There’s no mic, no lyrics and no fancy production, just a girl with a violin, standing on the street. Still, Karolina Protsenko has a way of making strangers stop in their tracks and feel something. She’s not just covering songs she’s completely reimagining them. One standout moment was when she performed Maroon 5’s “Payphone”. It’s a song everybody has heard before but when Karolina plays it, it hits entirely differently like the melody suddenly has something real to say.
In “Payphone,” Karolina pulls every ounce of emotion out of the song. The upbeat radio version becomes something raw and reflective. Her bow glides over the strings like she’s telling a story, one that’s full of regret, longing and quiet heartbreak. Her expression shifts with the music, her energy rises and falls with the emotion of the melody. And the best part is she makes it look effortless.
How incredibly GOOD IS SHE? | Payphone – Maroon 5 | Violin Cover – Karolina Protsenko
Fans feel this energy too. The comment section is full of people saying things like “this gave me chills” and “I didn’t even know I needed this.” Some say her version brings out the sadness in the lyrics better than the original. Others mention how they randomly stumbled upon the video, and ended up crying in the middle of their day. Karolina doesn’t just play music, she makes people feel seen.
Then comes “Memories”, another Maroon 5 song, another emotional punch but with a different kind of weight. Where Payphone is about what’s lost in the moment, Memories feels like a soft goodbye to the past. Yet again, Karolina gets it, she understands the space between the notes, letting the silence speak just as much as the music. Watching her play this one feels like being wrapped in a warm kind of sadness, it hurts but you don’t want it to end.
Memories – Maroon 5 – Karolina Protsenko – Violin Cover
Her cover of “Memories” is quieter more introspective. There’s less movement, more stillness. She holds every note a little longer and the entire performance feels like a tribute. You don’t have to know who she’s playing for you know she’s playing from the heart. It’s beautiful, it’s haunting and it’s another perfect example of why Karolina isn’t just a talented violinist, she’s an emotional translator with strings.
So if you’ve never listened to Karolina Protsenko before, let this be your sign. Her music doesn’t need lyrics to speak volumes. Whether she’s playing in the middle of a street or reaching millions online, she knows how to turn a song into a moment, and a moment into a memory. Follow her on YouTube, Instagram and Spotify.