'Genre That Chose Us': Kateryna Voloshyna and Serhii Radzetskiy on Their Collaborative Project 'Insha Tysha'

"Insha Tysha" is a musical and poetic collaboration between Ukrainian poet Kateryna Voloshyna and performer-composer Serhiy Radzetskyi. When they met at a charity concert, each had a successful solo career, and neither imagined they would end up collaborating. Yet, five years later, they continue to enchant audiences in Ukraine and abroad with their unique creations. Since their formation, "Insha Tysha" has released four collaborative albums. One of these, In "Search of Picasso", was begun in Ukraine and completed in France. Drive Music Media spoke with Kateryna Voloshyna and Serhiy Radzetskiy. about their French audience, their careers before this collaboration, upcoming projects, and their commitment to charity work.

Interviewer: Before you formed the musical-poetic group "Insha Tysha" each of you had a successful solo career. What were the first steps in each of your paths to success?

Kateryna: I have been writing since childhood. As a teenager in Vorokhta, I won the "Miss Horyanka" competition, where I read one of my poems for the first time. Locals came up to me, and many people warmly thanked me. That was my first public reading. I repeated it during the presentation of my fifth collection, I believe, with music, at Kupidon in Kyiv. It was a fantastic evening. Since then, I've been reading non-stop, and, thank heavens, I am still writing. I hear my poems.

Serhiy: It was a strange coincidence. My brother and I were born into the family of a fanatical musician-composer-teacher, Yuriy Radzetskiy. Although I was interested in soccer, I was immediately assured that both my brother and I were destined to be musicians, continuing the family’s musical legacy – almost like the Bach family. But I only began to enjoy the whole musical process around the age of 16, when I first started preparing for an international competition. Practicing 7-9 hours a day ultimately set the course for my future. During my student years, I played through "kilograms" of sheet music from composers across various eras. Around age 22, I started to successfully create my own music. It was so convincing that I dared to perform it at international competitions alongside pieces by well-known composers –and I became a laureate.

Interviewer: Kateryna, a question for you: What role does the theme of war play in your poetry? One such example is the poem about a bird, written in 2022. Could you tell us more about it?

Kateryna: I wrote a war-themed cycle in the first months of the full-scale invasion. I started it in Kyiv and finished in Paris. I also created a series of paintings. It was impossible not to write – it was a lifeline. I don’t quite remember which specific poem you’re referring to, as I have stacks of poetry overall, and quite a few of them feature a bird. But perhaps you mean "You’re Alive, My Little Bird". I wrote it when Kateryna Polishchuk, known as “Ptashka”, the defender of Azovstal, returned from captivity. During war, it’s essential to write about light. It’s crucial to stand on the side of love, to somehow maintain balance. Art is an incredibly powerful force. It’s no coincidence that the enemy targets cultural heritage first.

Interviewer: How did the idea to create the musical-poetic project "Insha Tysha" come about? Tell us about the name – why "Insha Tysha"? Let’s look back on that time.

Serhiy: We met at a charity concert. It’s surprising that, by then, both my work and Voloshyna's were already known in artistic circles, yet we had never crossed paths. Soon after, we started receiving mutual suggestions to create something together. I'm a fan of film music, so I saw this as a perfect and timely opportunity to create a soundtrack for Kateryna’s poetry, as her verses already offer a vivid imagery. We tried it out – recorded, performed – and realized it worked really well. Since then, we’ve recorded four albums. Additionally, a song based on Kateryna's words is featured on my solo album, and together we also created a motivational anthem for the Ukrainian Armed Forces' engineering regiment.

Kateryna: I took the name from a poem. I feel it’s very fitting. In what we do with Serhiy, there truly is another silence. Serhiy is an extraordinary composer – talented and sensitive. His music carries the poems carefully, interestingly, and skillfully. I can't imagine a better collaboration; it's a perfect match. As Serhiy already mentioned, we met at a charity project by Soniia Sotnyk called "On a Hat", where we both had performances one evening. Serhiy proposed a collaboration, which has now lasted for six years and has gifted the world four albums.

Interviewer: Serhiy, a question for you: You are the author of the first rock opera in Ukraine, "Taras Bulba". You created it together with your brother Dmytro. How did the idea to realize such a project come about? Your project tells the story of a contemporary defender and portrays modern Ukraine.

Serhiy: The idea originated with the director of the "Taras Bulba" festival, Mykola Arsenyuk. We’ve known each other since 2004 when the bands I was working with regularly won prizes there. One day, we met in Kyiv, and he proposed this ambitious project. I was very interested and suggested it to my brother Dmytro. It took a few years while Mykola Arsenyuk searched for funding. Then one day, he informed me that everything was in order, and we could start. However, since it was grant-supported, the timeline for creation was short and defined. This is how we set a personal creative record – writing and recording the rock opera in just three months. However, since it was grant-supported, the timeline for creation was short and defined. This is how we set a personal creative record – writing and recording the rock opera in just three months.

