8Kays

Iryna Shvydka, known professionally as 8Kays, has carved out a distinctive place in electronic music by refusing to stay within a single genre. Hailing from Kyiv, Ukraine, and now based between Kyiv and Berlin, she builds tracks that balance melodic depth with an insistent groove, often sketching ideas around vocal parts and new synthesizers in her home studio. Her sound has resonated far beyond Ukraine’s capital, with her music heard everywhere from Kyiv’s clubs to major international stages.

Her catalogue spans releases on some of electronic music’s most respected imprints, including Renaissance Records, Booka Shade’s Blaufield Music, Above & Beyond’s Anjunabeats, Oliver Koletzki’s Stil Vor Talent, Yotto’s Odd One Out, and Eleatics. Her 2019 Eleatics release “Dance Alone” alongside Tone of Arc arrived with remixes from Alex Niggemann and Olivier Giacomotto, and she later delivered the four-part “Respect Me / Young Souls” EP. She has also produced remixes for Berlin-based Booka Shade and Joplyn.

Her reputation earned her a place on Schiller, the German electronic act that has sold over seven million albums worldwide and won the 2002 ECHO award for Best Dance Single, where 8Kays contributed vocals among a guest roster that includes Sarah Brightman, Peter Heppner, and Nena. Her music has carried her to festivals such as Tomorrowland, Untold, and Burning Man, and she continues to chase new sound landscapes on her own terms, guided by mood and instinct rather than genre boundaries.