“Stefania” Ukraine Relief By Kalush Orchestra

Republished By Plato

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Stefania by Kalush Orchestra (compressed here for faster on-site load time)

MakersPlace is excited to announce its collaboration with Kalush Orchestra to release an open edition NFT featuring Psiuk’s signature pink bucket hat along with the song “Stefania” for $99.

The digital piece of art is called “Stefania”. It was designed by Danil Ulanov, a Ukrainian artist, born in 2000 in the city of Dnipro. It shows the iconic pink bucket hat of Kalush Orchestra’s band leader Oleh Psiuk, accompanied by the Kalush Orchestra Song “Stefania” and surrounded by traditional Ukrainian ornaments.

Proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders and for their efforts to provide healthcare in war-torn Ukraine.

Check out the Open Edition artwork here

Kalush Orchestra, named after singer Oleh Psiuk’s hometown set in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, is a Ukrainian hip-hop group that combines ethnic motifs with modern sounds using Ukrainian folk instruments.

The group rose to international recognition after winning the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest for “Stefania,” a tribute to Psiuk’s mother. The song, which mixes traditional Ukrainian folk melodies with modern hip-hop beats and rhythms, has since been adopted by the people of Ukraine as a symbolic anthem, mirroring the current situation of the country and its people. Stefania is an homage to everyone’s “mother,” and the country they love and need to defend.

As Psiuk told Billboard: “They want to destroy our culture… We came to Eurovision to show everybody that our culture exists. That our music is alive.”

Kalush Orchestra’s victory aided the war effort in more practical ways. The group auctioned off both the crystal microphone trophy and the iconic pink bucket hat that Psiuk wore onstage, raising $1.2MM to support Ukraine.

Within the past year, Kalush Orchestra has toured the US, playing 18 shows in just 3 weeks. Kalush Orchestra became the star guests of the MTV Europe Music Awards 2022; performed for the first time in the UK at Glastonbury, one of the biggest festivals in Europe; shot a music video featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger, and performed at the prestigious South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival.

During their recent US tour, the band sold guitars with the signatures of all band members. This raised almost $14,000 for aid in Ukraine.