Season 2 Ep 1: OTOY

OTOY is a project of Ukrainian hip-hop artist Vyacheslav Drofa, which he presented in September 2020. In the tracks OTOY raps only in Ukrainian and English, expresses his civil and social position, as well as tells about current events in Ukraine and the world.

In this episode, OTOY talks about his first music impressions and influences, the balance between his UX designer job and music career, how the war impacted his music, and how it felt to be on the frontline.

"There is no chance I will have another life when I can do my music.
I don't have a lot of time on this planet.
The war is happening.
We are doing war.
We are doing rap.” — says OTOY

ABOUT

In the Art During Wartime podcast, we'll be diving deep into the vibrant and diverse world of Ukrainian culture, exploring everything from the traditional to the contemporary and everything in between.

The podcast features interviews with leading Ukrainian cultural figures ranging from cinema, art, photography, ballet, opera, pop, hip hop, even comedy.

Art During Wartime is your one-stop destination for discovering fascinating aspects of Ukraine, a nation fighting to preserve its culture.

artduringwartime@gmail.com

GUESTS

OTOY

OTOY is a project of Ukrainian hip-hop artist Vyacheslav Drofa, which he presented in September 2020. In the tracks OTOY expresses his civil and social position, as well as tells about current events in Ukraine and the world.

Tina Peresunko

Tina Peresunko is a founder of the Leontovych Institute and author of the book “100 Years of Ukraine's Cultural Diplomacy — Shchedryk's World's triumph”.

Luzer Twersky

Luzer Twersky is an American film and television actor. He plays Baal Shem Tov in the Ukrainian film “Dovbush”.

Daniel Bilak

Daniel Bilak is a Canadian-born volunteer serviceman in the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine, former Chief Investment Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, lawyer, and co-producer of the “Dovbush” movie.

Volodymyr Shchur

Volodymyr Shchur is a Ukrainian opera singer and artist of the Honoured Academic Ensemble of Song and Dance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Katya Taylor

Katya Taylor is a curator, culture manager, lecturer, and mentor. She graduated from the Christie's Education College, Aspen Institute Kyiv alumni.

Serhii Melnychenko

Serhii Melnychenko is a Ukrainian photographer and founder of the MYPH school of conceptual and artistic photography. In 2017 he won the Leica Oskar Barnack Award.

HOST

Ohio native David Junk first started working in Ukraine in 1999 as a record executive for Universal Music, the world's largest record company. At the time, no other Western record label had ventured into Ukraine. David played a pivotal role in opening Universal's first branch office in the country, which was a major boost to the early development of the Ukrainian music industry. David helped defend the rights of Ukrainian musicians and songwriters and combatted music piracy controlled by criminal groups.

David created the podcast to keep Ukraine on American listeners' minds, focusing on art and culture instead of military or political topics. Americans need to know that Ukrainians are fighting for their culture. Russia has overshadowed Ukraine for centuries. That's happened nowhere more profoundly than in arts and culture. We know more about Russia than Ukraine. The Art During Wartime podcast will hopefully contribute to more Americans becoming aware of the beauty and richness of Ukrainian culture. And that Ukraine is not Russia.