Today's Song of the Day, as chosen by Kevin Cole, host of Drive Time on KEXP, is "Bosorkanya" by Alina Pash, from the 2019 album PINTEA: GORY on Bitanga LLC. Alina Pash will be performing at this year's virtual Eurosonic (ESNS) Music Festival and Conference January 19-22.
Known for a great number of things in her home country of Ukraine, Alina Pash is a former X-Factor semi-finalist, style icon, and an innovative musician breaking boundaries with her bold use of Carpathian traditional sounds with electronic, hip-hop, and pop. Cited as “100% Bitanga” which translates from the Ruthenian dialect to “Hooligan,” Pash uses her distinctly unique creative vision to carve her path.
Born in Transcarpathia (which doesn’t sound like a real place to me - like Genovia - but I assure you, it’s a very real geographical region in Western Ukraine with a fascinating history), Pash was inspired by the Transcarpathian legend Pintea the Great for her 2019 record PINTEA: GORY. A real life Robin Hood, the 17th century rebel is an ancestor of Pash’s and famous for his brave and merciful heart. Our Song of the Day “Bosorkanya,” which translates to “The Sorceress,” was an early single off the record and an excellent example of Pash’s use of mysterious folk legends within the framework of of a fun dance pop track.
The song is coupled with a high-production video of dance choreographed witches and demons casting spells and squaring off against religious leaders. Watch the video ahead of her virtual performance for Eurosonic Music Festival and Conference on January 19-22 below.
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