Kat Moran Talks ‘Fight for Ukraina,’ Performing on Capitol Hill and Using Art to Amplify a Nation’s Voice
…As a music artist, you kind of fall into this bubble, this game where you feel like you have to chase social media followers, Spotify streams, monthly listeners — all of that. And I definitely fell into that trap too. I thought I had to keep releasing music nonstop. I did release a lot of songs this past year, and I’m grateful for that. But now that I’ve released Fight for Ukraina, I’ve realized I was chasing the wrong thing. What I really want to chase is the impact — how my music affects people, helps them, moves them. Seeing how this song has touched people all over the world made me realize that’s what it’s about. Not the followers. Not the numbers. Of course, that’s what record labels want to see. I’m an independent artist, and I’ve met with major labels in the past, so I know the drill. They want to see that you already have a strong following before they invest in you. You do have to build a lot on your own. So I understand why every artist chases that — and I’ve been doing it too. I’m not saying it’s a mistake. But for me personally, I now know I need to focus on creating something meaningful. Something that touches people and helps them get through difficult times. That’s what matters most to me…
I had the pleasure of talking with Kat Moran. Kat is a Ukrainian-American singer-songwriter whose work has increasingly drawn international attention for its blend of musical artistry and political resonance. Her recent release, Fight for Ukraina, has become an emblem of resistance and solidarity during a period of protracted conflict in her country of birth. Rooted in personal experience and family ties, the song has found an audience both among those directly affected by war and those watching from afar.
Born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine, Moran’s early years were steeped in music and performance. She began singing at the age of six and attended a school dedicated to music and acting. Summers were spent in the countryside along the Dnipro River or visiting her grandparents’ farm in Kryvyi Rih — places that have since taken on new significance amid ongoing conflict. At 16, Moran moved to the United States to attend the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, fulfilling a long-held dream of pursuing a career in the arts abroad. Though she settled in the U.S., her family — including her father, grandparents, and uncles — remained in Ukraine, grounding her connection to the region.
That connection deepened in urgency following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Moran has spoken openly about the fear and helplessness she felt watching events unfold from a distance while her loved ones navigated daily threats, air raids, and bomb shelters. She describes this period as one of emotional paralysis, during which she found herself unable to write or perform. Eventually, the need to express and process that pain led to the creation of Fight for Ukraina, a project she developed over six months with input from family still living in Kyiv.
The song was produced by Donnie Klang and features a fusion of Ukrainian folk motifs and contemporary pop elements, a stylistic decision aimed at bridging traditional heritage with modern storytelling. Moran co-wrote the lyrics in close collaboration with her relatives, seeking to ensure that the piece reflected lived experience rather than distant observation. The accompanying music video, directed by her husband Kent Moran, includes real footage from Ukrainian protests and scenes of devastation, interwoven with symbolic imagery. In one memorable moment, Moran wears a traditional vyshyvanka dress — one she had worn as a child while performing with a well-known Ukrainian singer — underscoring the continuity of identity and resistance.
The video and song have garnered significant attention, quickly reaching nearly 1 million views and earning support from activist groups and members of the Ukrainian diaspora. Moran was recently invited to perform Fight for Ukraina at a Ukrainian rally in Washington, D.C., which opened a summit attended by more than 600 delegates. Despite the short preparation time, she described the experience as one of the most meaningful of her career.
While Fight for Ukraina was not written with political advocacy as its central aim, its release coincided with a period when global attention to the conflict appeared to be waning. Moran has since embraced the song’s role in maintaining awareness and rallying support. In interviews, she has expressed concern over the shifting priorities of Western governments, warning that Ukraine’s struggle is not an isolated crisis but one with global ramifications. She views Ukraine as a crucial barrier against broader geopolitical instability, a message she hopes the song helps communicate to audiences unfamiliar with the war’s ongoing impact.
In addition to her work on Ukraine, Moran has long used music as a personal outlet. Diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in her early twenties, she began songwriting as a way to cope with illness and hospitalization. Her first original song, I’ll Be All Right, spoke directly to others living with autoimmune diseases, and she credits music with helping her through both physical and emotional challenges. Though she has released multiple tracks over the years, Moran has recently shifted her focus from building social media metrics to creating work that has lasting emotional and social impact.
As an independent artist, Moran has had to balance artistic goals with the business realities of the music industry. She has met with major record labels but continues to produce and promote her work independently, valuing creative control and the ability to respond quickly to evolving circumstances. Her approach reflects a broader reevaluation of priorities — less on algorithm-driven output, more on authentic engagement with listeners.
