John Lennon’s son breaks vow and performs ‘Imagine’ for the first time ever

Julian Lenon has broken his longstanding vow and performed his late father John Lennon’s most iconic song, Imagine for the first time ever.

Previously promising never to perform the hit song, the 59-year-old singer-songwriter had been so disturbed by the “unimaginable tragedy” and the brutal invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, that he felt compelled to cover his father’s peace anthem as part of the Stand Up For Ukraine campaign, a global fund-raising effort broadcast from Warsaw, Poland.

Believing his father’s original version of the peace song could never be beaten, Julian explained: “I had always said, that the only time I would ever consider singing ‘Imagine’ would be if it was the ‘End of the World’.”

In the solemn video, Julian is sitting on a stool in a dark room surrounded by candles, using only an acoustic guitar, played by Nuno Bettencourt, to perform the powerful and emotional song.

Taking to YouTube and Instagram, Julian wrote: “Today, for the first time ever, I publicly performed my Dad’s song, ‘Imagine’…The song reflects the light at the end of the tunnel, that we are all hoping for.”

He continued: “As a result of the ongoing murderous violence, millions of innocent families, have been forced to leave the comfort of their homes, to seek asylum elsewhere.”

“I’m calling on world leaders and everyone who believes in the sentiment of IMAGINE, to stand up for refugees everywhere!”

The emotional cover was performed over the weekend on Saturday, April 9, as NBC News reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned his people of a Russian offensive in the country’s east, as civilians continue to flee the region.

Julian has also encouraged his 300,000 followers to “to stand up for refugees everywhere” by donating  to Ukraine.

Julian joined other prominent figures such as  Celine Dion and the Royal Family who have also made headlines for showing their support for Ukraine.