Washington DC, USA-based pop singer songwriter Kelsie Kimberlin has been captivating us of late with her series of tracks and videos on Putin’s war in the Ukraine. Of American-Ukrainian descent, Kelsie has been using her music to draw attention to the conflict and fight back in the only way she can. Her latest challenges authoritarianism in all forms and it’s called We Are The Promise.

By Graeme Smith

Originally conceived in 2017, Kelsie had worked with composer and film director Sergiy Krutsenko, before his untimely death in January last year, to give the track a sense of the epic and cinematic. Backed by the Kyiv Radio Symphony Orchestra, Kelsie celebrates not only Sergiy, but all those who stand up to autocrats with her charactertically expressive vocals and gripping lyrical storytelling. With nods to classic rock, it’s perhaps her best track yet.

The video was shot in a former Soviet prison, an ancient castle and other iconic places in the Ukraine. You can check it out below.

And for all the latest underground pop, be sure to follow our That’s Where You’ll Find Me playlist on Spotify.