Julian Lennon, John Lennon’s Son, Performs “Imagine” For First Time To Honor Ukraine Victims

As part of Globel Citizen’s campaign Stand Up For Ukraine, Julian Lennon delivered a beautiful rendition of his father John Lennon’s classic song “Imagine,” which he admitted was his first performance ever of the track. Lennon sang vocals and was joined by guitarist Nuno Bettencourt for the performance.

Lennon had previously vowed to never perform “Imagine,” one of the most successful songs of all time that communicates a message of peace, humanity and togetherness in hard times. Lennon said in the YouTube description of his performance that “the only time I would ever consider singing ‘Imagine’ would be if it was the ‘End Of The World.”

He also added in a less dark tone that he wanted to perform the song because “his lyrics reflect our collective desire for peace worldwide … The song reflects the light at the end of the tunnel, that we are all hoping for…” Lennon called on “world leaders and everyone who believes in the sentiment of Imagine, to stand up for refugees everywhere!”

The memorable performance was one of many contributions by various celebrities last Friday, including Bruce Springsteen, Billie Eilish, Ellen DeGeneres and Chris Rock. The aim of the social media rally was to encourage world leaders to respond more to the crisis in Ukraine, and mobilize donations for humanitarian efforts supporting the country.

On April 9, Global Citizen unveiled that public donations of over $530,000 were collected during the rally. The organization also pledged $10.1 billion in cash grants and loans to assist refugees that had to flee their homes in Ukraine.