Eugene Hütz
Eugene Hütz (lang; born Yevhen Oleksandrovych Nikolaiev-Symonov, September 6, 1972) is a Ukrainian-American singer, composer, disc jockey and actor, most notable as the frontman of the Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello.
Also recorded as Yevhen Hudz · Yevhen Oleksandrovych Nikolaiev-Symonov
Eugene Hütz

Montclair Film · CC BY 2.0
- Name
- Eugene Hütz
- Birth Name
- Yevhen Oleksandrovych Nikolaiev-Symonov
- Born
- 6 September 1972
- Birthplace
- Boyarka, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
- Full name
- Євген Олександрович Ніколаєв-Симонов.
- Nationality
- United States and Ukraine.
- Occupation
- actor, disc jockey, singer, guitarist, social activist, composer and musician.
- Fields
- Gypsy punk.
- Languages
- English.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Eugene Hütz (lang; born Yevhen Oleksandrovych Nikolaiev-Symonov, September 6, 1972) is a Ukrainian-American singer, composer, disc jockey and actor, most notable as the frontman of the Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Eugene Hütz (born 1972) is an Ukrainian and American actor, composer and disc jockey, among other activities. The actor was born Євген Олександрович Ніколаєв-Симонов in Boyarka.
Genres include Gypsy punk. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Eugene Hütz • Native Name — Євген Гудзь • Birth Name — Yevhen Oleksandrovych Nikolaiev-Symonov • Born — 6 September 1972 • Birthplace — Boyarka, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union • Instrument — Guitar, vocals, fire bucket • Genre — Gypsy punk • Years Active — 1999–present
Early life
Early life
Hütz was born in Boyarka, to a Ukrainian-Lithuanian father, a butcher by profession, and a Ukrainian mother who was of half Servitka Roma ancestry. His father also played guitar in one of Ukraine's first rock bands, Meridian. When Eugene was 14, he and his father made his first guitar of plywood, his first distortion pedals out of radio parts, and his first drum set from large metal fish cans, skinned with layers of Scotch tape. Hütz learned English through his musical "mentors" because, as he put it, "Russian rock always had lyrics that were superb and more advanced than the original Western rock 'n' roll, I think. Of course, Western rock is much stronger when it comes to performance and production, but Russian songwriters were the champions of writing lyrics. So naturally, I picked mentors who taught me how to tell a story, like Johnny Cash or Nick Cave or Leonard Cohen or Shane MacGowan from The Pogues. I learned English through my mentors. I feel like they are kind of my uncles in this sense." Hütz's transition into an American singer was a long journey through Poland, Hungary, Austria and Italy. Descendants of the Romani called the Servo Roma (a tribe known for its blacksmiths, horsetraders and musicians), Hütz and his family fled their hometown after hearing of the Chernobyl meltdown. They spent seven years trekking through Eastern European refugee camps before settling in the US. While living in Kyiv, Hütz's parents hid their Roma ancestry, and it was during this journey that Hütz was introduced to his roots. They visited the village his family came from, and his relatives introduced him to the essential foods and music of their culture. Hütz's Roma/Ukrainian background provides his central inspiration, influencing his lifestyle and the music of his band Gogol Bordello. Hütz's connection with his cultural roots is not without controversy, however, and he is seen as a polarizing figure among international Romani rights activists due to stereotypical displays of Romani culture. Hütz arrived in Vermont in 1992 as a political refugee through a resettlement program with his mother, father and cousin Yosef.
Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello
Hütz started his musical career in Ukraine with the band Uksusnik (Vinegar Tap). While in Vermont, Hütz formed the punk band The Fags. He later moved to New York and took on his mother's German maiden name of Hütz. In New York, he met the future members of Gogol Bordello, including violinist Sergey Ryabtsev, accordionist Yuri Lemeshev, guitarist Oren Kaplan, drummer Eliot Ferguson and dancers Pam Racine and Elizabeth Sun. He first called the band "Hutz and the Bela Bartoks", but changed it after realizing that "nobody knows who the hell Béla Bartók is in the United States." • Illustration — Hütz performing with Gogol Bordello in 2005 In 1999, Gogol Bordello released their debut full-length Voi-La Intruder, produced by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds drummer Jim Sclavunos. In September 2002 the band released their second album Multi Kontra Culti vs. Irony. In 2005 the band released the E.P. East Infection followed later that year by the SideOneDummy debut Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike, recorded by Steve Albini. Gogol Bordello's next offering, Super Taranta! (produced by Victor Van Vugt) became one of their most critically acclaimed releases with music critic Robert Christgau calling Gogol Bordello "the world's most visionary band." Their next album, Trans-Continental Hustle, was released on April 27, 2010, and the LP on May 11, 2010. The band's sixth studio album, Pura Vida Conspiracy, was released in 2013, followed by their seventh, Seekers and Finders, in 2017, followed by their eighth, Solidaritine in 2022, and most recently, their ninth, We Mean It, Man! in 2026. Gogol Bordello's live shows and Hütz's stage presence have earned them invitations to places such as The Whitney Museum in New York, The Tate Modern in London and the Venice Biennale in Italy. Gogol Bordello has played events such as Riot Fest, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Roskilde Festival, Reading, Virgin Mobile Fest, Leeds, Bumbershoot, Austin City Limits Music Festival, Byron Bay Bluesfest and A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise.
Other projects
Other projects
• Illustration — Eugene Hütz DJing at Tropicalia in Washington, DC on December 28, 2013 In New York Hütz made a name for himself as a DJ with a style best represented on his experimental side project J.U.F. (Jüdisch-Ukrainische Freundschaft) and a newer incarnation, MITITIKA. He has also performed and recorded with the Kolpakov Trio. In the early-2000s, he was a regular DJ at Mehanata, an East European-influenced nightspot in Manhattan better known as Bulgarian Bar. Gogol Bordello played some of its earliest shows there, and the bar was the hub of the city's nascent gypsy punk scene. "I was a Ukrainian D.J. spinning Gypsy records in a bar in Chinatown,” Hütz said. “It doesn’t get more New York City than that.” Hütz made his film debut in the 2005 film Everything Is Illuminated, playing the character Alex. In addition to his film role, Hütz wrote and performed (as part of Gogol Bordello) some of the music for the film's soundtrack. Several Gogol Bordello members made cameo appearances in various roles in the movie. Hütz is the subject of the 2006 documentary, The Pied Piper of Hützovina. Directed by Pavla Fleischer, the film chronicles Hütz's annual trip across Ukraine and Eastern Europe exploring his musical and cultural roots. Hütz played the lead character in Filth and Wisdom, a 2008 film that marked Madonna’s directorial debut. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 13, 2008. Hütz wrote the introduction for the Subculture Books edition of Taras Bulba, released in December 2008. Hütz has worked with Les Claypool on various projects, including his performance on Claypool's album Of Fungi and Foe (on the track "Bite Out of Life"). Hütz appeared on the cover of the May 2013 issue of the Ukraine edition of Vogue, with Estonian model Kätlin Aas. In November 2023 started his own label Casa Gogol and announced the first two signees - punk group Puzzled Panther and singer-songwriter Grace Bergere. In 2024 took part in recording of Puzzled Panther's self-titled EP as producer and musician.
Personal life
Personal life
In October 2008, Hütz told the LA Weekly that he had moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In November 2009, he told Página/12 that he had moved to São Paulo.
Filmography
Filmography
* • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2004 — Kill Your Idols — Himself • Kill Your Darlings — The Prince — Short film • 2005 — Everything Is Illuminated — Alex • 2006 — The Pied Piper of Hützovina — Himself • 2008 — Gogol Bordello Non-Stop — Himself • Filth and Wisdom — A.K. • 2012 — Let Fury Have the Hour — Himself • 2023 — Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story — Himself *
Eugene Hütz with Gogol Bordello Live @ Pisa Italy 17/07/2010.

Gogol Bordello frontman atacando de DJ na festa Go East no Cine Lapa
Alex Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brasil · Eugene Hütz
Influence
In the 2006 movie Wristcutters: A Love Story, the character of Eugene (played by Shea Whigham) is based on Hütz. Several of Hütz's songs are featured in the film. Hütz was also the inspiration for the character Evgeni (played by Oscar Isaac) in Madonna's film W.E. In the January 2008 Gucci menswear show in Milan, Hütz was cited as the key inspiration for the collection.
