Nobody knows, but the most famous Xmas carol was born in Ukraine. Carol of the Bells is based on a traditional Ukrainian folk song and arranged by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in 1914.

To help Ukrainian children who suffered from war, we turned "Carol of the Bells" into a donation platform "Carol for Charity", using Shazam.

We changed the lyrics and recorded it with the Ukrainian band Antytila and professional choirs. New version of the song asked people to shazam itself. Whenever people hear it, they Shazam it, and immediately donate to children in just a couple of clicks.

We hit the rotation of 22 radio stations in 11 countries.

110+ mln of media impressions, including 7+ mln. of

social media impressions

1+ mln. plays via music platforms

4,5 mln. UAH donated to Ukrainian children's needs

That’s how a world-famous Ukrainian carol supported Ukrainian children in the darkest times ever.

Christmas not home

Outside n’ beyond

This is so wrong

Shazam this song

See their tears

On the eyelids

Pain and the fears

Donate for kids

Give them an Eve

Those who believe

Come back to home

Shazam this song

This is a time

For all the world

Help them somehow

Shazam this song

Oh how they want

Come back to home

Eve is for all

Shazam this song

This is the key

While children sing

Holy and cheer

Christmas is here

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas

Those who destroy

Never enjoyed

Christmas at home

Shazam this song

Why should I run

Dreams never gone

Give us a hope

Shazam this song

Christmas is here

I wanna see

Hope could be grown

Shazam this song

Ding, dong, ding, dong

Who’s at the door?

Children at home!

Shazam this song

All Christmas deeds

Made for the kids

Dreams shouldn’t gone

Shazam this song

Oh how they want

Cоme back to home

Eve is for all

Shazam this song

This is the key

While children sing

Holy and cheer

Christmas is here

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas

Shazam this song

Shazam this song

Shazam this song

Shazam this song

Shazam this song

Shazam this song

Shazam this song

Shazam this song

2022 was very hard for Ukrainian children. They grew up in areas affected by the conflict and experienced multiple displacements, disruptions to their education, and exposure to violence and trauma. Children are suffering the most in this war, with families being separated, parents being killed, missile strikes hitting civilian infrastructure and cities, and frequent blackouts

To help those children we decided to use the most popular Christmas song ever. A song bringing the Christmas mood for more than 100 years, and known the world over.

It is also interesting to note that the origins of the song are actually from Ukraine itself, with the famous melody being based on a traditional Ukrainian folk song. The arrangement by Mykola Leontovych in 1914 transformed the folk song into the now-iconic "Carol of the Bells", which has been enjoyed by millions of people worldwide.

We turned this famous Xmas carol into a donation platform using Shazam, to help Ukrainian children suffering from war. Carol of the Bells was transformed into Carol for the Charity.

The new version of a song told stories of children affected by war. And asked to shazam it. People listen to the song and shazam it whenever they are, and immediately donate to children in just a couple of clicks.

Results

We hit the rotation of 22 radio stations in 11 countries.

110+ mln of media impressions, included 7+ mln. of

social media impressions

1+ mln. plays via music platforms

4,5 mln. UAH donated to Ukrainian children's needs

One of the innovative aspects of the "Carol for Charity" project is the use of Shazam, a music recognition app, as a platform for donations. By turning the traditional Christmas carol "Carol of the Bells" into a modern donation platform by changing its lyrics. The song asked people to Shazam itself. With that trick, we made the Shazam a media to raise a donation. We used the power of music to inspire people to give to a worthy cause. This innovative use of technology and music shows the potential for creative solutions to social problems, and how even something as simple as a song can be used to make a positive impact on people's lives.

The fact that most people around the world are not aware that "Carol of the Bells" is based on a traditional Ukrainian folk song is significant. The song's origins add a unique cultural element to the project that can potentially generate interest and curiosity from a global audience.

Ukraine has a rich cultural heritage, and the use of one of its folk songs as the basis for a globally recognized Christmas carol provides an opportunity to promote and celebrate this heritage and of course, help us to raise funds for Ukrainian children suffering from war adds a poignant layer of cultural context. The conflict in Ukraine has had a significant impact on the country's children, and the use of a traditional Ukrainian song to raise funds for their aid can be seen as a way to preserve and promote the country's cultural identity, even in the midst of a war.