Earlier this month, a seven-year-old girl Ukranian named Amelia Anisovych become a beacon of positivity when a video of her singing “Let It Go” from Disney’s Frozen in a bomb shelter went viral. Now in her new temporary home of Poland, Anisovych once again restored what little faith we have left by singing her country’s national anthem in a Polish arena for a crowd of thousands on Sunday, March 20th.
Void of any detectable stage fright, Anisovych took center stage at Atlas Arena in Lodz — a city about 80 miles from Warsaw — and was immediately welcomed by a sea of phone screen “lighters” illuminating the arena. Clearly and loudly, she went into singing the Ukrainian national anthem. Its title, “Ще не вмерла України,” translates to “Ukraine has not yet perished,” a statement that rings especially true now.
Sunday’s event, “Together for Ukraine,” was organized to raise money for Polish Humanitarian Action, a nonprofit aiding the 2 million (and counting) Ukrainian refugees who have crossed the Polish border since Russia began their invasion in late February. According to the Associated Press, it raised $380,000 from viewers.
Watch a video of Anisovych’s performance at the concert below.
After spreading like wildfire on Twitter, the video of Anisovych singing “Let It Go” drew praise from the original Elsa herself, Idina Menzel: “We see you. We really, really see you,” the actress wrote. Also on Sunday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky personally thanked native Ukrainian Mila Kunis and her husband Ashton Kutcher for raising a whopping $35 million for refugee aid.