Primary material
Documents and archives
institutional register
- Bibliothèque nationale de France authority file 16509167k
Unverified · Bibliothèque nationale de France
- Discogs authority file 402283
Unverified · Discogs
- FAST authority file 1958248
Unverified · FAST
- GND (German National Library) authority file 141557915
Unverified · GND (German National Library)
- ISNI authority file 0000000119369738
Unverified · ISNI
- Library of Congress authority file no2007038491
Unverified · Library of Congress
reference work
- “Eugene Hütz”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Eugene Hütz | Gogol Bordello.
- 2.Interview: Eugene Hütz, the moustachioed-gypsy-rocker. The Independent. July 13, 2007.
- 3.Euro clash. The Sydney Morning Herald. December 10, 2005.
- 4.A Man, a Band, a War: Eugene Hütz Speaks His Mind. May 25, 2022.
- 5.Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello: An interview and a spiritual experience. Jankysmooth.com. October 28, 2014.
- 6.Kravtsova, Yekaterina. Gogol Bordello unplugged: The kings of gypsy punk return to the city for an acoustic gig at Glavclub next week. The St. Petersburg Times. November 16, 2011.
- 7.Christgau, Reviewer Robert. Eugene Hutz, Gogol Bordello's Gypsy Punk Hero. NPR.org. August 15, 2007.
- 8.Silverman, Carol. Romani Routes: Cultural Politics and Balkan Music in Diaspora. Oxford University Press. 287. 2012. 9780199358847.
- 9.Interview:Hutz-pah. Seven Days. July 27, 2005.
- 10.http://music.msn.com/music/consumerguide/dec07 Inside Music: Consumer Guide
- 11.Gogol Bordello | Shop the Gogol Bordello Official Store. Gogolbordello.shop.musictoday.com.
- 12.Kurutz, Steven. Sweaty Artists, Wild Dancing; There’s a Problem?. The New York Times. 2006-08-13. 0362-4331.
- 13.Perry, Kevin. Eugene Hütz interview about The Pied Piper of Hützovina. The Beaver. January 30, 2007.
- 14.Gogolʹ, Nikolaĭ Vasilʹevich. Taras Bulba. Subculture Books Classics. September 17, 2008. 298858570.
- 15.Elu24/Postimees. Ukraina Vogue'i esikaanel poseerib Eesti kaunitar. April 23, 2013.
- 16."Gogol Bordello Launches New Label With Benefit Single for Ukraine". Rolling Stone. November 27, 2023.
- 17."Puzzled Panther Announces EP Release Show".
- 18.Van Sant, Gus. Madonna: An Interview. Interview. May 2010.
- 19.Freeman, Hadley. How a Gypsy punk inspired a whole new catwalk look. The Guardian. January 17, 2008.
- 20.Los Angeles - Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hutz Talks Festivals, Filth and Wisdom - Play - LA Weekly.
- 21.Página/12 :: no. Pagina12.com.ar.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
institutional register
Bibliothèque nationale de France authority file 16509167kBibliothèque nationale de France
Partially resolvedinstitutional register
Partially resolvedinstitutional register
Partially resolvedinstitutional register
GND (German National Library) authority file 141557915GND (German National Library)
Partially resolvedinstitutional register
Partially resolvedinstitutional register
Library of Congress authority file no2007038491Library of Congress
Partially resolvedinstitutional register
Partially resolvedinstitutional register
Partially resolved
Every cited source · 10
- 01
Bibliothèque nationale de France authority file 16509167k
institutional register · Unverified · Bibliothèque nationale de France
Consult the source - 02
- 03
- 04
GND (German National Library) authority file 141557915
institutional register · Unverified · GND (German National Library)
Consult the source - 05
- 06
Library of Congress authority file no2007038491
institutional register · Unverified · Library of Congress
Consult the source - 07
- 08
- 09
“Eugene Hütz”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
reference work · Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Consult the source - 10
Wikidata, structured authority record Q535444: Eugene Hütz
institutional register · Unverified · Wikimedia Foundation
Consult the source
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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