In a world often saturated with the clamour of the everyday, a gentle flutter emerges from an unexpected corner.
Max Barskih, a name synonymous with Ukrainian pop, steps onto a broader stage with his inaugural English-language single, ‘Stomach Butterfly.’
This is a whispered conversation, a shared breath in the midst of a storm, and perhaps, a quiet revolution in the landscape of modern music.
It does not come with a bang, but with the soft unfolding of wings. A number of video experiments lead up to it, teasing at deeper currents below the surface.
Barskih was born in Kherson and grew up in the shadow of Ukraine’s complicated political situation. His artistic journey from Eurovision contestant to cultural ambassador shows how artists in Eastern Europe today move around and try new things.
His choice to speak in English is not an act of cultural failure or business acumen. Instead, it is an act of linguistic unity that builds emotional links across language barriers.
The genesis of ‘Stomach Butterfly’ lies in Barskih’s charity tours abroad, where he encountered the profound need for emotional resonance within the global community.
It’s a realization that life, in its purest form, demands celebration, even when shadows loom large. This single, then, becomes a missive, a heartfelt dispatch to anyone willing to lend an ear to the sincerity woven into his lyrics and the tender embrace of his melodies.
It is a complex and delicate sound fabric, like the thin threads of a spider web catching the dew in the morning. Deeply moving in its simplicity, this feeling is at the heart of the new phase in his art.
It began with raw, unvarnished video confessions from young Ukrainians, filmed on VHS cameras, their openness a stark contrast to the harsh realities they’ve endured.
These are people who choose to live and fight for their country even though they are being occupied, losing loved ones, and being forced to move. Their stories, which are like retellings of old myths, have a bravery that never goes away.
The culmination of these narratives is the ‘Stomach Butterfly’ music video, a visual poem directed by Alan Badoev.
It features the very same young men and women whose confessions ignited this project, their faces now illuminated by the lens, their vulnerability transformed into a powerful statement.
With the eye of an artist, Badoev makes sure that every frame shows modern Ukraine: its fiercely brave young people, the subtle beauty of things like interiors by the innovative brand Dizza or a carpet created by artist Masha Reva.
Making the video was a way to bring people together and a place where strangers became friends. Barskih himself talks about how “crucial” it is to have chemistry on set, which led to acting classes that were more than just lessons.
This real, unrehearsed closeness, this intentional peeling back of outer layers, says a lot about the need for connection and shared sensitivity that people have.
It is a dance between the individual and the group, a fine balance like a tightrope walker walking across the space between two very tall buildings.
Sofia Pkhaladze, a famous Ukrainian psychologist and the founder of the SOPHY app for psychologists, gives an interesting study of the “Stomach Butterfly” movie. She says it is a “journey from loneliness to trust, from darkness to light, and from a guarded heart to an open connection.”
She says that violence, war, and loss put up “invisible walls around the heart.” The movie shows how strong it is to break those walls down and trust again. Like psychological group therapy, it builds trust slowly, starting with a look, a touch, or a shared weakness.
Pkhaladze says that taking off your clothes is a deep way of saying “I allow myself to trust.” Helping someone take their shoes off is a sign of safety and trust. In the end, there is a “magical moment of actors sharing a kiss,” she says, after a lot of stress.
She says that closeness means “being able to live, feel, and be yourself.” Art has a powerful power to heal, bring back love, trust, and the courage to feel. People’s souls want to connect with others, just like a direction point looking for true north.
Together with Sofia Pkhaladze, Barskih’s team has created a free part of the SOPHY app called “Together We Are Strong” to spread this message of healing and support even more. This resource is open to all Ukrainians, both inside and outside of Ukraine.
It provides psychological help to reduce stress, deal with bad feelings, and get through the terrible memories of war. It is a real-world extension of the song’s message, a way to put its ideas into practice, and a lighthouse of hope in rough seas.
“Stomach Butterfly” is a powerful reminder of how strong people can be, a tender look into the human mind, and a strong ode to the spirit of a country.
It makes us think about the quiet power that comes from being open and honest, the deep courage that comes from choosing to live even when things are hard, and the language of connection that goes beyond borders and situations.
It makes us think of a question that will not go away: how can we find our own “stomach butterfly” and let it fly?