Moran’s perspective is shaped not only by personal loss and fear, but also by a deep respect for those who remain in Ukraine. Though none of her immediate family members have been killed, she has lost friends who served as soldiers. The trauma of the war is an ever-present reality, one she experiences both through news alerts and regular calls to loved ones following attacks near places she once considered safe. She speaks candidly about the difficult choices facing families — particularly women and children — who remain in Ukraine not out of defiance alone, but because leaving would mean permanent separation from husbands, fathers, and brothers who are required to stay and fight.
Beyond geopolitical themes, Moran frequently returns to a more universal message: the need for kindness and connection. She describes music as a uniquely powerful medium for fostering empathy, and hopes her work can serve not just as a call to action, but as a source of comfort. Whether writing about war, illness, or human resilience, Moran emphasizes the healing potential of honest expression.
While she continues to write and perform, Moran’s ambitions extend beyond the stage. She has expressed a desire to inspire a broader cultural shift toward compassion — one grounded in shared humanity rather than division. For her, music is both a personal anchor and a public platform, a way to tell stories that might otherwise go unheard.
Yitzi: Kat, it’s so nice to meet you. Before we dive in deep, our readers would love to learn about your personal origin story. Can you share with us the story of your childhood and how you grew up?
Kat: So nice to meet you too. Yes, of course. I grew up in Kyiv, Ukraine, and I had a wonderful childhood. I moved to the US when I was 16 years old. I used to spend my summers about two hours outside of Kyiv on the Dnipro River. We’d go fishing with my family. My grandparents lived on a farm nearby — actually, they’re in Kryvyi Rih now, which a lot of people probably recognize because of recent events in Ukraine. That’s where they’re from, and I’d spend some of my summers there on the farm with them.
I’ve been singing since I was six years old. I went to school for music and acting from a young age in Kyiv. Later, I was admitted to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. I always dreamed of living in the States, so when I got accepted, I moved here and stayed. I never went back, even though my family is still in Ukraine. My dad lives in Kyiv, as well as my grandparents and uncles — I still have deep roots there.
Of course, when the full invasion started, it was extremely personal for me. My family was in Kyiv during that time. It was incredibly scary, especially in the first few months when everything was so uncertain. I poured years of pain into a song that I’m very grateful came to me. I was able to write it from that emotional place.
Yitzi: Amazing. You probably have some amazing stories from your successful music career. Can you share one or two that really stand out in your mind?
Kat: Something that’s fresh in my mind right now — I was just invited to perform at a Ukrainian rally in DC. I actually just got back yesterday. Out of all my experiences, I think that one was the most amazing and memorable all at once.
It was a big crowd. It turned out to be the opening event for a three-day Ukrainian Summit that’s happening on Capitol Hill. I think today’s the last day. Over 600 delegates from all over the US flew in for it. We had a crowd of Ukrainian supporters and American supporters of Ukraine who came from all across the country.
It was wonderful. It’s funny because they didn’t give me much notice. Other than “Fight for Ukraina,” I had to learn a few new songs in just four days. It was very stressful but also incredibly exciting. It was a truly special opportunity and honestly an honor to perform at a rally like that.
Yitzi: It’s been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Do you have a story about a humorous mistake you made when you were first starting in music, and the lesson you learned from it?
Kat: Hmm, interesting. Yeah, I think even from my experience this past weekend — being way too nervous and scared — I realized something. When I got on stage, all of that nervous energy disappeared. The second I started singing, everything just went away. All the worry I had for days leading up to the event vanished.
I was so anxious because I didn’t have much time to prepare, and that’s something I’ve carried with me through my journey: it’s okay to be scared of things, especially when it’s something new, something you haven’t done in a while, or something really exciting. But you have to push through that fear. You just keep doing it and not overthink. Just go for it.
That’s probably the biggest lesson I’ve learned — that the most incredible things are usually also the most challenging. You have to face those challenges head-on.
Another example of that was how the music video came about for my song. It actually took me six months to write the song, start to finish. I really took my time with it. I’ll tell that full story later. But the video? That came together in just one week. It was extremely stressful — organizing the shoot, filming, editing, and releasing it — all in a week.
There were so many moments I wanted to give up. I thought, “No one’s going to like this.” I was terrified. But I knew I had to do it anyway. I kept telling myself, I’m doing this for my people, for my country. It mattered, and I had to push through the fear and make it happen. That’s the lesson I’m trying to carry through every part of my life and career.
