Okean Elzy

Okean Elzy(Ukrainian:Океан Ельзи,lit. 'Elza's Ocean') is aUkrainian rockband. It was formed in 1994 inLviv,Ukraine. It is the most famous and successful Ukrainian music band. The band's vocalist andfrontmanisSvyatoslav Vakarchuk.In April 2007 Okean Elzy receivedFUZZ Magazinemusic awards for "Best rock act".

Okean Elzy Океан Ельзи
Океан Ельзи - Okean Elzy
Background information
Origin	Lviv,Ukraine
Genres	Rock
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Moon COMP EMI Lavina Nova
Members	Svyatoslav Vakarchuk Vladimir Opsenica Denys Dudko Miloš Jelić Denys Hlinin
Past members	Pavlo Hudimov Yuriy Khustochka Dmytro Shurov Petro Cherniavsky
Website	http://www.okeanelzy.com

History

1994–1999

The band Okean Elzy was founded in 1994 by four young men fromLviv;who were former members of the band Klan Tyshi (Ukrainian:Клан тиші,lit. 'Clan of Silence') which was founded in 1991.The original line-up featured a lead vocal, lead guitar, bass guitar and drums. Throughout 1994 the band spent their time rehearsing.

Their first concert took place in front of theLviv Opera Theatreon 14 January 1995. Shortly after that appearance they released a demo tape called 'DEMO 94-95'. In 1995 they also participated for the first time in the two biggest (at the time) Ukrainian music festivals -Chervona RutaandMelodiya,also participated inIs,a personal project of Lviv musicianOleg Sook,performed the song Long time ago.

In 1996 the band establish themselves on the festival circuit in Ukraine and beyond. Okean Elzy participated at Sribna Pidkova Festival, Alternative 2, Perlyny Sezonu, Tavriyski Ihry, Trust Open Air Gernsbach (Germany), Trash 96, and R.F.I. 96 (France).

In 1996 Okean Elzy also held their first concert outside Lviv. Their first appearance in the capitalKyivtook place in 1996 where they supportedDeep Purple.In November–December of that year they recorded and released the group's first maxi-singleBudynok zi skla( "House of glass" ). Shortly afterwards the first movie about the group was made by the TV channelTETand was broadcast nationally.

1997 saw tours in the south of France and in the west of Germany. Back to Ukraine they held a concert in their hometown of Lviv, drawing massive crowds.

The band's big break came in 1998, when they made the decision to move toKyiv.There they started working on their first albumTam, de nas nema( "There, where we are not" ). The group's first music video was recorded for the song "Tam, de nas nema".This video was the first piece of modernUkrainian musicto make its mark onMTV Russia,as well as France'sMCMChannel.

At the very beginning of 1999, Okean Elzy started working on their second albumYa na nebi buv( "I was in the sky" ). In May the group decided to try to expand their fan base into Russia. Their first concert was at the festivalMaxidrom.There were thousands of people there who already knew their songs, with many singing along.

On 16 September they played a solo concert at the MCM Cafe inParis.

2000–2004

Logo of the band

In 2000, exactly one year after they started working on the album,Ya na nebi buvwas released.

On 5 February Okean Elzy held a solo concert at the legendaryAstoria Club(London). In March the keyboard player joined the band.

In 2001 Okean Elzy became the new face ofPepsi Colain Ukraine as the new millennium dawned. They released their third albumModel.The band launched a big tour around Ukraine called "Ask For More". In August they started working on their fourth album—Supersymetriya( "Supersymmetry" ). The album was eventually released in 2003 and immediately the group embarked on their biggest tour ever.

At the end of 2003Svyatoslav Vakarchuk,as the frontman of the band, became an official Ambassador of Ukrainian Culture.

In 2004Denys Dudko(Ukrainian jazz bass player) andMiloš Jelić(composer fromNovi Sad,Serbia) joined the band.

During theOrange Revolution,Okean Elzy actively supported the democratic changes which the population were demanding, with Slava emerging as a figurehead of the revolution.

