Ukrainian rockers Antytila have teamed up with Ed Sheeran to remix his Equals (=) album track '2Step', with proceeds from the music video being donated to Music Saves UA.

Filmed in the war-torn capital Kyiv, the accompanying video brings to light the stories of Ukrainian children forced to flee the country. Lyrics sung in the Ukrainian language have been added in a new verse contributed by the band. The heartfelt words stress the need to hold on to hope during a time of separation from loved ones.

Frontman Taras Topolia told The Times that his lyrics were inspired by the distance from his family during the conflict. His wife Alyosha, also a popular Ukrainian singer, fled to the US on the first day of the Russian invasion with the couple’s three children.

The members of Antytila have remained in the country to fight with the Ukrainian resistance. The lead singer, who works as a paramedic in and around Kharkiv, recorded his vocals amidst the ongoing struggle.

"It was not so easy to record the voice because our studio was under occupation while we were creating the lyrics for the song," Topolia says.

More remixed versions of the song are forthcoming. In an instagram story last week, Sheeran announced “Over the next few weeks there’s going to be some incredible versions of ‘2step’ dropping featuring artists from all over the globe."

The original music video for '2step', released in April, was filmed in Kyiv in 2021, prior to the Russian invasion. The new video for ‘2Step’ stars Antytila, who also directed and produced it.

All streaming royalties of the new video are to be donated to Music Saves UA, a non-profit fundraising organisation providing humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugee children.

Check out '2step' (featuring Antytila) below.