Alt rock band The Yagas, fronted by Oscar and Emmy-nominated actress Vera Farmiga, and international punk band Gogol Bordello, led by Eugene Hütz, have released the official studio version of their take on the popular Ukrainian love song “Chervona Ruta” onto global streaming platforms, in celebration of the big Ukrainian summer holiday Kupala Night taking place this weekend. PRESS HERE to listen. The anthemic song weaves the legend of a magical flower with the spirit of Kupala Night by echoing the holiday’s ancient themes of love, destiny, and nature’s enchantment, all centered around the mythical bloom said to appear only on that midsummer night. Earlier this spring, The Yagas and Gogol Bordello released a live performance video for their version of “Chervona Ruta” following a handful of New York area shows, including at Bowery Ballroom. PRESS HERE to watch the live video.
With Vera and Eugene both of Ukrainian heritage, the two artists have been using their release of “Chervona Ruta” to shed light on Ukrainian culture and language while also helping those in need by partnering with organizations that provide humanitarian and medical aid to the Ukrainian population, including the official fundraising platform UNITED24. PRESS HERE to support Ukrainian medics via UNITED24 and enter a raffle to win exclusive signed items from Vera and Eugene.
“I’m a first generation American. I was raised in the Ukrainian diaspora of New Jersey, instilled with an immense pride of my family’s heritage and culture. Ukrainian music and dance were a vital source of strength, identity, celebration and connection to Ukraine,” shares Farmiga. “Music has galvanized Ukrainian morale since the Russian invasion began. I thought, what a great way to uplift our loved ones in Ukraine than to perform a bangin’ cover of the quintessential Ukrainian song ‘Chervona Ruta.’ I love this particular song, that my Baba Nadia taught me. I grew up singing it at Ukrainian Plast and Syzokryli summer camps, deep in the woods and wildflower fields of Novyi Sokil, Soyuzivka, and Verhovyna, in New York’s Catskill Mountains. I associate this song with summer romance and lifelong friendships I developed, immersed in Ukrainian scouting and dance culture.”
“‘Chervona Ruta’ is steeped in complex emotions of romance, resilience, pride, passion and national identity,” Farmiga adds. “It’s not just a love song about a girl finding a red flower that brings luck in love. It’s a love song to Ukraine itself, evoking patriotic feeling. I wanted to sing it as a duet with Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello. Eugene himself is like a badass blooming mythological flower. He is magic on two feet. He explodes with ferocious love and joy of creativity, his energy pure and infectious. The song has been covered time and time again; we wanted to put our unique bluster and spin on it. Enjoy!”
"This is a particularly meaningful song for me to collaborate on with Vera and The Yagas, given that we are both of Ukrainian descent, even though we were born on different sides of the Atlantic Ocean,” says Hütz. “We both know it from childhood and with all respect to the original version, we thought of a distinctly tougher spin on it, just like the times we live in. What a natural way to connect and let that song do some inspirational as well as tangible fundraising work to support a trusted fundraising platform like UNITED24."
The Yagas – Vera Farmiga (vocals), Renn Hawkey (keys), Jason Bowman (drums), Mark Visconti (guitar) and Mike Davis (bass) – released their independent debut full-length album, Midnight Minuet, on April 25th, which has been hailed as an “unexpected masterpiece,” “a spellbinding sonic journey” and “a delectable cornucopia of sounds that might be one of the best debuts of 2025.” Midnight Minuet, produced by Hawkey (formerly of famed alt-metal band Deadsy), includes the singles “The Crying Room,” “She’s Walking Down,” “Life Of A Widow” and “I Am.” PRESS HERE to listen. Formed in 2023, the New York-based quintet borrowed their name from the mystical Slavic folklore figure Baba Yaga, believed to devour the souls of the newly deceased to safeguard the fountains of life. An audacious band with otherworldly origins, The Yagas wholly share their namesake’s storied penchant for shapeshifting, morphing from metal to industrial to wildly extravagant alt-rock as their songs journey into the strangest depths of the human psyche. Since debuting last fall, The Yagas have amassed over 3 million collective streams and views, received early comparisons to A Perfect Circle, The Cure, and Type O Negative, and have earned praise and support from Revolver Magazine, Metal Hammer, Classic Rock Magazine, NME, The Noise/Ones To Watch, Stereogum, Blabbermouth, Bloody Disgusting, Rock Cellar Magazine, and more. Creating a truly singular aural experience, their music is endlessly unpredictable but infinitely propelled by the spellbinding force of Farmiga’s vocal work.
Since 1999, international punk band Gogol Bordello, led by Ukrainian frontman Eugene Hütz, has been filling up rooms with an energy that could run a whole city. Their latest album Solidaritine is no exception, going back to their hardcore roots. The band has lit up stages around the world alongside System of a Down, Primus, Rancid, Dropkick Murphys; dueted with Regina Spektor; appeared in films like Liev Schreiber’s Everything Is Illuminated with Elijah Wood and Filth and Wisdom helmed by Madonna; and cut albums with legends Rick Rubin and Steve Albini. Russia's war in Ukraine is personal for Eugene & the band, who have been tirelessly advocating for Ukrainian solidarity, partnering with Nova Ukraine, ArtDopomoga and beyond.
