Ukrainian Pop Music of the 1990s: Style Dimensions

Abstract

The purpose of the research. The study characterises the style processes that took place in Ukrainian pop music in the 1990s. The research methodology involves a combination of historical-cultural, systemic, and musical-analytical methods and approaches that made it possible to determine the style parameters of Ukrainian pop music of the 1990s. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that for the first time the basic features of pop music as a direction of variety music were identified and the work of leading Ukrainian pop performers of the 1990s, representing different style branches of pop music, was analysed. Conclusions. Pop music in all areas of variety music is the most difficult for theoretical understanding, including in determining its style parameters. The identification of pop music with popular music, as well as the insufficient development of style categories in the music of mass genres, makes it difficult to characterise pop music as the leading direction of variety music. The work identifies the basic features of pop music, which include hit music, lyricism in its projections on the theme and musical language, mainstream as an orientation towards the most current musical styles and genres, style neutrality as the most unified representation of a musical style. It is noted that Ukrainian pop performers represent various style branches of pop music, including representatives of “pure” pop music (Irina Bilyk), pop-folk or ethno-pop (Ruslana), traditional pop (Oksana Bilozir) and modernised traditional pop (Olexandr Ponomariov). Ukrainian pop music of the 1990s is distinguished by both style diversity and pronounced national specificity, which distinguishes it from the pop music of other countries.

Keywords: Ukrainian variety song of the 1990s, pop music as a direction of variety music, musical style, hit, pop singer.