Yitzi: So let’s talk about Fight for Ukraina. I know the war has been going on for a while now, but you released the song recently. Was there something specific — an initiative or a news event — that made you decide now was the right time to put it out?
Kat: Honestly, the timing was an accident. I had been working on the song for six months. The only reason I even started writing it was because it just came to me.
In the beginning of the war, I couldn’t even make music at all. I couldn’t write anything. For a long time after that, I kept telling myself, “I need to write a song about this,” because I was writing about everything else happening in my life — but not this. It was too painful, too hard to write about, and nothing would come to me.
Then one day, I had that feeling I sometimes get. I sat down at the piano, started playing, and began singing whatever came to mind — and the song just came to me.
From there, I worked on it with my family in Ukraine, my husband Kent Moran, and my producer Donnie Klang. We went through a thousand rewrites. At first, the song was called Save Ukraina — that was the original message that came to me. But then my dad, who’s in Kyiv, suggested we change it to Fight for Ukraina, and I’m so glad we did. It was a great suggestion, and I’m really grateful we made that change.
So, yeah, the timing was totally unplanned. Things just started happening, and I felt like, okay, it’s time. Time to finish the song and release it because I’d been working on it for so long.
When I started sending it around — even before the release — people, especially my family in Ukraine, kept saying, “You need a video. You have to make a video.” And I didn’t want to drag it out because I’d already been sitting with the song for half a year. I just wanted to get it out into the world.
That’s why we put the video together so quickly. The fact that it all lined up with what was happening in the news was pure coincidence. It’s wild how it all came together at the same time.
Yitzi: Wow. In your ideal dream vision, what kind of impact do you hope this video can make? What’s your absolute dream vision?
Kat: I’m already living the vision. I know it sounds crazy, but I am. I didn’t expect this kind of response to the song. When I was releasing it, I was extremely scared and nervous — wondering if people in the U.S. would connect with it, and if my family, friends, and others in Ukraine would feel it too.
But the response has been absolutely incredible. So many people are resonating with the song, and that’s exactly what I hoped for. At first, I just wanted to sing and write about my pain — my personal experience and my family’s experience with the war. But then I saw how many people were connecting to it, and how it was actually comforting people in Ukraine, even those on the front lines.
At the same time, it’s also helping to educate people in America. The war has been going on for so long now, and yet I still get questions — like from parents at my kid’s school — asking, “Oh, is the war still going on in Ukraine?” And I’m like, yes, of course it is.
So even though I didn’t mean for the song to be an educator, it became one. It’s showing people that things are still happening, that children are still hiding in bomb shelters every night, that they’re going to school with air raids and sirens. And that’s not okay. That’s not a way for any child to grow up.
So, to go back to your question, I’m so grateful people are resonating with the song. That was my dream — my vision — for people to feel what I feel when I sing it.
Yitzi: As we alluded to, sadly, the current administration has pulled back support for Ukraine. If you had a private meeting with someone in a position to make a real decision, what would you want them to understand — something they clearly don’t understand yet?
Kat: Yeah, good question.
My main message with this song — and what I really want to get across — is that Ukraine is not just fighting for itself. Ukraine is fighting for the entire world.
We’re in Europe. This war shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Ukraine is standing up not only for itself, but for peace in Europe and around the world. That alone should be enough of a reason to help Ukraine fight and win this war.
It’s in no one’s interest for Russia to take over Ukraine. That would be a disaster. Starting with the resources — Ukraine has a lot of minerals that Russia should not have access to. It’s terrifying to think about how those could be used. And beyond that, letting Russia take part of Europe and gain direct access to the rest of Europe is dangerous.
So Ukraine is this force, this barrier, this protector of the world. It’s funny — at the rally where I performed, there was this big inflatable display: two Ukrainian hands, one blue and one yellow, holding the Earth. And when I saw that, I thought, this is it.
That’s exactly what my song is about. That’s the message. We’re holding up the world. We’re fighting for everyone.
Yitzi: Do you have any family members — maybe extended family — who are actually in danger, or who have been injured or killed because of the war?
Kat: Thankfully, no — none of my family members have been killed. But I do, unfortunately, have friends who were soldiers and were killed in this war.
The fear, though, is constant. It’s there every single day. I’ll see something in the news about Kryvyi Rih, and I’m immediately calling my family. I see these horrific images — pictures that look just like the playground where I used to play, where my grandparents live now — and I’m calling right away: “Are you okay?” I’ll call my uncle, who lives in the middle of town — “Are you okay?”
