Alina Simone and the Songs of Yanka

Russian poet and songwriter Yana Dyagileva – or simply Yanka, as she was better known—had a music career that only ran four years. But her songs had a lasting impact on the Russian underground music scene. She gained a following as her tapes were passed around hand-to-hand below the radar of authorities in the late 1980s and early 1990s. But as the Soviet Union began to fall apart, so did Yanka’s personal life. She moved back to her family’s home in Siberia and isolated herself from the rest of the world. She was 24 years old when she went missing one spring day; A week later, her body was found in a nearby river.

Her music lives on, though, most recently through the voice of artist Alina Simone. Alina has released a full album of Yanka cover songs, and the new record is developing a following of its own. It’s called “Everyone is Crying Out to Me, Beware”, and Alina joins us live on Word of Mouth to discuss it.