2005–present

In 2005Petro Cherniavskyjoined the band.

On September 22, 2005, Okean Elzy released their new albumGLORIA.After that the band went on tour (30 cities in Ukraine and 10 in Russia) with an audio crew consisting of Sergey Kamenev, Alexandr Kostin,Yurii Barybinand Vyacheslav Lavrinenko.

In September 2005, Vakarchuk became the UN'sAmbassador of Good Will.Also, in September Okean Elzy started a joint campaign withIOMandMTV Europe Foundation,fighting human trafficking. Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, as UN's Ambassador of Goodwill for 2006, held meetings with students at Ukrainian and Polish universities. Vakarchuk is involved in a campaign to support reading. The project's aim is to draw the attention of young people to books and help fight illiteracy.

In November 2006, Okean Elzy visitedKosovo,where musicians had a concert forpeacemakersfrom Ukraine, Poland, Germany, United States and other countries, which included an international contingent of peacemakers.

During the Football World Cup 2006 in Germany, Okean Elzy actively supported the Ukrainian national team and cheered the fans with their songs. The last song of the band calledVeseli, brate, chasy nastaly...( "Oh, brother, merry times came..." ) made a huge splash in Ukraine. The song and the video were released as a single and all profits were donated to the child care center treatingAIDS.Charity activities play a major role in OE's life.

In April 2006 OE went on tour, which includesChicago,New York CityandToronto,where thousands sang along to their songs.

On April 25, 2007, Okean Elzy released a new album,Mira( "Measure" ). After that the band went on a huge nationwide tour. During the month they held concerts in 27 Ukrainian cities. All of the concerts were held in large cities, mostly at stadiums and sporting arenas. The concerts were attended by more than 120,000 fans, which set a record for the group. For the two Kyiv concerts, the attendance was about 24,000 total. In the history of Ukraine only Okean Elzy "for the second time" (after theGLORIAtour) gathered so many people in one place in such a short time.

Okean Elzy performing in February 2012

In 2010 Okean Elzy went on their Dolce Vita Tour, in support of their latest albumDolce Vita,which included over one hundred concerts in Russia, Ukraine,Belarus,Europe and North America.

In December 2013 the band performed during theEuromaidanprotests.

In 2013, Okean Elzy announced on their website a new album and new tour through Ukraine.

On June 21, 2014, for their 20th anniversary, Okean Elzy performed in front of 70,000 fans in Kyiv at NSC Olimpiyskiy.This concert was the largest in Ukrainian history.

Since the2014 Russian annexation of Crimeathe band stopped performing in Russia, being one of the few Ukrainian bands to do so.

In 2016, the most famous Ukrainian rock band Okean Elzy hits the road for a 2- year-long World tour to support its ninth studio album 'Without limits'.

On 24 August 2018 the band gathered around 100,000 fans at its concert atNSC Olimpiyskiydedicated toUkraine's independence day.

On 7 March 2022, during the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine,Okean Elzy's lead singer Vakarchuk joined theterritorial defense battalionofLviv Oblast.

April 13, 2024 marks the first date of their European tour, starting inMalmö,Sweden,then followed byGothenburg,BrusselsandUK.

Interesting Facts

• According to Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, Okean Elzy will never take part in competitions, i.e. in events where participants compete for places (for example, "Eurovision").This principle was adopted by the band at the very beginning, after the disappointment in the music competition "Pearls of the Seasons", where "OE" was in the lead from the beginning until the performance of the last band to win, and "Okean" took only second place.
• One of the band's first PR managers mentions that in the early days they relied on an audience of 35+ women, as well as children from patriotic families.
• The themes of the band's songs are heard in the first Ukrainian animated cartoon series "Mykyta the Fox"and in the children's film "Funny Tale".
• With the song "Children's Land" (together withAlyona Alyonafor Children's Day) the band joined the action "This is how memory works", dedicated to the memory of Danylo Didik and all those who gave their lives for the independence of Ukraine.
• Coldplayperformed Obijmy with Sviatoslav Vakarchuk during theirMusic of the Spheres Tour.

