KETU have reached the finals of Battle of The Folk Bands 2026. The competition will be held at Celtic Connections on January 18th in the Drygate Brewery at 1pm. Why not come along and join in the fun? You can buy tickets here.
We asked Ewa of KETU a few questions about the band.
Tell us about your band
We are five musicians based in Scotland, each carrying sounds, rhythms, and stories from around the world — we span India, Lebanon, Spain, Poland, Russia, Scotland, America.
KETU began as a simple idea shared between friends – a celebration of our cultures – through music. Our vision and sound grew naturally out of friendship and curiosity — from Indian ragas meeting Scottish fiddle tunes, to Middle Eastern melodies intertwining with jazz harmony and West African rhythms. We have been creating music together for just under two years, we have appeared live a handful of times – and we are very excited to record our debut album in 2026.
We stand for respect, collaboration, and a deep love for cultural exchange through sound. The name KETU comes from ancient Sanskrit — a word associated with spiritual awakening, transformation, and the crossing of paths. It reflects what we’re trying to do: to create music that connects, respects, and celebrates our differences as much as our shared humanity.
Who are the band members
Anita Klementiev (Viola) – born in Russia and raised in USA – embraces Scottish and Irish traditional music on the viola and banjo, and for the last 10 years since moving to Edinburgh she has co-run the Uni of Edinburgh Folk Music society, hosted regular sessions all over town, played a million ceilidhs, and is currently on the committee of the Edinburgh Comhaltas, promoting Irish traditional music across the UK.
Elias Kanaan (Bass) – Elio blends his Lebanese roots with West African rhythms, currently running the Uni of Edinburgh West African Drum & Dance society and performing and composing with Marafiki, a West and East African fusion band.
Adrian Dona Mateo (Piano) – Adrian is our Spanish secret weapon, classically trained, jazz inspired, mathematical chord and polyrhythm genius, currently wrapping up his PhD in Mathematics – which can be heard in some of the rhythm crossovers he plays. In many ways he is the welder of the band – using classical and jazz piano to fuse the surrounding sound chaos together.
Manav Singh (Tabla) – Manav’s passion is Tabla, a North Indian Classical instrument played preodminantly in Indian classical music settings. He shares with us a depth of knowledge about Indian Classical rhythms and structures. He has also touched West African music for many years, and is very open to fusion sounds, currently also composing and performing with Prana – South/East Asian music ensemble.
Ewa Adamiec (Sitar & Guitar) – Ewa’s passion is learning music and instruments from world-wide cultures, believing this is a tool to truly understand people and society. Since moving to Scotland she has immersed herself in Scottish traditional music, playing guitar, fiddle and percussion (often with Anita!) in ceilidh bands, sessions, Edinburgh Folk Music Society, and emerging folk music bands (Airdan, Auchies Spikkin Auchie). She co-runs the West African Music Society with Elio, and performs on Djembe and Duns with Marafiki West/East African fusion band. She performs Indian Classical concerts on the sitar and violin with Manav, and together they also perform with Prana – a South and East Asian fusion Ensemble in Edinburgh.
What are you hopes and aspirations for the band?
Our ambition is to help shape the Scottish music scene into one that boldly embraces world and fusion music, reflecting Scotland’s role as a welcoming home for people from many cultures. We want to show audiences, through music, what a wonderful world we can create together if we respect and learn from each other.
So apart from achieving world peace and ending racism, we are also aspiring to record our debut album in 2026 and tour this around the UK and beyond. We have recently received support from Creative Scotland to compose the album (almost done), and will be sharing it in a live concert in Spring 2026 – keep an eye on our socials to catch the relevant announcements for this!
Check out the band’s website.
Battle of The Folk Bands is a Hands Up for Trad project. Read about the organisation and join our weekly Scottish music information email here.
If you would like to support the work of Hands Up for Trad you can do here.