Julian Lennon Performs ‘Imagine’ For The First Time

For the first time, Julian Lennon has performed his father’s classic “Imagine” in public as part of the Global Citizen’s current social media fundraising campaign Stand Up for Ukraine.

The singer-songwriter is accompanied with guitarist Nuno Bettencourt during the performance. On the video’s description, Lennon wrote:

“The War on Ukraine is an unimaginable tragedy… As a human, and as an artist, I felt compelled to respond in the most significant way I could.”

Lennon has released his first album Valotte in 1984, but his first experiences in recording studios were back to when he was just 11 years old and he played drums on his father’s 1974 song “Ya Ya” from Walls and Bridges. Now Julian is already releasing his seventh studio album, Jude, following 2011’s Everything Changes.

In the previous years, Lennon already performed several Beatles songs, including “Day Tripper” and “It Won’t Be Long,” as well as Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me,” which his late father John also covered. Yet, over the years, he is always asked by fans why he had never performed his dad’s undeniably most famous solo song, “Imagine,” up until now.

Lennon said in a statement:

“Why now, after all these years?”

“I had always said that the only time I would ever consider singing ‘Imagine’ would be if it was the ‘End of the World.’… But also because his lyrics reflect our collective desire for peace worldwide. Because within this song, we’re transported to a space, where love and togetherness become our reality, if but for a moment in time. … The song reflects the light at the end of the tunnel, that we are all hoping for.”

Watch Julian Lennon’s performance of “Imagine” below.