Today we’d like to introduce you to Yev Rosso.
Hi Yev, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m YEV, a Ukrainian-American singer-songwriter based in Minnesota. I make cinematic alt-rock inflected with folk, blues, and vintage-pop, drawing on refugee and veteran stories and my own immigrant path to write about loss, resilience, and stubborn hope.
I was born in Ukraine and raised in the Twin Cities. Music and art gave me a language before I had the words; they taught me to sing what I couldn’t yet say. I came to love American music and culture, which shape my work while I stay closely connected to my Ukrainian roots. When war began in Ukraine, my purpose sharpened. I stopped blending in and wrote from the life I knew: immigrant stories and the work of starting over. During the 2023–24 Cedar Commissions I interviewed Ukrainian refugees and veterans, and their testimonies changed my writing. Performing the work at the Cedar Cultural Center confirmed that shift. My role became translation, not escape: carrying grief, resilience, and memory into songs people can hold.
That work ultimately led to my self-titled debut. Sonically it’s cinematic alt-folk/rock with threads of blues and vintage pop, blending my love of American music with my Ukrainian roots. We recorded in Minneapolis with producer Stephen Helvig and built a visual world around the songs: cover art by world-renowned photographer Greg Gorman and two videos I flew to Norway to film with VJUS. “Motherless Child,” shot in a Norwegian forest, is an Official Selection at the 2025 Tallgrass Film Festival. I’m grateful the album found listeners on college and community radio this summer and charted on Roots Music Report (#1 Minnesota Folk; Top 7 U.S. Alt-Folk; Top 15 U.S. Folk). Last spring we celebrated the release at Icehouse. Since then I’ve performed at local festivals, toured Kansas City and Wichita, and I have an upcoming show on December 11 at Aster Café.
The work is bigger than me. I stay involved with the local Ukrainian community through fundraisers and support where I can. Onstage I aim to offer a cathartic experience, a place where love, loss, and hope share the same breath. If a song helps someone feel less alone for three minutes, that is the compass I follow.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a straight line. I grew up between cultures and used music to bridge language and belonging. Early on I didn’t have a map for any of it, so I learned the basics one by one: writing, arranging, booking, promoting, funding on an indie budget. There were plenty of no’s before I found rooms where the songs could breathe. The industry headwinds are real too. Indie incomes are thin and attention is scattered, so I’ve leaned on the slow path—show up for my audience, play listening rooms, slowly build community, and keep the craft at the center.
The deeper challenge is carrying other people’s stories with care. During the 2023–24 Cedar Commissions I interviewed Ukrainian refugees and veterans. Their testimonies were heavy and real, and I rewrote until each lyric felt honest and respectful. Some days the weight of those stories stayed with me, so I had to learn to protect my mental health while staying present with the work. My path is simple: help where I can, keep showing up, and shape the room so people can breathe. If a single song brings a little relief, that keeps me moving.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Simply put, I crystallize deep emotion into songs and share them through small-room performances and online. The sound lives in a cinematic strain of alt-rock with folk, blues, and vintage-pop in the mix. I play solo electric or with a small ensemble, shaping sets that move from quiet focus to lift, with dynamic vocals and guitar at the center and the story doing the heavy lifting.
People often know me for pairing the music with strong visuals and careful production. The debut album, made in Minneapolis with producer Stephen Helvig, refined a sound I’d been building toward for years. It drew local and international press and earned college and community radio airplay nationwide this summer. I’m grateful for how warmly the work was received.
What feels distinct is the perspective I write from—an outsider looking in. I try to honor lived stories of displacement and the uncertainty many of us feel now. If someone leaves feeling understood, even a little, then the work did what it was meant to do.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Thanks for reading and for supporting Minnesota arts. If the story resonates, you can hear the debut album, watch the “Motherless Child” and “Witness” videos on YouTube, and join the mailing list for show news at yevmusic.com. My next hometown date is Aster Café, Thu Dec 11, 8–10 pm, then I’m headed to play Big Turn Music Fest in February.
I’m booking listening-room shows across the Midwest and often partner with Stand With Ukraine MN; if you run a venue, arts space, or nonprofit and want to collaborate, I’d love to connect. Grateful to producer Stephen Helvig, photographer Greg Gorman, the VJUS film team in Norway, and Krista Vilinskis—and thanks to VoyageMinnesota for the conversation. I also make small, useful merch in my home workshop to help keep the project sustainable (available at yevmusic.com). Mostly, I hope the songs give you a little room to breathe; if a line lingers with you after the last note, that’s a win.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yevmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yevmusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yevmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/yevmusic
- Other: https://www.exploretock.com/astercafe/detail/578224/thursday-121125-yev-20-cover
