Refugee family with no home

Refugee family with no home

My name is Iliya, I’m a professional singer, songwriter, and newly an ex-HYBE trainee. I’m passionate and I love music with my whole heart. I currently can’t go back home because I wrote a song about peace and freedom that cost my family and I our home. I’m from Belarus and writing music like that put me in trouble with the government.

My family is now on different continents. I am devastated that I cannot go back to my family. If I do try to return to my home country, something horrible could happen to my family and me, due to the repression of my people by the dictatorship that is going on there.

Now that I have been eliminated from “Dream Academy” after being on it for 2 years, I no longer have a place to go. I moved here for this project and as of DECEMBER 1st this year, HYBE will be ending support for me. I am eternally grateful for my experience at HYBE and will always cherish those times and my sisters in music that are still with HYBE. I learned so much and have had some of the best teachers with HYBE and equally important, a place to live and food on my table.

Of course I knew there was a chance that I would be eliminated from the group, as there were as many as 20 very talented girls and they can only keep 6 or so. But, my situation for returning to Belarus has deteriorated to the point that it’s not an option to return and I’m left without a country to go, and I can’t work here in America for about 5 months, however I’m actively working on plan that will allow me to support myself.

After this elimination, I need YOUR help. I have amazing ideas for music that I am already starting to work on and with your help I will be able to make my dreams come to life. I also hope to find a temporary place to stay. Due to this, even just donating $1 would make a huge difference and be so incredibly helpful! This GoFundMe will not only allow me to create, but will also help provide for my daily necessities such as food and living expenses.

I really hope to be able to show the songs I have been working on for you all. Not having a home, being a refugee, and being all alone in a foreign country without family is scary. But I have found hope within my music and creating it. In that same way, I hope my songs will inspire many people and give them the motivation to live, to fight with kindness, and to find strength when life takes unpredictable turns.

I believe in myself and my songs and I hope you can believe in me as well.

Thank you so much for listening, Love, ILIYA