Ukraine launches its official Spotify account

Ukraine has launched its official account on Spotify, the world’s most popular music streaming platform, on Dec. 20.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has partnered with the Ukrainian Institute and Slukh, an online media outlet covering music, for this cultural diplomacy project.

“It was created to promote a positive image of Ukraine among foreign audiences through contemporary Ukrainian music in English and Ukrainian,” Slukh wrote on Dec. 20.

The account is called Ukraine.ua. It now offers six playlists themed by moods “that everyone can relate to,” such as inspiration, joy, sadness, motivation.

The playlists feature songs by the giants of the Ukrainian music scene such as rock band Okean Elzy and electronic group Onuka. There are also little-known gems that can be discovered by local and foreign audiences including electronic music DJ and producer Koloah and sexy indie pop band Latexfauna.

The account is aimed to promote not only contemporary Ukrainian music but local culture in general.

The “If you feel glad” playlist is accompanied by a photo of traditional Ukrainian beetroot soup borsch. According to Slukh, the photo symbolizes the happy feeling one experiences when their borsch turns out to be of rich red color.

The “If you feel blue” playlist’s cover image portrays famous Ukrainian cat Stepan, whose chill and relatable looks won him global fame online. Stepan has gone viral after his photos were reposted by pop icon Britney Spears in late November.

Ukraine has invested more money and effort into promoting itself as a tourist and cultural destination over the recent years. In 2018, it developed a modern brand for campaigning that includes the “Ukraine NOW” slogan.

Aside from Spotify, the country now has official Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Spotify is a Swedish company that dominates the international audio streaming market with 381 million users including 172 million paid subscribers.