- Year of foundation – 1992
- City – Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukraine)
- Language – Ukrainian, English
- Genre – industrial, punk rock, hardcore
Lineup:
- Arthur Danielyan – bass;
- Yevgenia Dyachuk – cello;
- Olexiy Ivchenko – guitar;
- Irena Karpa – vocals;
- DJ Original B.
History of the band
Actually, Sami (ex Qarpa) is a Ukrainian rock band formed in the early 90s in Ivano-Frankivsk. Over the years, the band's lineup has changed many times, and the name of the group has also been transformed - from the first, provocative Fuck! Submarine, to the iconic name Faktychno Sami. Despite these metamorphoses, the band remained one of the brightest phenomena on the Ukrainian independent scene.
In 1999, after moving to Kyiv, Irena Karpa and Artur Danielyan joined the band. It was from this moment that a new page in the history of the project began. Later, the band changed its name to Qarpa, and Irena Karpa herself became the leader and producer of the creative formation.
Faktychno Sami were ahead of their time - they created samples live, boldly experimented with sound and lyrics. The band's music remained outside the boundaries of formats long before such an approach became a hit.
Creative path
Early in its formation in the music industry, the band Faktychno Sami became an active participant in various festivals and art events. These were events that at that time gathered thousands of fans of bold creativity and original musical culture. Among the project's achievements are victory at the Lviv festival "Alternative", the diploma of the laureates of "Chervona Ruta" (1997) and winning first place at the event "Future of Ukraine" (1998). Despite the active holding of concerts, the band was in no hurry to release studio releases.
The first album - "Dad's Game" - was released in 1999 and was recorded in just three nights. The following year, work began on the second album "B. P. P." ("Sick Singing Birds"). The album was released in 2001 at their own studio Fuck! Submarine. A year later, “Cosmic Vacuum” was released.
In 2003, Irena Karpa recorded vocals for two albums at once, after which she went to Southeast Asia for seven months. Meanwhile, Artur Danielyan and Oleg Artym continued their studio work, creating two albums – Kurva Cum Back and “Lo-Fi Travmy”. About 50 musicians worked on recording new tracks.
Style and development of the band
From the first years of its existence, the Faktychno Sami project declared itself as a phenomenon that deliberately avoids standards and expectations. The group’s creative path began with rough punk, which over time evolved into psychedelic industrial. Already at the start, the musicians went beyond the format, winning new fans and gaining wider recognition and popularity. In particular, they created 20-minute tracks with a provocative delivery that sounded like a challenge to all the usual musical templates.
Later, more electronic sound was added to the style of the group. The depth of sound experiments increased, which only strengthened the reputation of the group as radical innovators and attracted the attention of a large audience.
In the fall of 2006, almost all members of the group joined the film project Kyiv. Limited Edition, which was presented at the Molodist festival. In this film, Irena Karpa acted as a director, Oleg Artym was a cameraman, and Artur Danielyan and Andriy Kohut played acting roles in the film.
In 2007, the group officially reissued "Cosmic Vacuum". This time in a limited edition on the American label Statue Records. On December 14 of the same year, the band changed its name to Qarpa and presented its seventh studio album, “IN ZHYR”.
Return to the stage
In 2024, the musicians announced a creative comeback – again under the name Faktychno Sami. In September, the band, already in the status of stars, gave a chamber live performance at the Kyiv bar Gram, where they presented a vinyl record. Today, Faktychno Sami is back on stage – not only for their old fans, but also for a new audience, who are rediscovering Ukrainian music with an author’s touch and international sound. The track “Lady Doo” is actively spreading on TikTok. And the video clip for the song “Teren”, dedicated to love against the backdrop of war, becomes the soundtrack and teaser for Irena Karpa’s new book.
Interesting facts about the band:
- the founders of the project are engineer Oleg Artym and psychiatrist Oleg Byrchak;
- the leader of the band Irena Karpa was not involved in music at all in her childhood. Instead, she attended art school. And at the time of the band's creation, she was a student and a little-known pop singer;
- In fact, Sami is also known for her anti-glamorous parties "Star Second Hand", "Lucifer Wants Home" and others.
