Go_a

1. Year of foundation – 2012
2. City – Kyiv (Ukraine)
3. Language – Ukrainian
4. Genre – folktronica, folk rock

Composition:

1. Kateryna Pavlenko – lead vocals;
2. Taras Shevchenko – keyboards, percussionist, composer;
3. Igor Didenchuk – sopilkar;
4. Ivan Grigoryak – electric guitar.

Former members:

1. Alexa Prozorova – vocals (2012 – 2016);
2. Volodymyr Sholokhov – sopilkar, percussionist (2012 – 2016);
3. Nikita Efanov – percussionist, didgeridoo (2012 – 2016);
4. Oleksandr Fedorenko – electric guitar (2016 – 2018);
5. Kyrylo Adamovich – electric guitar (2018 – 2020).

History of the band

Go_A is a Ukrainian electrofolk band, representatives of Ukraine at Eurovision 2021. The idea of ​​founding the band first came to musician Taras Shevchenko in 2011. The idea of ​​creating a band whose work would combine modern electronic sound and ethnic motifs appeared. However, finding like-minded people turned out to be a difficult task. At first, Taras experimented independently, creating music using a laptop. And only at the end of 2012 did he begin to collaborate with live musicians. Then the band's first composition, "Kolyada", was born.

The name of the band has a deep symbolic meaning. The English word "go" translates as "to go". The symbol "A" is an appeal to the ancient Greek letter "Alpha", which means the root cause of all that exists. Thus, the name of the Go-A collective embodies the idea of ​​returning to the roots, to the sources of culture and traditions.

The soloist of the group also shares that her creative origins and inspiration originate from childhood. Kateryna Pavlenko recalls how in those days her grandmother would gather with her friends. Together they would sing folk songs. These melodies were the first that the girl learned. Although at that time she did not yet realize the true value of folk art. Performing compositions seemed natural and familiar to Kateryna. After all, the melodic environment was a part of life.

In Nizhyn, where the Go-A soloist spent her childhood, the girl learned to feel harmony with nature. A large cherry orchard, a nearby forest and numerous animals – dogs, cats, cows, birds – all created an atmosphere of unity between people, plants and animals. Kateryna grew up with the feeling that all these components were part of one world. Even now, it is difficult for the performer to understand why some people do not appreciate this harmony and do not realize the deep and important connection with nature.

Creative path

In the fall of 2016, the band made its discographic debut with the album “Idy na zvuk”. In a stylized version – #Idynazvuk. The album was released on the Moon Records label. In the same year, the band Go_A won the The Best Track in Ukraine competition. The track “Vesnyanka” was played on the Kiss FM radio station and topped the “10 Dance” hit parade for six weeks in a row. Thanks to this success, the band gained wider popularity and recognition from a large audience and was nominated for the title of "Kiss FM Discovery of the Year". In addition, the single "Vesnyanka" entered the Top 10 of the Slovak iTunes Dance chart.

Among the most famous singles of Go_A are also the works:

1. "Generous Evening";
2. "Noise";
3. "Kalina";
 
4.       "Mermaids"; 
 
5.       "Thought"; 
 
6.   "Krip" and others.

Video clips were shot for some of the hits.

Participation in Eurovision 2021

In February 2020, the Go_A group, little known to the general audience at that time, unexpectedly won the national selection for Eurovision. The group's participation in the competition was the result of a thorough search for new names by STB producers. The organizers reviewed a huge number of tracks by Ukrainian performers, looking for something unique. And it was on the "non-format" Go_A that the music producer of the national selection Ruslan Kvinta drew attention.

In the final, the Go_A group with the song "Solovey" won first place. Performance were rated with the maximum number of points by both judges and listeners. And the team received the right to represent Ukraine at Eurovision 2020 in Rotterdam. But due to the pandemic, the contest was canceled that year.

In 2021, it was officially announced that Go_A would perform at Eurovision 2021 with a new song "Noise". The group successfully made it to the final, taking 2nd place in the semi-final and 5th overall. According to the results of the audience vote, Go_A came in second. But the votes of the national jury placed the group in the 9th stage. After participating in the contest, the group received new creative prospects. Active tours began, during which the group's live shows were visited by fans of the group in the cities of Ukraine, Poland, and Belgium. And in 2024, Go_A announced a world tour Ukrainian Magic.

Fans of the band could also hear the band's hits performed on festival stages:

1. Atlas Weekend;
2. Jazz Koktebel;
3. «Kraina Mriy»;
4. «GogolFest»;
5. «Trypil's Circle»;
6. «ART-Picnic of Slava Frolova»;
7. Polyana Music Festival and others.

The style of the band's music

Go_A creates a unique musical sound. The band's tracks combine authentic Ukrainian vocals, modern dance beats, powerful guitar drive and African drum rhythms. In their new releases, the band experiments with instruments from different parts of the world. They add the sounds of the sopilka, Australian didgeridoo and traditional African percussion.

Social activity

With the beginning of the full-scale war of Russia against Ukraine, the soloist of the band Kateryna Pavlenko went abroad, where she gave charity concerts. The other members remained in the country. Later, having received permission from the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, the band began to hold concerts in various European countries. The performances were aimed at raising funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ukrainians who suffered from the war.

Starting from February 24, 2022, the musicians repeatedly met with their Ukrainian fans and called on people to help the army. Concerts were also held for wounded defenders and volunteer communities. The band members emphasize that music remains the most important means of communication with the world for them.

Interesting facts about the band:

1. the band members represent different parts of the country – Nizhyn, Kyiv, Lutsk and Bukovina;
2. the sopilkar of the group Ihor Didenchuk is proficient in playing over 30 musical instruments;
3. in the background of all musicians, except Didenchuk, is hard rock;
4. the artists created their famous single "Generous Evening" in collaboration with Kateya Chilly;
5. the song "Noise" was among the three most popular in Eurovision history.