VIDEO. Sting's moving duet with a Ukrainian soldier on his hit “Shape of My Heart”

The British singer and a professional musician serving in the Ukrainian army shared a touching musical moment in Los Angeles.

British rockstar Sting performed his famous song Shape of My Heart with a Ukrainian soldier, Taras Stoliar, in Los Angeles, as part of a tour of Ukrainian artists in the United States promoted by the Ukrainian military. The two musicians met at a charity evening organized in the villa of Sean Penn, who had made a documentary on the start of the war in Ukraine. Other legendary bands were present at this event, such as The Killers and Queens of the Stone Age.

In a video posted on Instagram by the Cultural Forces account, a cultural organization attached to the Ukrainian army, on Sunday December 22, we see Sting and Taras Stoliar, sitting opposite each other. The Ukrainian soldier is in military uniform and plays the bandura. This traditional Ukrainian instrument has around fifty strings attached to a large resonance box. The Ukrainian begins the melody. Sting taps his foot and snaps his fingers, before singing the first part of his song: “He deals the cards as a meditation and those he plays never suspect…”

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Taras Stoliar was a bandura soloist in the NAOFI orchestra (National academic orchestra of folk instruments of Ukraine), Cultural Forces explains in a video posted on YouTube on June 13, 2024. He was named a Ukrainian artist of the year in 2009 and has performed in concerts in more than 30 countries. The professional musician joined the Ukrainian army on February 24, 2022, as a reconnaissance drone operator and forward observer.

Like many artists, Sting quickly showed his support for Ukraine after the Russian invasion. In March 2022, the Briton regains his title Russiansin the studio, accompanied by a cellist. This 1985 song called for de-escalation in the context of the Cold War, criticizing the decisions of the belligerents and creating a parallel between civilians from the two blocs.