When Russian president Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, it shocked the world. Within the months since, Inside Temptation have turn into one of many fiercest anti-war voices in music. In addition to talking out and waving the Ukrainian flag at their stay reveals, a number of tracks on final 12 months’s Bleed Out
“It refers to the truth that Russia tries to blind lots of people,” explains singer Sharon den Adel of the songtitle and which means. “There’s numerous propaganda, altering their story continually about what historical past is or what historical past was, and telling people who Ukraine are fascists, twisting historical past.
“That’s what they do. They divide and conquer continually. We’re dwelling within the West. We now have a free press. We now have so many prospects to see what the true story is. It’s such a transparent struggle. Who’s the invader and who’s making an attempt to guard their nation? That there’s even dialogue is unbelievable.”
Whereas most individuals wouldn’t dream of travelling to an lively warzone, Sharon spent a weekend within the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, the place she recorded the video for the only, working alongside Ukrainian director, Indy Hait. It was a visit made attainable by Music Saves UA, a non-profit organisation working to lift consciousness, funds and supply humanitarian help to these affected by the battle.
“Whenever you go, it’s at your individual threat. You’re not insured,” says Sharon. “I need to preserve the eye on Ukraine, and to maintain individuals enthusiastic about it, as a result of information simply fades away in a short time. Information at the moment is outdated information tomorrow. It’s the identical with the struggle. The struggle doesn’t cease. I do know lots of people are uninterested in it, however Ukraine doesn’t have that luxurious to be uninterested in the struggle as a result of then they’ll lose.”
Sharon’s Diary: Day 1/Saturday
“We arrived in Kyiv early within the morning, and Alex Yarmak and the Music Saves UA crew have been ready for us on the railway station. It was an actual heat welcome. We didn’t have a safety element. I simply had our monitor man, and he was really the one one who was keen to come back.
I didn’t take the band with me as a result of we needed to prepare issues so shortly. This was a preparation day for the video shoot, to do make-up and garments. All people within the crew was Ukrainian. We might have completed the video within the Netherlands, however as a result of the music is about the entire scenario between Ukraine and Russia, it made extra sense for us to go there and shoot key locations. You’ll be able to’t really feel that emotion once you’re not there.
“Within the night we went for dinner, and had numerous lengthy talks with individuals. The charity took us to this restaurant the place all the pieces is historically Ukrainian. The potatoes are from the soil of Ukraine. The fish comes out of their rivers. And we ate borscht, which is a soup with beetroot made historically with meat. And we had particular bread with cinnamon and herb oil. It was scrumptious.
“There was not one one who didn’t have a private story. One of many ladies that was working with us, her brother of 37 years outdated died on the entrance, and he left a small little one and his spouse behind. It was these issues that instantly gave me goosebumps, the true tragedy of this struggle.”
(Picture credit score: Press/Sharon Den Adel)
Sharon’s Diary: Day 2/Sunday
“We began taking pictures the music video at 6am. First, we went to a discipline close to Makariv city on the outskirts of Kyiv, the place there was numerous bombing at first of the struggle. The concept was that, within the video, Alex would present me the story of the Ukraine struggle. I’m simply standing there, and rapidly we see birds popping out of the sky, and so they assault like drones.
“The second location was at a medical provides warehouse in Kalynivka village that received bombed. There was nonetheless numerous medical gear and medicines on the ground. You could possibly scent drugs within the air. We filmed within the centre of that place. You’ll be able to see the devastation, what a bombing does to a constructing. We wished to indicate that they deliberately bombed a medical provide warehouse, as a result of they knew, after all.
“Then we went to the Information Sq., close to the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, an enormous constructing the place that they had lovely murals of individuals working in the direction of one another. It has a sure motion and it’s actually lovely. We have been standing within the center with a digital camera circling round us.
“We had a scene at an enormous statue known as The Motherland. It’s from 1981, on the time the Soviets have been nonetheless have been working all the pieces. It’s a sculpture of a girl holding a sword in a single hand and a defend within the different, and just lately they put the Ukraine coat of arms on it and took away the Russian parts of a hammer and sickle. They’ve some confiscated tanks from the Russians there as nicely, and other people have been writing messages on them in blue and yellow paint. Messages of hope, but in addition of ache.
“We requested followers to come back to the video shoot on the Patriot Studio, within the Obolon space of Kyiv, to take part. I informed Indy, the director, that what conjures up me a lot about Ukraine is the resilience of the individuals. They’re so dedicated to profitable this struggle. Their combating spirit jogs my memory of the phoenix rising from the flames. There was a pool of mud we made, and he mentioned, ‘Nicely, possibly we will do one thing with that, and make individuals rise from the mud and get up and struggle. They may struggle on, they’ll dance on, they’ll go on with life, and they’ll by no means quit dwelling, and they’ll by no means quit combating for one another.’
