Bulgarian Musician Gueorgui Linev Praised for Band Kan Wakan's Promising Start

The incredible story of a young Bulgarian musician who moved to the US as a child, later resettled in the UK and is now pursuing fame as a musician in the band Kan Wakan is featured in US's LA Weekly issue.

The band's name could be translated as ''interstellar'' in Tagalog and ''sun dance'' in the language of the Native American tribe Lakota. 

“I want to make other people cry at my music,” Gueorgui Linev said in an interview for the media. “It’s very dramatic.”

His journey started in Bulgaria, at the time when the democratic changes in the country were just taking place, and as many locals might remember, people had to queue up early in the morning to get bread and food for their families on account of the massive inflation and currency devaluation.

His family suffered turmoil as his mother and father divorced merely a year after he was born, thirty years ago. They had met at the Sofia Art Academy and were living in Bulgaria.

However, soon after the divorce took effect, Gueorgui and his mother emigrated to the US and settled in Sun Valley, Idaho.

“It was a massive culture shock,” says Linev, remembering his first impressions. “I didn’t know anything about anything and wasn’t into any of it.”

Called ''the mastermind behind the cinematic orchestral band Kan Wakan'', the Bulgarian didn't have an easy journey into the world of art.

As a high school student, he started playing soccer but soon had to abandon the dream because of a rare form of cancer. At that time, in his words, his interest and fascination in music developed.

Linev started playing guitar as he was undergoing chemotherapy and soon became obsessed with Stevie Ray Vaughan. The inspiration never faded, even as he started pre-med courses in college, but soon abandoned them to pursue a musical career in LA.

“I had to do something else, and all that made me happy was music,” he explained.

His journey took him to England where Kan Wakan was formed in 2010. The songs started flowing two years later, but led to a contract with Universal's sub-company Verve Music Group.

Often compared in sound and emotion to Portishead, Mazzy Star, the Cinematic Orchestra and even Alt J.

Linev himself and guitarist and producer Peter Potyondy (the band’s only other full-time member aside from Linev), as well as guest vocalist Kristianne Bautista and drummer Joey Waronker create contemporary music, entwining trip-hop, experimental minimalism and symphonic elements.

The full article is available here.

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