It’s terrifying. And it just doesn’t stop. Every single day is a struggle. And sometimes I feel like I’m not even allowed to say that because I’m not there. I’m not on the front lines. But they are so incredibly brave — not just for continuing to fight, but for choosing to keep living their lives.
And I have to say this: our country is not destroyed. Through all of this, Ukraine is still thriving. Kids are going to school. People are going to work. Life goes on because it has to — there’s no other choice. But it’s still so scary for everyone.
One big thing I don’t think a lot of people in America — or the world — fully understand is why so many people are still there. I think some wonder, “Why don’t they just leave?” And yes, many did leave early on. But men are not allowed to leave. They’re required to stay and fight for their country.
So what are their wives and kids supposed to do? Just abandon them forever? Raise their kids without a dad? Live the rest of their lives without a husband?
That’s why most of my friends have stayed in Ukraine. In the beginning, some left — women with their children, without their husbands — but many of them went back. Because they were facing that choice: either be separated from their family, or raise their children in a war zone.
And so many chose to stay. To be together. And now they’re raising their kids in the middle of a war, which is just not okay.
Yitzi: This is our signature question. You must have learned a lot from your experience as a music artist. Can you share five things you’ve learned over the years that you wish you knew when you first started professionally?
Kat: Yes!. Okay, so as a music artist, you kind of fall into this bubble, this game where you feel like you have to chase social media followers, Spotify streams, monthly listeners — all of that. And I definitely fell into that trap too. I thought I had to keep releasing music nonstop.
I did release a lot of songs this past year, and I’m grateful for that. But now that I’ve released Fight for Ukraina, I’ve realized I was chasing the wrong thing. What I really want to chase is the impact — how my music affects people, helps them, moves them.
Seeing how this song has touched people all over the world made me realize that’s what it’s about. Not the followers. Not the numbers.
Of course, that’s what record labels want to see. I’m an independent artist, and I’ve met with major labels in the past, so I know the drill. They want to see that you already have a strong following before they invest in you. You do have to build a lot on your own.
So I understand why every artist chases that — and I’ve been doing it too. I’m not saying it’s a mistake. But for me personally, I now know I need to focus on creating something meaningful. Something that touches people and helps them get through difficult times. That’s what matters most to me.
Yitzi: What do you think it is about music — music in particular — that gives it the power to impact hearts and change opinions?
Kat: I think music is incredibly powerful — one of the most powerful art forms. Of course, there are so many other amazing art forms that are meaningful too, but music… music is something else.
For me, it’s always been part of my journey. It’s been my therapy. I have Crohn’s disease, and I’ve struggled with it for a long time. I got sick when I was 21, and it took a long time to even get diagnosed. I went through so many hospitalizations, a surgery, and tried so many medications.
And what saved me during all of that was music. Being able to take my pain and everything I was feeling and put it into my songs. That’s actually how I started writing music. I didn’t write before I got sick.
My first song was about Crohn’s disease — it’s called I’ll Be All Right. When I released it, the response was incredible. People with autoimmune diseases reached out and told me how much it resonated with them, how it helped them through their own tough times.
And that’s what I think music is really about — helping people. It’s powerful. It’s healing. It’s like a warm hug.
Yitzi: This is our final aspirational question. Kat, because of your great work and the platform you’ve built, you’re a person of enormous influence. If you could put out an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most good to the most people, what would that be?
Kat: Hmm, a movement… I guess kindness. Just being kind and mindful of other people. We all have different opinions, and it’s okay to disagree.
But being understanding — really trying to see things from someone else’s perspective — and accepting each other, that’s so important. There’s nothing wrong with standing up for what you believe in.
For me, I strongly believe Ukraine should be free, and that Ukrainian people should be able to live in peace. That’s what I’m fighting for. And it’s okay if people choose to join that fight — or not.
So, I think my movement would be kindness. Giving as many hugs to people as possible, because everyone is going through something. Life is full of ups and downs, and we’re all just trying to make it through.
If we could all come together and support each other, no matter what — we’d create something truly beautiful in this world.
Yitzi: So beautiful. Kat, thank you so much for your extremely thoughtful, wise answers. I wish you continued success and blessings, and hopefully we can do this again next year.
Kat: Of course. Thank you so much. It’s an honor to be here. Thank you.
Kat Moran Talks ‘Fight for Ukraina,’ Performing on Capitol Hill and Using Art to Amplify a Nation’s… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.