Singer, pianist and songwriter John Ondrasik is on the phone from his home in Los Angeles in July, a few days ahead of taking the band with which he is synonymous, Five for Fighting, to play the Pierogi Fest in Whiting, Indiana, outside Chicago.

“A couple of years ago, when I was in Ukraine, I got pierogies from Ground Zero, so I have a high expectation for pierogies,” he says. “We’re looking forward to it.”

Over the course of six albums, Five for Fighting has generated enough success — thanks largely to hits including “100 Years” and “Superman (It’s Not Easy),” as well as the use of songs in myriad movies, TV shows and commercials — for Ondrasik to travel to farther-away places such as war-torn Ukraine as part of his humanitarian efforts.

On Aug. 12, Five for Fighting will launch a relatively brief tour — with supporting act Vertical Horizon (“Everything You Want”) — in Mentor, Ohio. (Ondrasik will follow that jaunt with fellow rock musicians with another for a sister version of Five for Fighting that incorporates a string quartet.)

In a conversation that has been edited for length and clarity, Ondrasik talks about writing songs with a message, such as “Can One Man Save the World?,” which he performed with The Ukrainian Orchestra amongst the ruins of the Antonov Airport in Ukraine, and “OK (We Are Not OK),” in response to the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, in Israel by Hamas, as well as performing at different types of shows and (gasp) the hero he likes more than Superman.

Q: Your press materials attest that in recent years you’ve been “writing non-political songs about key events around the world from a humanistic perspective.” How challenging is it to keep politics out of it, and is that getting more challenging?

A: You know, in our tribal society, pretty much everything is political. I think if you look at the base messages from the last few songs — you know, “Blood on My Hands” is about Afghanistan; I think it’s probably not a great idea to abandon the citizens and your allies you swore to protect from the Taliban. That doesn’t seem political to me. I understand that it is.

Certainly, with (“Can One Man Save the World?”), where I went over and performed with The Ukrainian Orchestra, I think it’s pretty easy to see who’s the good guy and who’s the bad guy. Similarly, with Israel and Oct. 7, if Hamas is not evil, I’m not sure what is. So to me, these are moral messages, but, of course, everything is taken politically in this day and age, and I understand that. Depending on the song, I’ll get hit from the left, I’ll get hit from the right.

Q: If you’re making different people angry, you’re probably doing something right.

A: Yeah, I kind of like that.

Q: How satisfying is it that your musical career has allowed you to make humanitarian efforts and visit these places to try to do your part?

A: It’s been the honor of my career to travel and perform for our troops. I did that early on, and I’ve been doing that for decades, so I’m very grateful to have a few songs that our soldiers know and to write songs about our troops and their experiences.

The nice thing about having a song like “Superman” is it can be used to highlight so many causes.

Q: How do you feel you/Five for Fighting have evolved over several albums?

A: If you look at the albums as they go along, you can definitely see where I have kids.

Ironically, I’ve almost come full circle. When I was 16, 17 years old, I just wrote songs because I love to do it and write what I wanted to write about. I didn’t have a deadline. I didn’t have to, like, write a single. And the nice thing about where I am in my career now, I’m kind in the same place. I don’t have to make a record. I don’t have to deliver a song. But if something moves me or a project comes that I’m really passionate about or somebody I want to work with, I have that kind of freedom to do that. And it’s a pretty nice place to be — as well as still being able to go out and sell a ticket and sing a song and be with my pals I’ve been with for decades.

Q: It feels obligatory to ask: Have you seen the new movie “Superman”?

A: I haven’t seen it yet because I get that things get recycled all the time, but I’m always a little pessimistic and nostalgic for the good old days.

And I typically like the Batman stuff better.

Q: Is there anything else you want to mention?

A: We just did a revision of “Superman” that was inspired by one of the (Israeli) hostages, Alon Ohel. He’s a piano player, and that seemed to get a lot of resonance globally.

(NOTE: According to press materials, Ondrasik performed “Superman (For Alon, the Hostages, and Their Families)” alongside Alon’s brother Ronen; his mother, Idit Ohel; and “a community of friends” in Hostage Square, Tel Aviv.)

It’s nice that the song still has relevance and (is) shining a light on folks who certainly are suffering and sometimes fall out of the spotlight.

Q: It’s also nice that you’re not one of those artists who can’t stand their best-known song. You feel sorry for them in a way.

A: I do, too. I mean, I get Billy Joel didn’t wanna play “Piano Man” 50,000 times, but come on. There’s always that one person who will only be there once, and they came to hear that song.

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