Interviewer: Kateryna, Serhiy, what is the French audience like for you? How warmly do they receive Ukrainian-language poetry? Will you continue to promote Ukrainian poetry abroad, or will you start writing only in French? And, Serhiy, tell us about the festivals you participate in solo abroad. About one of these festivals, you said: the Ukrainian scene in the heart of Europe.

Kateryna: The French audience is the best of all audiences. The French are open, positive, and have a good sense of humor. Serhiy and I really appreciate this since we joke often. There’s always a lot of sensitivity, and tears flow, which I love. People are free in their emotions and expressions. It has never been difficult with them. By the way, this is an interesting question because we have traveled around Europe quite a bit. At the moment, the French are the most tender. I don’t yet hear poems in French, as one needs to have a very good linguistic repertoire. However, I will definitely translate.

Serhiy: I have formed several festival programs. Some are aimed at non-speaking audiences, while others are strictly for Ukrainians. Performing for Ukrainians feels more heartfelt because you can talk between compositions, share emotions, and connect with the mood. There’s more space and freedom in the performance with them. However, for a European audience that understands you only through your works, you need to play very attentively and concentratedly, taking into account all the nuances of performance and the emotional structure of the program. Such performances remind me of that meticulous work in my student days when I would prepare for competitions for nine hours. It’s wonderful to find balance between these two different feelings on stage.

Interviewer: While you were abroad, you released a musical-poetic album titled "In Search of Picasso", which also has a French translation. Tell us about it.

Kateryna: Its story began in the city of Nizhyn, where Olga, Picasso's wife, was born. The search concluded in Paris, where Picasso is around every corner. In fact, it’s a fantastic story because, while sitting in a café in Nizhyn after a concert and waiting for a train to Kyiv, we could never have imagined that we would record this album, which we had envisioned, in the studio of the luxurious composer Arman Amar in Paris. Life is strange, and its wonders can sometimes be beyond comprehension. "In Search of Picasso" is a circle from birth to death. Each composition is thoughtfully crafted and profound. I really enjoy reading it. The music is simply incredible.

Interviewer: What projects are you currently working on, both solo and as part of "Insha Tysha"? Serhiy, tell us about your solo album, the anniversary of which was just a few days ago. What music is included in it? What was the process of its creation like?

Kateryna: Serhiy is finishing the music for a three-act play called "Apple Pie", which we plan to release initially as an audio play. We recorded the parts of the main characters with actor Andriy Makarchenko. When I was recording my role, I experienced immense satisfaction from the process. It's that moment when you stop for a second and deeply realize that, at that moment, you are closest to yourself and the world because you know your calling, your talent, and you have no questions. It’s a kind of catharsis. I still need to finalize the translation of this play into French, and I will be looking for a director to bring it to life. There’s a lot to work on there.

Serhiy: Concerts in Europe have shown that there is a demand for and appreciation of artists' work through traditional formats. This includes releases, albums, discographies, and collaborations. As a music lover, I have always enjoyed this format, ever since I was a child observing my idols. I decided to compile my purely bass guitar compositions into one album. It includes tracks that were recorded eight years ago and have thousands of views on YouTube, as well as completely new ones that I recorded specifically for this album. My process of creation is always the same: "Brew yourself some coffee. Connect all the equipment. Sit down and write." For hours. For days. Without expecting conventional "inspiration," because it comes on the smell of coffee near the instrument. I have now set myself a new compositional challenge. I need to write 90 compositions as a soundtrack for 90 stories from the Bible. Then I will perform these myself, playing various instruments alongside a video that showcases all these stories. The Bible expresses a wide range of emotions: happiness, despair, joy, sorrow, betrayal, love, and pain. All of this needs to be adequately conveyed through music. At the same time, I must be innovative and conduct new experiments. This is a very labor-intensive project that is planned to take a year. I need to get it done. A lot of coffee will be required.

Interviewer: Each of you has a mission. Kateryna, what is your mission as a Ukrainian poet? What message do you convey through your work? Serhiy, what is your mission as a composer?

Kateryna: Right now, there is one mission: to ensure that contemporary Ukrainian culture is heard. We have chosen a rather intimate and complex genre for this, or rather, it chose us. But it was a very wise choice, very fitting. To be honest, I don’t think about messages because why? I hear and record. I don’t invent. I work hard but trust the flow deeply. I don’t pressure, don’t force, don’t demand. I just do it, and that’s it. As for the rest – it’s not for me to sort out, nor for me to name or set goals. Moreover, when you think about it, both the message, the goal, and the mission are always the same – happiness.

Serhiy: There can be many subjective answers here. For example: to do musically everything that comes to mind. Because it’s my head and my music. I only have to account for my work to myself. Or one could say: my creativity should make people happier and open up cathartic and energizing experiences for them. So, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. In balance.

Pictures were taken by Taras Hegel'skyi