member of the Voice project. Thanks to this show, the girl was able to express herself. There she boasted strong vocal abilities. Since participating in the Voice project, Yurina has gained her first fans and popularity.
Brief information about Stanislav Korolev
By nationality Stas Korolev - Ukrainian. The young man was born in the provincial town of Avdeevka, Donetsk region, in the family of a locksmith (dad) and a communications engineer in a telecommunications company (mother).
As a child, Stas was a modest and quiet guy. Music Korolev began to study in adolescence. Moreover, he completely devoted himself to the creative process, telling his parents that he wanted to perform on stage. Mom and dad passed the information "by the ears", not believing that their son could achieve success in music.
At the age of 26, Korolev took part in the Voice project. At the preselection, Stanislav performed a musical composition by Radiohead Reckoner. With his performance, he managed to "melt the heart" of Ivan Dorn, and he took Korolev to his team.
Creation of the YUKO team
The YUKO team first announced itself to the audience on the 12th broadcast of the Voice show (season 6). Julia was the finalist of the project, and she wanted to impress the audience with a bright performance. Ivan Dorn invited Stas and Yulia to prepare a joint performance with a folk composition in electronic processing.
Soon Julia performed the musical composition "Vesnyanka" on stage, and Korolev created the arrangement right on stage. The song won the hearts of the audience. The duet looked so harmoniously together that the guys were advised to think about further "pair" work.
And if for the participants of the Voice project (season 6) everything soon ended, then for the YUKO group, the "flourishing" was just beginning. After the project, Ivan Dorn signed the band to his independent label Masterskaya. After signing the contract, the real magic began.
Now Julia and Stas were not bound by the terms and rules of the project, they could create their own music to their taste. The duet's tracks were very popular with music lovers. The genre in which the team works is called folktronics (folk + electronics).
This Ukrainian stage has not heard for a long time. Not only did the duo have practically no competitors in terms of playing folktronics, but the guys amazed the audience with their bright stage images.
Stas and Julia were not afraid to experiment with hairstyles and hair color. The stage image deserves special attention, which corresponds to the latest fashion trends.
Presentation of the debut album
Soon the band presented their first album Ditch, in which folk motifs are "skillfully woven into the canvas" of the trendy sound with its powerful beats.
The album contains 9 songs in total. Each track was distinguished not only by the lyrics, but also by the manner of the tunes that Yulia (thanks to her profession) learned from different parts of Ukraine.
The YUKO group took part in the filming of the project "Ukrainian Top Model" (season 2). There, the musicians had the opportunity to perform several tracks from their new album. Speaking at the project helped increase the audience.
The duet participated in music festivals. In 2017, the duo gathered a crowd of many thousands at the capital's open air. Ukrainian youth saw off the team with applause.
Presentation of the second studio album
In 2018, the discography of the Ukrainian band was replenished with the second disc. The collection was called Dura?, which included 9 tracks. Each composition of the collection contains the story of a woman who is trying to resist social stereotypes.
“On the path of life, a woman is condemned for her willful behavior. The crowd pushes her to the wrong step - marriage. Her husband beats her and mentally destroys her. Nevertheless, the woman retains the ability to comprehend the experience gained. She listens to herself and to her desires. She finds the strength to forget the past and live the way she wants, and not those around her ... ”, - the description of the collection says.
This collection received good responses from music lovers. Music critics noted the significance of the theme that the musicians touched on the album Dura?.
Selection for the Eurovision Song Contest
At the draw for the National Selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, the duo did not hesitate and crowd into the corner. He was the first to reach the bowl with numbers and received the fifth number in the first semi-final.
On February 9, live on the Ukrainian television channels STB and UA: Pershiy broadcast the first semi-final of the National Selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2019. The duet managed to win a ticket to the final.
Despite their best efforts, the group failed to get first place. The jury and the audience gave their votes to the musical group Go-A. But it seems that the duo was not very upset by the small loss.
Interesting facts about the YUKO group
- In one composition of the debut album there is an "Easter egg" - the sampled voice of Ivan Dorn.
- During the work on the first album, Yulia changed her hair color four times, and Stas turned gray and grew a beard.
- Album "DURA?" partially describes events from the life of the soloists of the group.
- Stanislav has no eyes. The young man wears lenses.
- Korolev has several tattoos, and Yulia has 12.
- Musicians prefer Ukrainian cuisine. And the guys can not imagine their day without a cup of strong coffee.
YUKO team today
In 2020, the YUKO group does not intend to rest. True, a number of performances by the guys still had to be canceled. It's all because of the coronavirus pandemic. But, despite this, the musicians played an online concert for fans.
In 2020, a presentation of musical compositions took place: “Psych”, “Winter”, “You Can, Yes You Can”, YARYNO. The musicians do not give information about the release of the new album. Most likely, YUKO will resume live activities in mid-2020.
The collapse of the YUKO team
Stas Korolev and Yulia Yurina shared unexpected news with YUKO fans in 2020. They said it was time to say goodbye.
Artists simply ceased to understand each other. Everything has escalated during the coronavirus pandemic. The guys have different values. They are now engaged in the promotion of a solo career.
Yurina became the initiator of the breakup of the group. The artist subtly hinted that Stas "tyrannized" her. The artist does not deny this, but at the same time insists that the microclimate in the team is the merit of two people.
