MIAMI — Minutes before taking the stage, Tina Karol, sparkling in a blue-and-yellow ombre dress, was presented with a gift from a young admirer: a matching homemade bracelet with beads that spell out her name.
She smiled, and hastily wrapped the bracelet around her wrist. She then rushed into a curtain, the crowd roaring as smoke filled the stage. Some even wiped away their tears as Karol began the show.
Karol, a well-known Ukrainian singer, is an artist, actress and show presenter. She’s also a philanthropist and the founder of a nonprofit called The Pole of Attraction. She rose to prominence in 2006, when she represented Ukraine on the Eurovision talent show.
The Sunday night concert at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, attended by about 500 people, was organized by Florida for Ukraine and Resilence Entertainment, a company that organizes tours for Ukrainian artists. Most of the proceeds will be donated to Gate to Ukraine, an organization that supports women, children and the needy in Ukraine.
The South Florida stop is part of Karol’s North America charity tour, which began in late September. A few hours after the show, several explosions rocked Kyiv, the first apparent missile strikes on the Ukrainian capital in several months that could mark an intensification of Russia’s attack on the country.
Before Karol took to the stage, Kostia Lukyniuk, a famous Ukrainian violist, opened the show with a performance that combined his talent with dance. At one point, a woman joined him and sang the Ukrainian national anthem.
As attendees swayed to the song, some waved Ukrainian flags. Many wore a vyshyvanka, a traditional embroidered shirt that varies from province to province, or combined yellow and blue in their outfits. A group of little girls carried sunflower bouquets as they waddled to their table.
Everyone eagerly awaited the performance by the “golden voice of Ukraine.” Karina Moisieieva, 25, remembers Karol’s music being a household staple through her childhood.
And now, Karol’s music is a weapon. She told the Miami Herald she views it as a soft power, a force of resistance in the almost year-long conflict.
Her tour, she said, is also an opportunity to share Ukrainian culture abroad.
“It’s important to show how beautiful our culture is,” she said. “It’s important to unite our people shoulder to shoulder.”
Karol, who still lives in Ukraine, believes her tour will bring unity at a time when it’s needed the most.
“When we are together, [the world will] feel that we’re a strong nation,” she said. “This is an important message for Ukrainians. Nobody can touch our land, no one can touch our language, and of course, our country.”
———
