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Glasgow singer-songwriter to release song on plight of Ukrainians on anniversary of Russian invasion

Singer-songwriter, Robert Severin.
Singer-songwriter, Robert Severin.

A Glasgow singer-songwriter has written a song inspired by the war in Ukraine, to be released on February 24, the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Robert Severin’s new single, Elena, is inspired by the story of an older Ukrainian woman who sought refuge in the Netherlands.

The song’s lyricist, Dutch poet Linda de Bruijn, was moved to write about Elena’s story after hearing about her experiences from friends that had sponsored Elena’s settlement in the country.

The emotive and thought-provoking track describes how 63-year-old Elena flees her war-torn country with nothing but a plastic bag full of her remaining possessions and a one-way bus ticket.

The experience of Robert’s own family history played a significant role in inspiring Robert to tell this story and sing about the plight of refugees in protest against the war in Ukraine.

His parents fled Hungary in 1956 when the Soviet Union invaded the country. They were granted refuge in the Scottish Borders, where they met and married, before settling in London where Robert was born.

Severin’s debut album, Postcard from Budapest, was released in February 2020 and named Celtic Music Radio’s Album of the Week. It explored the legacy of his Hungarian heritage and its connections to Scotland, his home of twenty-five years.

Severin said: “When Linda showed me her lyrics, I knew I had set them to music, and the melody came very quickly. The subject resonates so strongly with me because my parents were also refugees – they fled Hungary when the Soviet Union invaded the country after the uprising in November 1956.

“They made their separate ways out of Hungary, meeting at a refugee centre in West Linton, in the Scottish Borders, in mid-December 1956 and married three weeks later. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with no justification is indefensible. I wanted to record this single to protest against the tragedy and suffering of the innocent caused by the horrors of war.”

Elena will be available to download and stream on all usual platforms on Friday February 24. 

https://robertseverin.com