“Then the Air Alert went off. I mentioned, ‘OK, what are we going to do?’ And the individuals from the charity mentioned, ‘The room we at the moment are in, it’s closed with solely partitions. There are not any home windows, so we’re protected.’ There must be not less than one wall between you and a drone, so it may possibly’t damage you.
“All people in Ukraine has an Air Alert app. All people is definitely knowledgeable in time, as a result of they’ve time to get a espresso and go to a shelter. I by no means had any worry for my very own security in any respect. So long as you’re not working out of battery, which you shouldn’t, then you definately’re wonderful.
‘There was a shelter beneath the bottom in each resort, really. That’s the explanation why there’s not that many casualties, I assume. After all, shut in the direction of the place it’s actually taking place on the East aspect, the place there’s continually bombing and other people and cities attacked, there are far more casualties than in Kyiv.
“What makes it a bit lighter is each time the alert goes off, once you get a notification that the hazard is over, it says, ‘Could the pressure be with you’, and the voice who says that’s Mark Hamill. He’s a part of a particular ambassador group that [Ukrainian President, Volodymyr] Zelenskyy was concerned in placing collectively.”
(Picture credit score: Press)
Sharon’s Diary: Day 3/Monday
“On Monday, we had numerous promotion for radio and newspapers. We went to the largest rock radio station in Kyiv, known as Radio ROKS. There was an interviewer there, Sonya Sotnyk, and her husband was on the entrance, combating. She was additionally doing humanitarian work, along with her job on the station.
“She went to the Netherlands and received as many SUVs as she might, and took them again to Kyiv so the military might use these to maneuver from one place to a different. All people has a double day job, nearly. Each day life goes on for 90% of individuals in Kyiv, till there’s an assault or the alarm goes off.
“We additionally went to a spot known as Maidan Nezalezhnosti [Independence Square] the place that they had little flags. Each flag stands for an individual that’s died. When individuals lose somebody, they will purchase a small flag and put it within the soil. It simply goes on endlessly. That was actually breaking me up. You’ll be able to preserve it at a distance once you hear it on the information. However once you’re there, you see the flags and also you see the private photographs of people who have died – younger males and a few even nonetheless boys.
“Since World Battle II, we thought we have been smarter. Seeing that, it was actually a realisation that we’ll by no means study. We by no means thought we’d see this shut up. It simply takes one loopy man. I actually hope that folks begin realising what a hazard Russia is. They’re not simply combating for their very own freedom, however for everybody’s freedom if Putin doesn’t cease at Ukraine.
“It began raining extra closely, so we went to the subway underneath the sq., the place there was additionally a mall. Impulsively, the Air Alert went off. Apparently, a MiG was on the way in which. It’s a particular plane that may carry a bomb that may wipe out an entire space. Everybody was saying, ‘Oh, God, one other alarm.’ However lots of people have been like, ‘Oh, one other day…’ The alarm was fairly shortly turned off once more. It’s like, ‘OK, alarm’s over. Could the pressure be with you’, and everyone went exterior once more.
“We didn’t simply go to locations that have been heavy and intense. After all, we wished to see that, as a result of we wished to see up shut the truth of what individuals are going by. However we additionally went to Peizazhna Alley, the place we had a stupendous view of town, and we have been wanting over the outdated city. It was actually wonderful.
“Though individuals have intense tales about members of the family who’ve died, nonetheless they’re very constructive. They attempt to contribute and struggle on in their very own manner. They usually get braveness out of that.
“I’m actually joyful to have had this expertise. I believe there’s lots of people that really feel powerless and don’t know what to do. I’m glad that we might do one thing with music. We met numerous new, lovely individuals once more that we’re nonetheless in contact with. It was a lifetime expertise.”
Inside Temptation will donate all royalties of A Idiot’s Parade to Music Saves UA at some stage in the struggle. For more information, go to the band’s official web site .
(Picture credit score: Press)
What’s Music Saves UA?
Contained in the nonprofit organisation that made Sharon’s journey to Ukraine attainable
To make Sharon’s journey to Kyiv a actuality, Inside Temptation partnered with Music Saves UA, a non-profit fundraising organisation with roots within the Ukrainian music trade, which goals to assist civilians.
Shortly after Sharon’s journey, her husband/ Inside Temptation recording guitarist Robert Westerholt visited Ukraine as a part of Music Save UA’s Music Ambassadors Tour, the place they invited 12 individuals from 11 European nations to Kyiv and the Chernihiv area.
“We have been underneath airstrikes on a regular basis, like two occasions a day,” says PR supervisor Anna Dolynska. “That’s how we make a distinction – you learn this on the information, however once you come right here and see it with your individual eyes, it feels completely different.”
