Known for her powerful voice and innovative arrangements of traditional music, NAVKA has dedicated her work to preserving and reimagining Ukraine’s cultural heritage. On the generational passing along of that heritage, the singer says, “I was born in Chernivtsi, and my grandmother sang songs, all the time, all my life, how I remember. Then I started to record songs from her, then from other old people, that’s why I’m totally in, not only my own songs, which I write, I’m also a folklorist.”

For her USA concerts, NAVKA presents “Ukraine in Songs.” Her performance brings together folklore and contemporary sound, offering audiences the chance to experience the depth and spirit of Ukraine through music that inspires and connects. NAVKA’s music, which can be found on multiple platforms including Youtube and Patreon, encompasses acoustic and pop accompaniments.

She is also working on a full-length film, a preview of which will be shown at her concerts. “Fifty percent of the film is done and we have a teaser, so if people come they can see this musical, which includes very very old songs from the Cossack’s time until nowadays.”

In conversation with DAWN, NAVKA shared that her first visit to the United States was driven by the Burning Man event in Nevada this past August. As part of the building team for a massive (eight-ton, 90K cu ft.) inflatable installation titled “Black Cloud,” also known as “Get Ready,” by Ukrainian artist Oleksiy Sai, NAVKA was already bringing Ukrainian culture to the USA. She reflects: “We wanted to tell the world that you have to prepare, you have to be ready, because we in Ukraine also didn’t think until 2014, that it could be war. War can be in another country, not in Ukraine. So we came with this message to Burning Man. War can start in any city, and it can move through countries without borders, like clouds, because when I was a child, I saw this in the Ichkeria Republic, you can have war, or in Georgia. But not in Ukraine, so we just want to tell the world to prepare. And of course, to help Ukraine.”

The concert will benefit the purchase of evacuation vehicles for Ukraine through DAWN. NAVKA too has been raising funds for vehicles for the past three years, and has seen firsthand the need for these vehicles. On one of her early visits to a region devastated by the aggressors, she remembers, “When I bought my first big car it was seven days after the occupation of this region. And I saw these terrible destroyed houses. And when I started talking with people, they were so afraid that russians will come back again. Somebody told me these terrible stories when I saw it’s totally what russians did. But some people told me that, oh, everything was good with the soldiers. And I asked this boy who told me people were afraid to tell because russians said they will come back and do bad things if people say anything.”

In spite of the continued aggression toward Ukraine, each of NAVKA’s concerts closes on a high note. “We will end with dancing songs because we need energy and to spend this energy for making good things for our future.” So far, NAVKA has performed in Philadelphia, then on to Seattle after her Portland show. After that? Who knows.

NAVKA presents “Ukraine in Songs.”

• September 27, 6:00-7:30 PM
• Location: Rose City Book Pub. 1329 NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97212
• Cost: $43. Tickets here
• Organized by DAWN, Inc.