Pink Floyd Raise £500,000 For Ukraine With Charity Single
Pink Floyd have revealed that their recent benefit single Hey Hey Rise Up has raised £500,000 for humanitarian charities aiding those affected by the ongoing Russian-Ukraine war.
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Hey Hey Rise Up was released back in April and was Pink Floyd’s first new song in nearly three decades. At the time, guitarist David Gilmour – who has a Ukrainian family and had already spoken out against the war – said the track was recorded urgently as a show of solidarity to those fighting against Russia’s invading military.
“We, like so many, have been feeling the fury and the frustration of this vile act of an independent, peaceful democratic country being invaded and having its people murdered by one of the world’s major powers,” Gilmour said in a press statement.
“I hope it will receive wide support and publicity,” Gilmour continued. We want to raise funds for humanitarian charities, and raise morale. We want express our support for Ukraine and in that way, show that most of the world thinks that it is totally wrong for a superpower to invade the independent democratic country that Ukraine has become.”
In a statement shared on Christmas Eve, the band confirmed that £450,000 came from single sales and streaming revenue, while the remaining £50,000 was contributed by Gilmour and bandmate Nick Mason.
The money, they wrote, will be distributed between five humanitarian charities: Hospitallers, The Kharkiv And Przemyśl Project, Vostok SOS, Kyiv Volunteer and Livyj Bereh.
The band also encouraged fans to keep supporting those in need, writing alongside a link to a page of resources: “Let’s see what else we can do this winter… It would be great if you feel able to contribute to any of these charities directly.”
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