Ana Kiri – Beat of Freedom

By: Nmesoma Okechukwu

Q) Please tell us the story behind your latest single “Beat of Freedom.”

A) I am a proud Ukrainian. What is happening today with my Motherland is just heartbreaking. With my new single, I wanted to raise awareness and also show our Ukrainian point of view. “Beat of Freedom” is a powerful and uplifting patriotic music piece about the struggle of Ukraine. Freedom or death – that is the core spirit of every Ukrainian. It was true for us in the Orange Revolution. It was true for us during the Maidan Revolution, and it is true for us today. We know who we are, and we have an absolute right to exist. The heartbeat of Ukrainians is the “beat of freedom.” Without freedom, our hearts will just stop. Freedom is our truth. It is our spirit, and who we are. We are the Cossacks! And we need justice for every soul lost!

Q) What kind of fan feedback have you been receiving to the single?

A) All the Ukrainians that I know really loved the song and said they “could feel it with every word.” I thought a lot about the lyrics. “Beat of Freedom” and the concept of the song itself just sort of came onto me one day. Probably one day after I was explaining to some other people in a group setting why Ukrainians can’t stop fighting and why we will fight till the end, for our truth. My foreign friends also teared up after listening to my single. I love how my songs haven’t left one person untouched. I think it’s already a success for me because I got to tell this little story.

Q) Your song “Beat of Freedom” has such inspirational lyrics. How much was it inspired by the situation in Ukraine?

A) All of it, of course. This year, truly, has been the worst year of my life. I’ve never thought a war could happen in my home. It’s just unimaginable what is happening there right now, the conditions in which people and children are forced to live every single day, in the cold, without electricity, water or signal. It’s terrible. We, the Ukrainians abroad, are doing everything each of us can to help our country and the people. As an artist, it is my responsibility not to be silent – especially regarding such an important topic.

Q) What was it like working on the single with Jack R. Hardman?

A) It was great and easy. This is already the second track Jack is helping me with. Our first work together – was my single, “Play.”  Love that song. It was about getting back your power and being carefree with your own self. I must say, it’s always a blast working with Jack. We speak the same music language.

Q) You said that the song was influenced by Thanksgiving. What about that day heavily influenced the song?

A) It wasn’t influenced by Thanksgiving, rather the release date came right before Thanksgiving. The time was coming for me to set up the release date. The production and final mix, and mastering took a while. I wrote the song back in July and it took us all the way till November to have it ready just because it was so very important for me to have it perfectly how I hear and feel it in my mind. And we did it. [smiles] Thanksgiving was just around the corner and I know that is a particular time for reflection. And I figured it would be the perfect date for the song release as well – since I needed a deeper level of connection with the audience anyways. I feel that everything worked out really well.

Q) The song preaches hope and peace, and that’s something we need right now and all the time. But nevertheless, those themes aren’t considered trendy, why did you choose to spread the message you did in “Beat of Freedom?”

A) If you do art to be trendy – I think you aren’t a true artist. [smiles] True art speaks from something that makes you feel, something intense, perhaps your pain or your happiest moments. At least that’s how I see it and that’s how I am. My art is the collection of moments and “feels” of certain moments in my life. It’s the reflection of my thoughts about the world and life in that particular moment of my life. And if those thoughts and reflections happen to be relevant so much that they become immortal – that is the ultimate goal. To be able to touch everyone’s heart, forever, at least just for a little bit.

Q) The single’s sound reminds me of The Script’s “Hall of Fame.” Was it a conscious choice?

A) Me and Jack, we have finished the lyrics first before moving towards the melody and the arrangement choice. I knew from the beginning that I didn’t want to make another sad song. We are already feeling so incredibly bad on the inside that I wanted to help and lift the spirit. I wanted us Ukrainians to feel more understood. Because I thought if people would listen to my song and hear the lyrics, they would understand us more. Being understood empowers you. It validates your existence, it’s very important, especially in times like this when a literal genocide of Ukrainian people is happening in 2022. I wanted a powerful and strong arrangement, and I can proudly say we’ve succeeded. Jaki Nelson helped me a lot with the production of the track. And then came Luke Villemur bringing that sick electro guitar into the mix, and everything just fell into the place. I think we can all say we are very flattered that our sound resembles the “Hall of Fame.”

Q) You mentioned that the song’s length 3:33 also passes on its own message. How was it able to do that?

A) Again, a lot of magic happened with this single. When we were in the final stages of sending the final mix back and forth, I just noticed that it came down to exactly 3 minutes and 33 seconds in length. “333,” like “111” or “222” are what’s called “angel numbers.” Those are the repeating number sequences, often used as a guide for deeper spiritual exploration. These sequences can range from 000 to 999 and each has its own distinct meaning and energy. The number “333” shows that your guardian angel is beside you to provide you with the strength and ability to take one step at a time while you live a stress-free life. If this number manifests in your life, this could be a sign that joy can exist even in the worst situations.

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from “Beat of Freedom?”

A) We can’t survive without freedom. Freedom is our air, freedom is our heartbeat, freedom is everything. Ukrainians will forever be and remember who we are. We are not Russian territory. They have always tried to take our land and our identity from us. But that’s what they didn’t know – we would rather die than give away our freedom!

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

A) Yes, definitely. There are a few projects in the works right now. But the one I’m expecting the soonest is the remix to the “Beat of Freedom” that I’m doing with one of my close friends. I wanted to have a Dance, House/Techno, EDM version for the track and I can’t wait to share with you all what we are cooking up.

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) To be honest, I would very much like to collaborate with some Ukrainian artists like Kola or Jerry Heil. My dream collaboration is with Armin van Buuren.

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?

A) Thank you so very much for being there for me, and I hope to create more and more to be there for you!