Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is under limelight for his determination and stiff resistance to fight the nuclear power-neighbour. Pro-Ukraine social media users are pouring in praises and respect for Zelensky and his wife Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska, who was recently in news over her open letter condemning the “mass murder” of the country’s civilians. In this backdrop, a video is going viral on social media with the claim to show President Zelensky and his wife singing ‘Endless Love.’ Newschecker has found this claim to be untrue.
The four-minute and twenty-eight-second-long video features a man and a woman singing an acoustic version of the song Endless love, originally sung by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, and playing guitar.
Several Facebook users shared the video claiming to show President Zelensky and Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska singing Endless love.
Zelensky started his career as a comic and formed a comedy troupe called Kvartal 95 in 1997. In 2003, the group began producing television programs. In 2015, Zelensky starred in a popular show called ‘Servant of the People’ which changed the course of his life. In the show, he played a school teacher who wakes up to find that a rant he made against corrupt politicians went viral and opened his way to presidency. This reel-life role materialised into a real-life one with Zelensky becoming the Ukrainian President in 2019 after winning the elections with a huge margin.
Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska is one of the founders of Kvartal 95. She is a writer and known for various hit shows and movies such as Liga Smichu, How the Cossacks… Zelenska was one of the producers of Women’s Kvartal. Since the Russian invasion, she has been using social media to highlight the plights of Ukrainians. Zelenska recently wrote an open letter to global media condemning the Russian ‘special operations.’ She wrote, “What happened just over a week ago was impossible to believe. Our country was peaceful; our cities, towns, and villages were full of life.”
Also Read: Old Images Of Ukrainian President In Military Uniform Go Viral Amid Russian Attack
Fact Check/Verification
Newschecker conducted a reverse image search on Yandex by using keyframes of the viral video claiming to show the Ukrainian President and his wife singing endless love and found the same video was uploaded on a website called VK on February 27, 2022.
The caption of the video said, “Boyce Avenue e Connie Talbot – Endless Love (Cover Lionel Richie con Diana Ross)”
Taking a clue, we searched keywords ‘Boyce Avenue and Connie Talbot – Endless Love’ and found a video uploaded on the official YouTube channel of Boyce Avenue on February 20, 2022 with the title ‘Endless Love – Lionel Richie ft. Diana Ross (Boyce Avenue ft. Connie Talbot cover) Spotify & Apple.’
The description of the video read, ’Boyce Avenue and Connie Talbot’s acoustic cover of “Endless Love” by Lionel Richie ft. Diana Ross (Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey, Shania Twain).’
According to their YouTube channel, Boyce Avenue is a Florida-based band popular for its strong acoustic roots, which consists of the three brothers Alejandro, Fabian, and Daniel. The band was formed in 2004 and began posting their videos on YouTube in 2007.
We found the same video was uploaded on the YouTube channel of Connie Talbot on March 3, 2022. The description of the video read, “This is my fourth video with Boyce Avenue and it is always a pleasure. This song is so beautiful, and will always be a classic for years to come. Thank you Boyce, it’s always an honour… Thank you for all your love on our last video together, means the world!”
We can thus conclude that the woman in the viral video is not Olena Zelenska but English singer Connie Talbot. To ascertain the identity of the man, we looked up the social media profiles of all the three members of Boyce Avenue and concluded that he is Alejandro Manzano.
Here is another video of Boyce Avenue featuring Connie Talbot.
Conclusion
The claim that viral videos show the Ukrainian President and his wife singing endless love is false. The video features Boyce Avenue’s Alejandro Manzano and Connie Talbot.
Result: False Context/False
Sources
YouTube Channels Of Boyce Avenue & Connie Talbot
If you would like us to fact check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill out the form.
Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
