Transformational Processes of Rock Music in the context of War in Ukraine

Abstract

The purpose of the article. The study describes the principles of supporting Ukraine during the war in the musical space and the place of rock music in the development of patriotic upsurge through concert performances within Ukraine and on the world stage. The research methodology consists in the application of analytical and historical-cultural methods, which made it possible to identify and characterise the foundations of the transformational processes of rock music on the example of the activities of musical bands and performers. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time in the Ukrainian scientific perspective, Ukrainian and Western rock music is defined in the light of the support of the Ukrainian people during the war and “national”, “international” and “urban” cultural codes are identified in the work of rock bands and performers. Conclusions. Rock music has never stood aside from acute social topics, because the emergence of new directions in rock has always reflected the mood of the world order, which certainly manifested itself in music, lyrics, video clips, as well as in stage productions. The work determined the general characteristics of the transformational processes of rock music; features of Ukrainian and Western rock music during the war – Ukrainian musical lexemes, characteristic Ukrainian melos and disclosure of the philosophical content characteristic of Ukraine during the war. Emphasis is placed on the manifestation of “national”, “international” and “urban” cultural codes in the work of rock bands during the war in Ukraine. A super-important national component was discovered through the use of the Ukrainian language and the use of elements of the national musical language. Among the rock bands, the following features were identified: the use of Ukrainian symbols, calls for an end to the war, communication with a foreign listener through English, holistic support for the Ukrainian people, and the focus of concert performances on specific locations with an urban accent.

Key words: rock band, rock music, sound, pop rock, cultural code.