Band members

Current members

• Svyatoslav Vakarchuk—lead vocals (1994–present)
• Denys Hlinin—drums, percussion (1994–present)
• Denys Dudko—bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals (2004–present)
• Miloš Jelić—piano, synthesizers, backing vocals (2004–present)
• Vladimir Opsenica—guitars, backing vocals (unofficial 2013–2014; 2014–present)

Former members

• Yuri Khustochka—bass guitar, backing vocals (1994–2004; one-off shows in 2013 and 2014)
• Dmytro Shurov—piano, synthesizers, backing vocals (unofficial 2000–2001; 2001–2004; one-off shows in 2013 and 2014)
• Pavlo Hudimov—guitars, mandolin, backing vocals (1994–2005; one-off shows in 2013 and 2014)
• Petro Chernyavsky—guitars, backing vocals (2005–2013)

Discography

Studio albums

• Tam, de nas nema(Там, де нас нема - There, Where We Aren't) (1998)
• Ya Na Nebi Buv(Я на небі був- I Was In Heaven) (2000)
• Model(Модель) (2001)
• Supersymetriya(Суперсиметрія- Supersymmetry) (2003)
• Gloria(2005)
• Mira(Міра- Measure) (2007)
• Dolce Vita(2010)
• Zemlya(Земля- The Land) (2013)
• НАЙКРАЩЕ(НАЙКРАЩЕ- The Best) (2014)
• Bez mezh(Без меж- Without Limits) (2016)

Acoustic albums

• 2003 -Tviy format(Your format)

Singles

• 1996- "Budynok zi skla"( “House of glass” )
• 2002- "Kholodno"( “It is cold” )
• 2004- "Dyakuyu!"( “Thank You!” )
• 2006- "Veseli, brate, chasy nastaly..."( “Oh, brother, merry times came...” )
• 2009- "Ya tak khochu... "( “I want so much to...” )
• 2013- "Obiymy"( “Embrace” )
• 2015- "Ne tvoya viyna"( “Not your war” )
• 2015- "Zhyttya pochynayet'sya znov"( “Life begins again” )
• 2015- "Myt' "( “Moment” )
• 2016- "Ne ydy"( “Don't go” )
• 2017- "Sonce(Radio edition) "( “Sun” (Radio edition))
• 2018- "Bez tebe"( “Without you” )
• 2018- "V nebo zhene"( “It hie to the sky” )
• 2018- "Skilky nas"( “How many of us” )
• 2019- "Choven"( “Boat” )
• 2019- "Pereval"( “Pass”; for the soundtrack of “The Rising Hawk”)
• 2020- "Koly my stanem soboyu"( “When we will become ourselves” )
• 2020- "Obiymy(Remix) "( “Embrace” (Remix))
• 2020- "Trymay"( “Hold on” )
• 2021- "#Безтебемененема"( “Without you there is no me” )
• 2021- “Krayina ditey” (withalyona alyona) («Країна дітей» “Country of children” )
• 2021- ″Misto vesny″ (withOdyn v kanoe) («Місто весни» ″City of Spring″)
• 2021- “Peremoha” (withKALUSH) («Перемога» “Victory” )
• 2022- "Весна"( “Spring” )
• 2022- "Misto Marii"( “City of Mary” )
• 2022- "Квіти мінних зон"( “Flowers of minefields” )
• 2022 -"Vesna Mirabeau"
• 2024 - "Відповідь "(" Answer ")
• 2024 -"Voices Are Rising"

Compilations

• 2006 -1221( "Best of" collection)
• 2007 -Vybrany... (Selected...)
• 2010 -The Best Of

Solo projects of Svyatoslav Vakarchuk

• 2008 -Vnochi(At night)
• 2011 -Brussel'(Brussels)
• 2021 -Oranzhereya(Greenhouse)

External links

• Official Okean Elzy website