Tina Karol – Ukraine's Help and Voice

Tina Karol – Ukraine's Help and Voice
People's Artist of Ukraine Tina Karol gave a charity concert in New York at the Oceana Theatre, dedicated to Ukraine's Independence Day.
Before the singer's performance, seriously injured people took to the stage to thank Tina Karol and everyone who is helping Ukraine.
A charity auction was held before the concert. The funds raised included funds for prosthetics and drones, as well as for the seriously injured.
The stage was filled with very young men, around twenty years old. Some had lost an arm in the war, others a leg. Among them was a man, a father of six, who, after being seriously wounded, was confined to a wheelchair.
Before us were people who still had a long life ahead of them, raising children, working, loving... But the war changed their bodies and destinies.
The auction was not an easy one. Among the lots was, among others, a Ukrainian flag signed by former Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhny. Some lots failed to generate the expected interest, despite the presence of many Ukrainians now living in New York.
And suddenly, another lot was announced: "Two thousand dollars – for a company that makes drones." Tina Karol herself purchased the lot for $2,000. It's moments like these that are especially memorable.
For Tina Karol, charity work isn't a random part of her career. She doesn't just sing, speak out, and do a lot for people.
In 2014, Tina Karol founded the "Pole of Attraction" charitable foundation to support children's oncology departments in Ukraine. In its early years, the foundation's work was financed exclusively by the singer's personal funds. Today, the foundation continues to support children's oncology departments, assisting with the purchase of equipment and medications. Thanks to this work, dozens of oncology departments in Ukraine and thousands of children have received assistance.
This is an important part of her biography. Behind her beautiful stage image—a statuesque beauty with luxurious hair and a stunning voice—lies many years of hard work and the difficult life of a woman and mother, raising her son alone after losing her husband early in life, and this year, her mother, too.
Before the concert, Tina spoke about her difficult journey to New York. According to her, the trip took about 24 hours. Due to heavy rain in New York, the plane landed in Chicago, and her luggage was lost and delivered almost just before the show began.
But the singer said she would have gone on stage anyway—even in the tracksuit she'd been wearing on the flight. And, of course, she went out in a beautiful dress.
Tina sang for the audience for almost two hours - without pause or intermission, with great energy, to applause and with a lot of flowers.
The program featured songs in Ukrainian. And that evening, Ukrainian was more than just the language of song. It was the language of culture, dignity, and freedom.
And then something happened that couldn't have been planned. A little girl brought Tina a toy bunny. The singer took the gift, hugged the girl, held her close, and kissed her.
At that moment, before us was no longer the famous diva and People's Artist of Ukraine, but simply a woman tenderly embracing a child as if it were her own. And the audience saw another side of this great star.
Tina Karol was the soloist of a military ensemble for seven years. Today, she continues to work hard and support Ukrainians with her art—performing for the wounded and service members, for people in difficult circumstances, including those sheltering from the subway bombings. She sings where hope is most needed.
During the New York concert, a moment of silence was observed. Tina remembered those who could not be in the concert hall today: the wounded in hospitals, the people in bomb shelters, and the soldiers defending Ukraine.
I've been to every one of Tina Karol's concerts in New York. For me, Tina has always been and remains a true star. Not just because she has a beautiful, powerful voice and an amazing figure. But because behind her stage persona, she's a woman, a mother, a patriot who loves her country and continues to help people, turning her art into an opportunity to help others.
And to feel the power of this art, you don't have to be Ukrainian. It's enough to be someone capable of empathy.
Music sometimes speaks far more powerfully than news reports and political speeches. It has the power to shatter indifference, unite people with shared feelings, and remind them that evil cannot be accepted as normal.
Music can't stop a rocket. But it can awaken conscience, compassion, and a desire to help.
I sat in the Oceana Theatre and thought about the patriots, about my brothers in Kharkiv and Kyiv, about my loved ones, about the people who continue to live and work under the sound of sirens. I thought about the volunteers who carried water to sick people in Kharkiv during the icy conditions this winter. About the teachers who teach lessons underground in the Kharkiv metro. About the rescuers. About the doctors. About the mothers who cry and pray for their children, not wanting them to be taken away to war. And about the musicians who take the stage and let the world hear the voice of their country.
That evening, it was especially clear: this wasn't just a concert program. This was Ukraine—through the eyes and hearts of those who, through their art, tell the world about their country, uniting people and helping others.
Marina Lagunova