VÏKAE Confronts War, Propaganda and Power on ‘One X One’

25 September 2026

Aotearoa-based Ukrainian artist VÏKAE returns on Friday 25 September with One X One, a blistering piece of cinematic protest pop that refuses to look away.

Listen Here

Moving between English, Ukrainian and Russian, One X One is one of VÏKAE’s most direct releases to date. Built around pounding electronic production, distorted textures and the machinery of war woven into its sonic world, the track explores propaganda, authoritarianism, violence and what happens when human lives are reduced to numbers, borders and political collateral.

At its centre is the perspective of an artist who was born in Kyiv and has spent much of her adult life watching the country of her birth endure invasion from afar.

VÏKAE leans directly into its contradictions. One X One is furious and theatrical, but beneath the aggression sits grief, fear and the surreal experience of witnessing catastrophe unfold through screens while everyday life continues around it.

During the writing of the EP, VÏKAE had her world considerably changed with a diagnosis of Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, POTS & MCAS (amongst other health complications). Objectively speaking, that diagnosis changed every facet of her life including the way she writes, records and performs music. Subconsciously, that grief of a ‘new normal’ crept into her writing too.

The result is protest music dressed in the language of dark pop: huge beats, sharp hooks, industrial textures and a sense that the entire song could detonate at any moment.

“It’s about watching human beings become statistics and watching propaganda turn suffering into something people can argue about from a safe distance. Being Ukrainian, there is obviously a part of this record that is deeply personal to me.”

Vikaesinglecover

The single follows Welcome To The End of The World, released in August, and offers another glimpse into VÏKAE’s forthcoming seven-track EP of the same name, arriving 30 October 2026.

Across the record, VÏKAE builds an apocalyptic world from very real material: war, technology, political instability, identity, survival and the bizarre normality of living through history while still being expected to answer emails, go to work and keep dancing.

Produced alongside Will Henderson and mixed and mastered by Ryan Kirby, the project pushes VÏKAE further into a darker and more cinematic sound, pairing pop songwriting with industrial electronics, distorted vocals, unconventional samples and moments of startling vulnerability.

One X One also arrives one day before a major live moment for VÏKAE.

On Saturday 26 September, VÏKAE will take to Corban Estate Arts Centre in Auckland for Final Manifesto, a co-headline show alongside Vanessa Tottle. The performance marks the live debut of VÏKAE’s newly assembled full band and will see material from across her catalogue reimagined for the stage, including music from the forthcoming EP.

Set inside Corban Estate’s atmospheric former church space, the all-ages show will bring VÏKAE’s increasingly expansive live world into focus, moving between electronic pop, rock, heavier arrangements and moments of stripped-back intimacy.

For an artist who has spent years performing primarily as a solo act, the show represents a significant evolution.

“I wanted these songs to become bigger than the versions people hear through headphones. Building a band has completely changed the energy of the music.”

The performance follows a milestone year for VÏKAE, including headline appearances at Big Gay Out and Out Loud, while continuing a career that has previously seen her perform at events including Bay Dreams, Mardi Gras, Deep Hard N Funky, Soundsplash and AUM.

ONE X ONE – OUT FRIDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2026

WELCOME TO THE END OF THE WORLD EP – OUT FRIDAY 30 OCTOBER 2026