Nastasia Y

Nastasia Y is a Ukrainian-born pianist and vocalist in Toronto who seeks to open the hearts of her listeners to the Ukrainian struggle for freedom. She grew up in Kyiv to the soundtrack of folk and protest songs of her father, the late Kost’ Yerofeyev, whose band Ruthenia was at the forefront of the Ukrainian fight for freedom in the late 80’s. Her journey took her to Canada, where she completed a jazz piano degree, releasing music in English before founding the Ukrainian fusion project DoVira (now Nastasia Y Band).

Nastasia has collaborated with artists from Canadian jazz star Elizabeth Shepherd to the legendary Ukrainian singer Oleh Skrypka, and is also a member of the all-female folk band BLISK. She is an active volunteer, having travelled to Poland and Ukraine to help victims affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Her upcoming album ‘Kyiv Soul’ (LulaWorld Records, May 2024) combines elements of jazz, funk, and electronic music with Slavic folk, features Juno and Grammy award nominated Toronto musicians, and explores themes of resistance, generational trauma of repression, and ancestral magic.

Pronunciation: nas-TA-s’yah