Taras Topolia – Leader of Antytila
He has sung with Bono and collaborated with Ed Sheeran, but Ukraine’s No. 1 singer doesn’t shy away from the front lines, where he works as a paramedic.
Until last February 24, Taras Topolia filled stadiums with fans who wailed while singing dressed in extravagant designs. Now, however, the leader of Antytila (Antibody in Ukrainian) is dedicated body and soul to rescuing wounded soldiers from the different fronts opened after the invasion of Russia. Along with the rest of the members of the gang, he did not hesitate to enlist in the Territorial Defense Forces. “We always think about how we could contribute more to the fight against this great power that attacks us,” he explains during the training he carries out in a hospital in Kharkiv.
With the sound of artillery explosions in the background, the soldiers carry out different maneuvers that, according to an instructor whose character would not be out of place in ‘Full Metal Jacket’, could save the lives of his companions. “In a second you can be dead!” He snaps at them. “We constantly carry out training sessions, and today is special because we are next to the hospital morgue to work with real corpses on which we can perform different operations,” says Topolia after obtaining permission to speak to this newspaper for an hour.
He is aware that his case is very special: «I think I can help in two ways. On the one hand, like many other Ukrainians, enlisting and fighting at the front. But on the other hand, I’m a pop star with a very wide audience that cares about my opinion. I can keep in touch with those people through social networks. I just need a cell phone. And I can create new songs and new melodies that have an impact. We have to counter Russian propaganda, which is very powerful, especially on networks full of bots and trolls. Ours is a counterattack that is born of creativity.
A good example of that other work that he does when he is not providing first aid is the world famous collaboration with the British singer Ed Sheeran, with whom he recorded an exciting video clip, ‘2 step’, comparing different scenarios in the West with the destruction of similar places in Ukraine. “It is very difficult to create music during the war. The truth is that it doesn’t come out of me spontaneously, I have to force myself,” admits Topolia.
“When the collaboration was proposed to us, we were in the midst of heavy battles in kyiv, with difficulty finding protection material against the chemical agents used by the Russians, and I did not see it clearly until I understood that it is very important to explain to the world what is happening and what we are suffering”, he recalls, emphasizing that he seeks an emotional connection with the public, something that transcends the informative field. “Even people who don’t understand what I sing cry when they see the video,” he notes.
And he was about to cry in another of the unexpected milestones that has marked his career during the war: the concert he offered with Bono, leader of U2, in the kyiv subway. «That he came to Borodianka and played in the middle of the war was something very symbolic for the whole country, because he is a great world star. And, personally, singing with Bono was something especially exciting for me », explains Topolia, who does not hide the nerves he felt. They hadn’t rehearsed, and he had to read the lyrics on his cell phone to avoid screwing up. “Then he asked me to say a few words and I felt the weight of saying the right thing on the spur of the moment.”
Topolia took the opportunity provided by Bono to make an awkward appeal to European leaders. A call that he also wants to convey through this interview: «Although I was born in the Soviet Union (1987), since I was little I have been instilled with the values and democratic principles of Europe, ensuring that they are the most solid basis for social justice , equity and common prosperity. We have understood you and we try to live like you. But now that we are fighting for those principles, European leaders are blah-blah-blah. Are those values mere advertising?
The singer criticizes that he does not see all the weapons that the West claims to be sending to the front. “We have been at war for almost five months now and the Russians are tightening their offensive in the east. We need more powerful and longer-range weapons », he says. Asked if he is aware of the danger to the world of sending the weapons he claims, Topolia can’t help but light up. “There are those who believe that World War III will only start when the first nuclear missile is launched, but they are wrong. It has already begun », shoots him.
Topolia elaborates on this idea. “You have to understand that it is not like World War II, of course. It is also raging in gas pipelines and on the Internet, and in the brains of Europeans. We are dying here not only for our future, but also for the European one. If we lose the war, democracy will take a heavy blow and you will once again know what fascism you suffered is », he adds, referring to Franco’s dictatorship.
United by “a common enemy”
However, Topolia is also self-critical: «We recognize the mistakes made and that we are partly to blame for what happens. We have often elected pro-Russian rulers who have made it possible to sell many of the weapons we need now.” However, the Ukrainian pop star stresses that the invasion has brought about an unprecedented union in Ukraine. “We didn’t think so many people would enlist in the Armed Forces. There were queues of more than a kilometer, with young and old, men and women, people of all political stripes. We have been united by a common enemy and the feeling that he wants to annihilate us. It is the first time that I feel a similar catharsis and understand the power of unity », he highlights.
Of course, the price that Ukraine is paying is overwhelming. And Topolia acknowledges that at first he wasn’t up to the challenge when he traded in the guitar for the AK-47. «I would be lying if I said that I have not been afraid. On the third day of the invasion we were in a night battle, in which we lost a comrade and three others were wounded. On another occasion, a missile aimed at our unit hit a billboard which blew it up prematurely and saved our lives. I keep pieces of that missile because they remind me that we have learned to live knowing that we can die at any moment. Because there are times when a soldier dies like that, suddenly, in a second. And we cannot always be afraid », he recounts.
Topolia says that she would be more terrified to look into the eyes of her three children without having done everything she could. «Both they and my wife and a large part of my family live in the United States, where the oldest was born. But I am here and I want them to come back », she sentences. Like most Ukrainians, he has no doubt that his country will emerge victorious. “It’s just a matter of time,” he says without hesitation. “And when we win, we will record a new album with sounds of happiness and rebirth to fuel the rebuilding effort that we will require,” he concludes.
«Eurovision has always been a political contest»
Taras Topolia does not avoid the controversy over Ukraine’s victory in the last Eurovision contest. He hints –without saying so explicitly– that the winning song, ‘Stephania’ by Kalush Orchestra, was not the best of the festival. But he celebrates his choice by the public. “The level of creativity is not the main reason. Ukraine’s victory shows that the European population chose our country, not on stage but as a symbol that they support and claim that we are part of Europe », he opines.
What is curious on this occasion is that the decision to grant the reign of European song to Ukraine did not come from a jury but from the viewers themselves. “Eurovision has always been a political competition, because it was born to unite Europe after the Second World War, and was never separated from politics or the geopolitical context,” argues the singer. “In Ukraine we are perfectly aware of this,” he adds.
But that does not detract one iota from the enthusiasm that the victory has caused in the country. «It has been very important for us because it means that we have to organize Eurovision next year and that we have to hurry to win the war. To a large extent, that will depend on the weapons that Europe and the United States send us », he comments, taking the opportunity to launch a taunt. Aware of his critical tone, he changes his countenance and gives an optimistic smile. «I am convinced that we will organize Eurovision in 2023. Maybe not in kyiv, maybe in Lviv. My dream is to take back Crimea and celebrate it there.”
#lose #war #fascism