‘Hey Hey Rise Up’: Pink Floyd members reunite to record song for Ukraine

Pink Floyd has released its first new music in almost three decades to raise money for the people of Ukraine

Pink Floyd has released its first new music in almost three decades to raise money for the people of Ukraine.

“Hey Hey Rise Up” features Pink Floyd members David Gilmour and Nick Mason, with vocals from Ukrainian singer Andriy Khlyvnyuk of the band BoomBox. Roger Waters, who left the band in the 1980s, is not involved.

The track features Khlyvnyuk singing a patriotic Ukrainian song from a clip he recorded in front of Kyiv’s St. Sophia Cathedral and posted on social media.

Gilmour, who performed with BoomBox in London in 2015, said the video was “a powerful moment that made me want to put it to music.”

After Russia’s invasion, Khlyvnyuk cut short a tour of the U.S. to return to Ukraine and join a territorial defense unit.

Gilmour said he spoke to Khlyvnyuk, who was recovering in a hospital from a mortar shrapnel injury, while he was writing the song. He said: “I played him a little bit of the song down the phone line and he gave me his blessing. We both hope to do something together in person in the future.”

The song is being released Friday and the band says proceeds will go to the Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Fund.