Radio Pivnyk

Due to the war in Ukraine, thousands of soldiers suffer from acoustic trauma after explosions. More than 30,000 defenders require hearing rehabilitation, while the waiting time for surgery can reach up to 10 years. Hearing loss remains one of the most common — yet invisible — war injuries.

Pivnyk Foundation, a young Ukrainian charity, set out to draw national attention to this overlooked problem and raise funds for hearing restoration surgeries.

The insight was simple: even without sound, music can still play in our heads. Thanks to the earworm effect, a familiar melody can start playing in the mind triggered by just a few words from the lyrics.

Instead of broadcasting songs, we used the lyrics of widely recognizable Ukrainian hits as triggers. As people read the lines, the melodies automatically started playing in their heads — turning reading into listening. The message was simple: “Do you hear it? It’s playing in your head.” For many soldiers with hearing trauma, music often exists only this way — as a memory rather than a sound.

39 Ukrainian artists joined the initiative, granting free rights to use the lyrics of their songs and supporting the campaign across their social platforms.

The idea expanded across outdoor, radio, digital and social media, where lyric triggers acted as instant earworms. Radio spots deliberately interrupted famous song fragments to mirror the sudden loss of hearing experienced after explosions.

Supported by artists, influencers and major online media coverage, the campaign turned a cultural insight into a nationwide conversation about hearing trauma among Ukrainian defenders.

With minimal production costs and the collective support of the music community, the initiative demonstrated how a simple idea could mobilize artists, media and audiences to address an invisible war injury.