Young girl singing 'Let It Go' in a Kyiv bomb shelter becomes a powerful anti-war symbol

Amelia wowed the people in her Kyiv bomb shelter with her singing. Now her voice is ringing around the world.
In the second week of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the world watches the coverage of it with horror. We see scenes of bombed-out buildings, streets filled with rubble and debris, and desperate Ukrainians attempting to flee the violence. The beautiful capital city of Kyiv has, so far, remained under Ukrainian control but is being shelled by Russian forces and battles are being waged in the streets.
Some families have fled the city while others have holed up in shelters and bunkers, trying to stay safe. It's a hard reality to imagine, as two weeks ago Ukrainians were just going along, living their lives in the bustling, artsy metropolis, going out to dinner, enjoying walks in the park, meeting up for playdates. Now the very concept of "living life" has been turned upside-down. Now it's literally about survival.
But even in a shelter in a war zone, beauty persists. One of the most miraculous things about human beings is that we create and express ourselves through art, even in the most tragic of circumstances. The arts have a way of rushing our humanity to the forefront, reminding us that we are made not just to exist, but to live full, rich lives.
And when that reminder comes from a child, it's even more potent, which is why a video of a young girl singing in a crowded shelter in Kyiv is being shared widely.
In a video that appears to have been taken by Marta Smekhova, a little girl named Amelia stands smiling in the middle of a room full of people before opening her mouth to sing. As soon as people hear her voice, they fall silent—even a baby who was fussing just seconds before.
According to the Facebook translation of her post shared on March 3, Smekhova had been painting with a boy and a girl in the bomb shelter "to somehow decorate this not so happy place," and the girl was "so friendly, so talkative." The girl, named Amelia, told Smekhova that besides drawing, she loved to sing. Then she whispered that her dream was to sing on a big stage in front of an audience.
"So what's the matter?" Smekhova asked her. "Do you see how many people are here? That's what you sing for!"
Amelia told her it was loud and she wouldn't be heard, but Smekhova convinced her to try. So she did.
From the first word out of her mouth, the people in the shelter stopped to listen. "Everyone put their business aside to listen to a song by this girl who was just beaming light…even men couldn't hold back the tears," she wrote. "Amelia, your singing left no one indifferent."
Indeed, Amelia's sweet, clear voice ringing out touches something inside all of us. In that place and under those circumstances, especially, watching a darling little girl with two missing teeth singing her heart out is heart-rending. It's a powerful reminder of what's at stake in this war—and in any war.
The video has been shared far and wide on social media, including by Idina Menzel, the actress and singer who played Elsa in "Frozen" and sang the iconic theme song.
"We see you," she wrote in her Twitter share of the video. "We really, really see you."
We see you. We really, really see you. https://twitter.com/Ankita20200/status/1500496884255051776\u00a0\u2026— Idina Menzel (@Idina Menzel) 1646624026
Not that we needed yet another reminder, but Amelia's bomb shelter performance illustrates the real costs of war—the innocent dreams of children, the opportunity to hone their gifts and talents to shine their unique light on the world, the potential wrapped up in every person whose lives get cut short by the guns and the bombs and the insatiable hunger for power.
And it reminds us, yet again, that that cost is far too high.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.