Maryna Krut

Maryna Krut

Thursday, October 29 | The Freight

The Russian invasion of Ukraine transformed Maryna Krut from being a performer updating a beautiful tradition of music to being a witness testifying to people around the world about the devastating war in her homeland.

These days, the 30-year-old musician leads a double life. From her temporary home in the west of Ukraine, she travels to the front lines of the war to perform for soldiers. And she also travels abroad to perform, relating what she has seen—and thanking audiences for their support of the Ukrainian people.

Maryna plays the bandura, a Ukrainian string instrument that looks like a cross between a lute and a zither. Steeped as a child in her country’s traditional music, she now incorporates some non-traditional elements into her playing, principally jazz, using it both as a solo instrument and to accompany her powerful singing.

In Ukraine, she gained a national following after appearances on that country’s versions of “The X Factor” and “The Voice” as well as placing in Eurovision. Now she is expanding her audience as she brings the story andj culture of Ukraine to the world.