When Kasey Cisyk's American husband asked her to play him some Ukrainian songs, she faced a dilemma because there were no Ukrainian records available in the USA. 

It dawned on her that she would have to record an album herself.

In the 1970s, a singer from a family of Ukrainian immigrants achieved stardom in jingles through diligent work. One of Cisyk’s songs even won an Oscar. When Kasey Cisyk embarked on promoting the Ukrainian culture, it did not make her any profit. Just the contrary, recording of two Ukrainian-language albums cost her nearly $200,000. However, Cisyk considered it essential to convey the depth and emotional power of the Ukrainian music to Americans.

Kvitka (Kvitoslava) Cisyk, or Kasey as she was known in the USA, was born in 1953 in Queens, one of the most ethnically diverse boroughs of New York City. Her family left Ukraine, fleeing first from the war and then from the Soviet authorities. Kasey’s father, Volodymyr Cisyk, was a concertmaster at the Lviv Opera Theatre. 

The Cisyk family valued traditions: they spoke Ukrainian at home, sent their children to the Ukrainian Studies School and the Ukrainian Scouting Organization “Plast”.

The girl learned to play the violin when she was five years old. Young Kasey Cisyk hoped to build a career as an opera singer, but her father’s early death left the family without a source of income. So she started performing in clubs and sending her recordings to advertising agencies in hope to be noticed by the producers. And her efforts paid off. Soon, she was recording jingles for Burger King, American Airlines, Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s. She was also the official voice of Ford Motors for 16 years. 

The soundtrack for the movie “You Light Up My Life,” recorded by Kasey, won an Oscar.

In the 1980s, Cisyk recorded two albums: Kvitka featured Ukrainian folk songs, and Two Colors included Ukrainian folk and contemporary love songs. 

She spared no expense in ensuring high sound quality, collaborated with exceptional musicians, and meticulously perfected her pronunciation. Kasey Cisyk chose the songs for the first album together with her mother and sister. While both albums gained popularity among Ukrainian emigrants, listening to them in Ukraine posed risks.

Kasey Cisyk’s self-funded song records helped to “stir up” the Ukrainian diaspora. 

In 1988, at the Ukrainian music festival in Canada, artists were celebrated for their contribution to contemporary Ukrainian music, and Kasey Cisyk received four awards. Ukrainian songs that immigrant parents used to sing back home have never been presented with such high quality and performance before.

The singer wanted to come to Ukraine for a concert after the country gained independence, but this plan never came to fruition. She passed away from cancer at the age of 44.