“Do you remember the last time you slept at home?” – Molodi talk about finding new strength in the “my sea” lyrics

Molodi – meaning “young people” in Ukrainian – are one of Ukraine’s most interesting new duos in pop music. In their inaugral attempt to represent the nation through Vidbir 2025, they bring “my sea”. The track has a special personal meaning to them, as they sing about overcoming the pain of losing your home.

Scroll down to read the “my sea” lyrics and its translation

Vidbir 2025: Molodi “my sea”

Molodi come from Mariupol and consist of Ivan Stepanishchev and Kyrylo Rohovyi, who both hail from the port city in Donbas. Prior to forming a duo, they performed in the band SunScream together with musician Mykyta Leontiev – better known as ENLEO. As part of SunScream, they participated the 2019 edition of the Chervona ruta festival – a former leading festival of Ukrainian experimental, rock and alternative music. 

For a long time, the two were known locally as street musicians in Mariupol. They usually performed amongst others on the square in front of the local Drama Theater – which was bombed and then demolished in 2022 – regarded by observers as a war crime. 

In Kyiv, Molodi grew out to be one of household names in the music industry when it came to the production of tracks. The duo often helped out other musicians and stars with arranging their songs. However, in 2023, their own music finally took flight as well. Combining grabbing lyrics with pop sounds, they have definitely become Ukraine’s answer to twenty-one pilots. 

What do the “my sea” lyrics mean? 

Molodi’s Ivan said in an interview to Radio Promin the following about the duo’s song: 

“When we just wrote that song, when just thought that we wanted to take part in Eurovision, we realised that the song should be very personal. (…) The most painful moment of our life was the loss of our home. We realised that we wanted to talk about that.”

In an interview to our colleague Vova Tsvyk, the duo added that entering such a meaningful track was very important to them: 

“We realised that it was a big responsibility and we didn’t want to say, like: “about whatever”. We wanted to say something about an important topic, and wanted to say it very powerfully, brightly, and we were searching for an ideal sound for a long time. And for an ideal message.”

“And most importantly, to say it from our ourselves about our own. It was very important to us that the start of the song in the end, that we wrote it ourselves. Lyricist Andrii Parfionov helped us, but the song was born within us.”

In its first verse, “my sea” opens with a series of questions that reflect of past difficulties: “Do you remember the last time when you slept at home?/ You feel alone, your pillow is made of stone/ Do you remember the warmth of your loved one’s hands?”. 

In the pre-chorus, the lyrics then add another layer of reflecting on the past, but now from a place of strength, rather than of sorrow: “But now you’re stronger, scars have made you older/ There’s no chance to hold this pain in heart”. 

The chorus contains a trochaic metre in its lyrics. This generally creates a sense of urgency. The two words “my sea” (a trochee by itself in Ukrainian) are then also stressed, which makes the words even more impactful in a sentence. 

The Ukrainian chorus contrasts with the English verses too. Although thematically it also contains a reflection, Molodi sing in Ukrainian – the native language – thus creating another layer of intimacy. In translation, Molodi sing: “No matter how many new worlds I see/ In my heart, there is always just my sea/ And although it is bothered again by foreign winds/ You can’t take away my own sea from me”. 

Here, the song also becomes personal as the lyrics clearly talk of the Sea of Azov in Mariupol, which has been occupied by Russian forces since 2022. 

Molodi “my sea” lyrics and translation

Music and lyrics: Kyrylo Rohovyi, Andrii Parfionov, Anton Chilibi, Ivan Stepanishchev

What do you think of Molodi’s song? Do you understand the song better after having read its lyrics? Do you want Molodi to represent Ukraine with “my sae”? Let us know in the comments down below!

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