Country star Brad Paisley has released a song that features Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Same Here,” which Paisley wrote with Lee Thomas Miller and Taylor Goldsmith, is the first taste of his forthcoming album Son of the Mountains.
Paisley sings: “However you talk, whatever you think / From the songs that you sing to the drink that you drink / If you miss your mama and worry 'bout your babies / And love each other like crazy / And want someone to share your hopes and fears / Same here.”
Near the end of the song, there’s audio from a video call between Paisley and Zelenskyy. “We speak different languages in our life,” the president says. “But I think we appreciate the same things – children, freedom, our flag, our soldiers, our people.”
Paisley said he will donate his royalties from the song to United24 to build housing for Ukrainians displaced by the Russian invasion. (The singer is a celebrity ambassador for the crowdfunding campaign.)
“I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t sort of swing for the fence with things like this,” Paisley told The Associated Press. “For me, I’m happiest dealing with stuff as a songwriter that’s very true and very, very passionate. And sometimes I don’t know if you’d call it risky, but it’s more like it’s bigger than me.”