Two weeks ago, seven-year-old Amellia Anisovych was hiding in a bomb shelter in Kyiv, Ukraine, singing “Let it go” from Disney’s Frozen. On Sunday, she was safe in Poland, singing once again, this time in an arena in front of thousands of people for a charity concert in support of Ukraine.
Amellia, whose heartfelt rendition of the Disney song — about strength and defiance — in the bunker was seen and heard by millions around the world, was asked to sing the Ukrainian national anthem at Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland.
Thousands of cell phone lights lit the arena in solidarity as she sang, “The glory and freedom of Ukraine has not yet perished.”
The little girl told the BBC that she practiced every day “morning, afternoon and evening,” and that singing was always her dream.
Forced to flee her home, she is now in Poland with her grandmother and siblings, away from the bombing and shelling that continues relentlessly.
Over the weekend, a shopping centre in Kyiv was attacked, killing at least eight people and leaving behind wreckage that spread over hundreds of metres. Her parents stayed behind in Kyiv to fight.
For the millions who heard her sing in the bomb shelter, Amellia has come to symbolize the extraordinary resilience of the children of Ukraine.
Indina Menzel, who voiced Elsa, the Frozen character who sings “Let it go”, tweeted, “We see you. We really, really see you.”
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