“It can be stated that the duo’s music is an ode, a cycle of songs that influence the mind and the soul like tales told by the fire in a dark and stormy night.” – Bulgarian Musical Association
KsANa began their journey in 2018 when their love for pagan folk music led them to join forces and start performing various folk songs at fantasy, antiquity, and medieval festivals.
Their experience throughout the years led them to create their first original musical pieces, themes such as witch hunts, the desolation of Bulgarian villages and encounters with mythical beings haunting a big portion of their creative process.
In 2020, they released the “Thracian Lands” EP. The three songs carry the ancient sounds and moods of tribes who once walked the mystical Rhodope mountains.
In late 2024, they released their first official album titled ORPHIC, most of its songs carrying the beauty of the Bulgarian musical heritage that intertwines with some Celtic and other various Balkan elements.
Klavdiya Kitanova, the voice of KsANa, is responsible for creating vocal soundscapes with loving emotion directed towards the live audience. The inner journeys and trials of life ascend pagan folk into something greater, a raw kind of mysticism for the soul which translates into her singing.
She has also worked with the Slavic Affairs YouTube channel, providing her voice for songs like “Devana”, “Domovina”, and “Balalaika”.
In October 2024, KsANa presented their first album ORPHIC in Sofia, Bulgaria in front of a full venue, joined on stage by names such as Darina Zlatkova and Peter Todorov (IRFAN) and Nikola Petrov (Eriney).
“Something ancient stalks KsANa’s music, something that awakens for a new life; something that is so hypnotic that it seems and feels as if it has no end, not truly. There is no doubt that their performance in both Bulgarian and English is beyond convincing, but we must also note the atmosphere these two musicians manage to create on stage. Half of what makes a successful show is the performer’s ability to guide the audience into their inner emotional system where every listener is being initiated into the sacred mystery of creativity. This closeness to Source is key for KsANa, and all the atavistic impulses carry the frequency of a truly authentic cultural wave.
It can be stated that the duo’s music is an ode, a cycle of songs that influence the mind and the soul like tales told by the fire in a dark and stormy night. The musical stories of KsANa reflect on pagan rituals devoted to Mother Earth, and this core theme is what defines their main sound. If there is any sense of gloomy romance when we think about the end of the world, it is KsANa’s music that would be the best possible soundtrack to it. It is also very likely it would have been the soundtrack of the beginning of all.”
Bulgarian Musical Association