This Eurovision, Musicians in Liverpool Donate Their Busking Spots to Help Fellow Ukrainian Artists
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine buskers have been robbed of their spots, so their music has had to go underground. But it’s not just their music that has been taken, it is also their livelihoods. So this Eurovision, Ketchum UK has created a campaign for buskers from Liverpool to give up their usual spots along the Merseyrail network to Ukrainian musicians, giving them the chance to perform for audiences and keep the conversation alive about this unjust war.
Travellers going through the four biggest stations; Liverpool Central, Lime Street, Moorfields and James Street will be able to enjoy authentic Ukrainian busking music.
Each busking spot has a speaker streaming the artists music and a QR code for passers-by to scan to find out more about the musicians' story, videos about them and to donate to the cause.
All proceeds raised will go directly to Supplies for Ukraine C.I.C., who are working to provide essential, lifesaving equipment to civilians and volunteers on the front lines in Ukraine.
There is an accompanying outdoor poster campaign across the Merseyrail network and all tracks are streamed as a playlist on Spotify.
View the campaign website here.
The Ukrainian buskers include:
Oleksandr Honcharenko
Oleksandr was in the choir that sang the anthem of Ukraine for the first time. This led him to become a traditional Ukrainian musician and inspired him to build two Ukrainian national instruments, the Lyra and the Bandura, which he plays on the streets of Kyiv.
Ivan Zamiga
Ivan is a 40 year old wheelchair user who fell in love with street music after a trip with a friend to the sea with no money but two guitars. In 2016, he decided to leave his job in the IT field and pursue his ultimate dream by completely switching to busking.
Viktoria Zabiaka
Viktoria, who is 28 years old, has been making music since the age of five. She plays a very rare Ukrainian national instrument called the Okarina. Last year, she performed multiple times internationally to raise awareness of Ukrainian culture. The war has influenced her work, and she now plays every performance like it's the last.
Khrystyna Mamon
Khrystyna is 18 years old, she has been playing the Bandura – an authentic Ukrainian instrument - for 12 years. She is a proud street performer who is keen to get the sounds of the Bandura out for the rest of the world to hear.
Ivan Zamiga
Ivan is a 40 year old wheelchair user who fell in love with street music after a trip with a friend to the sea with no money but two guitars. In 2016, he decided to leave his job in the IT field and pursue his ultimate dream by completely switching to busking.
Suzanne Grant, commercial director at Merseyrail said: “Merseyrail is honoured to be hosting this fantastic initiative to honour Ukrainian buskers.
“We’re delighted that we can provide an opportunity for these musicians to have their music heard during Eurovision, just as they would have done if Ukraine was able to host the event.
“We believe our passengers will really enjoy the music and it will help everyone celebrate the Eurovision Song Contest. We are sure our passengers will join us in giving help and support to Ukraine at this time by donating to this very worthy cause.”
Alfie Roberts, Director at Supplies for Ukraine C.I.C. added: “The ongoing war in Ukraine has robbed these incredibly talented musicians of the opportunity to share their passion and the joy of their music with the world. We are privileged in working with Merseyrail to offer them spaces that allow them to showcase their talent. We hope that through this campaign, we can raise awareness of the situation in Ukraine and the remarkable talent that is born from its people.”
Indy Selvarajah, ECD Ketchum UK: “We know that live music has the power to energise and give strength to people, especially in times of conflict. Musicians always stick together, regardless of genre, style or background, so this felt like the perfect gesture in these difficult times. We hope this is just the beginning with buskers from across the UK joining in and donating up their spots for fellow musicians in the Ukraine.”
