Khayat - Folktronica between Ukraine and the Middle East

We reached emerging Ukrainian singer Andriy Khayat via email.

Having revealed himself to the wider public through his appearance on the Ukrainian version of "The Voice", Khayat has since had the chance to record his debut album, "Khmil'", already covered by OndaRock. Despite being busy putting the finishing touches to the video for his new single, "Osoka", he was kind enough to reply to us within a few days."Osoka" is yet another winning creation of his, and although it wasn't included on the album, it stands as its ideal continuation.To round out the interview below, we obviously point readers to the album review, so as to get a full picture of the complex universe of an artist whose sound has no equal on the international scene.

First of all, congratulations on the album. Will it also be released in physical format?

Thanks for the compliments. I think that nowadays it doesn't really make sense to release albums on CD, because the days when people bought music in physical format are long gone. It's much easier to download it or buy it digitally.

Your album is an incredible mix of different kinds of music. On OndaRock we usually indicate the genre of the album under review. For yours, I didn't know what to write. I ended up using labels like "folktronica", "ethnic folk", "industrial" and "trap"... but honestly I'm not entirely satisfied. How did you create such distinctive music?

You know, being a musician is mostly about taking risks. I was never sure what the final result would be, because I kept editing the album right up until the last possible moment.

In Italy we don't know much about the Ukrainian scene. I know that some of the most important musicians are Океан Ельзи (Okean Elzy) and Воплі Відоплясова (Vopli Vidoplyasova). Can you recommend any other artists?

Ukrainian music is flourishing right now, and I'm not saying that just because I'm Ukrainian, but because it's really true. A lot of new artists have emerged recently. I'd recommend listening to Vivienne Mort and Hardkiss. They represent what I'd call "special".

What about non-Ukrainian artists? Who are your favourites, and why do you like them?

Sevdaliza, Tom Odell, Chemical Brothers and Black Atlass are at the top of my list right now. Music isn't here to entertain us, but to heighten our emotions, to give us chills, to make us feel alive. Listening to these four artists has exactly that effect on me.

How do you decide which song to write in Ukrainian and which in Russian?

I don't decide. I know it sounds strange, but I don't plan the writing process: it simply happens. I don't go as far as to plan anything in advance, nor do I stop to consider what I might need at that particular moment.

You can call it a "muse", or whatever you prefer, but my music takes shape in a certain way, and it has nothing to do with my decisions or my wishes. I don't choose it.

One thing I couldn't quite work out, probably because of the language barrier, is who produced the album. On your Instagram profile you wrote that it was produced by Rami Kallas and Alexey Drizzit, but while there are interviews out there with the former, it's hard to find anything online about the latter. So who is Drizzit, and what did he do on your album?

Alexey Drizzit is the one who handled the mastering and turned the recordings into a finished product. I'm very grateful to everyone who worked on this album, and I couldn't fail to mention those who produced it.

How was the album made? Did you use a professional studio, or were these home recordings?

We used a studio, but the problem is that it wasn't ours, so we had to make do and record part of the material in less professional conditions (which, however, is not noticeable at all when listening, ed.). Indeed, that was one of the reasons why it took us so long to release the album.

Talent shows aren't exactly known for promoting experimental music. How did you find the confidence to take part despite that?

I never saw it that way: I've never been part of the talent-show machine, and I have no interest in TV formats. I have my own agenda, and those are the only things I care about. I took part in order to take a step forward, to win over the audience's appreciation, and to have the chance to promote my music, to show people that there can be different forms of music. I took the risk, and it worked. I firmly believed, and still believe, in what I create.

What kind of response are you getting for your music? The album doesn't have that many views on YouTube, yet you recently took part in a contest at a stadium in Kyiv, in front of thousands of people, and won the audience award. How do you gauge your actual popularity right now?

I've realized that popularity isn't something you can get all of a sudden. There are two ways to get there: either you churn out cheap, saccharine pop with no taste, trying to make money as if there were no tomorrow, or you're patient and try to earn it. I chose the second path. I don't consider myself popular right now, but I'm getting closer.

What can you tell us about multi-instrumentalist Ihor Didenchuk? I know he played on your album, but it's hard to find information about him.

Ihor Didenchuk is a young flautist, hugely talented. You can hear his parts in almost every song on the album.

What are your lyrics about? From what I've translated, they seem to have strong esoteric and folkloric elements.

To give you a proper sense of how I approach the importance of lyrics in a song, I have to tell you that for me they're the part that matters most of all. It's well known that people don't really listen to lyrics, and that's why a lot of musicians don't bother writing songs that are truly meaningful. For me, writing lyrics is like putting together a puzzle. Folk is a very complicated genre. It rests entirely on symbols: stories, esotericism, nature, and so on. So I try to work them in so that they're clear and easy for the listener to identify.

You also seem very interested in Arabic culture.

Arabic culture is special to me. I'm obsessed with their instruments, they're music to my ears. My father has Lebanese roots, and that's why I soak up that culture, even if through the lens of my Ukrainian upbringing.

Ride the wave of great music

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