Ukrainian Children’s Choir Reach 35M Views With Beautiful “You Raise Me Up” Cover

Against the terrible news emerging from the war in Ukraine, the COLOR MUSIC children’s choir is a reminder of the country’s beauty, talent and spirit. The Dnipro-based ensemble drew worldwide attention with its rendition of “You Raise Me Up,” which reached 35 million views on YouTube.

The choir accompanied the performance with an urgent statement about the conflict. Its members said all the singers were born in Ukraine and still live there as civilians and children are dying. They explained that fear and grief had erased the children’s smiles and made it impossible to continue creating uplifting music and videos, then appealed for the world to support Ukraine, stop the aggressor and oppose the war.

Olena and Oleksandr Petrykov founded COLOR MUSIC as part of a program that helps children develop vocal and wider musical abilities. The students are taught to read music, manage their breathing and record in a studio. According to the choir’s website, the directors believe every child is talented and have spent years cultivating those gifts, fostering a love of music and guiding children through creativity and inspiration.

That philosophy is reflected across the group’s YouTube channel. Over seven years, COLOR MUSIC featured numerous young performers in Ukrainian songs and covers of international hits. The channel also introduced Ilya, a young boy described as a budding Elton John. Its videos show how much the children enjoy performing, and the group’s online audience grew to 1.16 million subscribers.

Watch the full performance on page two