I was inspired to create this track when I stumbled upon this video with two astronauts having a conversation during a flight. One of the astronauts said: «We are alive while we work. We are alive while we fly». These words inspired me. In the light of everything that is happening around us, for the first time I was motivated to create something exceptionally uplifting. About the purpose of human life, about our inner freedom which drives us to overcome all the difficulties and issues that suppress us. We are alive while we still can fly.

The song had almost been complete when during a performance at the Polyana Festival in Transcarpathia, a remarkable meeting with the Deep Forest band happened. This is the band whose records were the greatest influence on ONUKA’s sound. Later, the band’s frontman Eric Mouquet came to our studio, listened to the demos and was very impressed. He added just a few sounds to the final version of VSESVIT. An attentive listener will guess which ones these were…

The world is full of contradictions. The media and politicians multiply them and divide people, families, and the society as a whole. When there is too much aggression, manipulation and lies in the world, the storm of information becomes meaningless white noise. It is important to hear a human voice through this wall of noise. The voice of each of us. «We have a voice, we are not voiceless." Those who have something to say should not stay silent. Those who seek shall know the truth. There is only one truth. Our most powerful tool is our Voice.

Those who follow ONUKA’s creative path closely know the ANIMAL single quite well. The song has been performed often during the shows. For me, this is a very special track. To me it’s the symbol of evolution of ONUKA’s sound.

«ANIMAL» is one of our earliest tracks. The song has been written during the time when the debut album of the group was still being made and the first demo sounded completely different. «ANIMAL» has had several transformations since. The album «MOZAЇКА» includes the version recorded with the NAONI orchestra. The track recorded with the orchestra exhibits the scale and power exposing the «animal energy» that takes your breath away. The story behind «ANIMAL» shows that one should never be afraid of daring ideas. After all, it is they that open up new opportunities for us.

In this song there is a line: «New point — new scale». In a way, it predicted the future. Some pieces were recorded in the most unexpected places. It started with the piano part that we came up with right in the Odessa Opera House dressing room just before a performance with NAONI orchestra. The sound of the dishes was recorded on the Dnipro river banks. And the sopilka and drom drum were sampled in Indonesia.

And this is how new organic music was born from the surrounding sounds. In the end of the composition we hear a refrain: «Life passes by, life goes on».

The STRUM single dedicated to the Nata’s grandmother — a very close and important person in her life.

This track is probably the lightest and the easiest for dancing from the entire album. One might compare its mood to the first rays of the spring sun. And there is the reason for that. This song is dedicated to my beloved husband Eugene Filatov, ONUKA’s Sound-Producer.

The track sounds just like my love for him.

There are many references to the Chernobyl Disaster in my art — singles like «1986» and «VIDLIK». 2016 was an important year. I was fortunate enough to take a week-long internship at the site to immerse into the real life of the people working there. The impression from the visit turned into the «MAINLAND» video. At that time, specialists from different countries worked in the Exclusion Zone. They were preparing to commission a shelter that was supposed to cover the Fourth Reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The main goal of the shelter was to replace the «sarcophagus» built in 1986. The operation life of the «sarcophagus» was coming to an end. Last autumn, it finally happened! A giant, 110-meter high, 36,000 ton containment structure covered the ill-famed reactor No. 4. The shelter became the world’s largest mobile land-based building. It operation period is 100 years. It will still be here to protect people long after we, and people who built it, are gone. The Arch will continue to stand and protect people from repeating one of the most terrible tragedies of the 20th century.
In my opinion, it was an epoch-making event that has undeservedly been left unnoticed.

The instrumental track «ARKA» is an attempt to convey a childlike amazement and surprise before this gigantic, monumental building. And at the same time, an admiration for the scale of thought and self-dedication of the people who built it. The instrumental orchestra and theremin are what makes the track magical. «ARKA» sounds like Debussy and Disney movie music soundtrack simultaneously.

The message from «GUNS DON’T SHOOT» single is not related to the events in Ukraine. This song is about the situation around the globe — from ancient times until today.

We live in an era of rapid technological progress, but at the same time we are still far from a truly significant step in the development of our civilization.
Further evolution of humanity is not in new technologies, not even in space exploration. It is in denial of hostility, aggression, intolerance and violence. These phenomena are unfortunately everywhere. And the very form of their manifestation today can be very different. It is no coincidence that various types of weapons are depicted on the cover of the «GUNS DON’T SHOOT» single. Not only stones, sticks, rifles and grenades, but also less obvious attributes of modern conflicts such as the atom, megaphone, alcohol, cigarettes and likes in social networks.

In the summer of 2017, the Irish singer Sinead O’Connor wrote and published a spontaneous video message from her room in a motel in New Jersey. It was a scream for help from a person who was in real despair. The video went viral and on the next day, it had more than two million views.

The loneliness of people perceived by the public as celebrities is a topic that is not discussed aloud. Famous people, such as musicians, artists, should serve as an example for others. They cannot show weakness or vulnerability. But this problem exists indeed. The person who is at the center of attention can hardly let new people into their world. It is difficult to open and be able to distinguish who really talks to you, and who is talking to your public image. «ALONE» is about that.

I wrote this track the day when Andriy Kuzmenko passed away…

«ALL FRIENDS» is a song about friends who, sooner or later, depart from our lives. In the chorus you can hear the words «Like ice, too fragile». From the first seconds you hear strange suppressed sounds. The sound of broken ice. It was recorded live. The song is built based entirely on the rhythmic combinations of many variations of the sound.

You can also hear several references to famous poets — Kirsanov and Blok — in this track.

The story ends where it all began. «MOZAЇКА» has been completed. The introduction to the final track of the album is a historic record from the Chernihiv theater, dated 1994. This is the first performance of «the little granddaughter of Alexander Nikitovich Shlenchik» accompanied by the orchestra. My performance.

The «VATRA» track encompasses an entire life. With the first sounds, the first bit a bright bouquet of associations appears: Laurent Garnier, Banco De Gaia, Schiller, Francois Keverkian, Underworld… the first tracks of The Maneken. First fashion clubs in Kyiv — stylish music, happy people who are ready to listen and finally accept. The first stars of the «electronic wave». The Tomato Jaws Project. The night lights of Kyiv, raves, festivals, the sea, dancing on the sand, the dawn. Peace: a strange, trembling sound. This is the ringing of silence. It’s time to listen to yourself, to the voice inside. In this silence, the little ‘Onuka’ turns into «ONUKA». And everything goes on.