Ukrainian Refugee, Natisa Gogol, Released New Single For LGBTQ+ Rights, Aesthetics

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment magazine in the UK“,  singer/songwriter Natisa Gogol’s new disco-infused dance pop anthem, Aesthetics, is a is a love letter to the LGBTQ+ community, especially those under Russian occupation.

Aesthetics

The futuristic video for Aesthetics by Natisa Gogol is a dedication to the LGBTQ+ community, portraying a love affair between two women that transcends space and time. Natisa wants to highlight the concern that if Russia occupies Ukraine, the LGBTQ+ population will lose their rights. As she herself was forced to flee her home in Ukraine to begin a new life, Natisa delivers a powerful message about the importance of holding onto strength and hope, even in the most disastrous and dark of times.

Natisa Gogol

Born in Dnipro in Ukraine in 1988, Natisa’s mother and father encouraged Natisa’s musical activities to such an extent that the move from child prodigy to fully- formed singer-songwriter came about with ease. At the age of five, she stood on a chair and gave singing recitals to all her relatives and was sent to music school for piano lessons less than a year later. By the time she turned sixteen, Natisa was enrolled at the Kyiv Municipal Academy of Performing and Circus Arts, learning singing, dancing, pantomime, illusion and manipulation.

In 2008, Natisa became a soloist for the state academic orchestra, an institution that saw her collaborate with DJ Shiller, as well as 1970s disco/funk vocal supergroup, Boney M, who remain a musical phenomenon in Ukraine. In March this year, Boney M released a pro -Ukraine version of Rasputin – and, herein, lies the crux of our tale.

War

On February 24th, 2022, Natisa woke up at 4:45am to the sound of rockets and explosions; the war had begun. Natisa and her seven year old son, Platon, knew they had to flee. With the barest of essentials, Natisa and Platon tried to escape to the border but found that most of the roads around Kyiv had already collapsed, and the rest were rammed with thronging horde of panicking people.

They decided to wait one more day and night, thought Natisa doesn’t know how they survive. In the morning, her friend came to pick them up, as they listened to the sound of shots and explosions as they drove away from Antonov Airport. They formed a plan to join Natisa’s friend’s brother in the Czech Republic, before heading for the Polish border, and then on to Prague. However, the journey would prove to be challenging.

Upon arrival at the exit to the Zhytomyr highway, which leads towards the Polish border, they found two cars waiting for them. There were four women and four children ready to leave in these two cars, but the shots became louder and closer, so they had to change their route. They followed their friend’s car through the traffic for 20km before he had to go back to Kyiv to help defend the city. As they watched him drive away, they saw Ukrainian tanks and soldiers arriving. That car was their home for five more days as they drove until they felt safe to stop.

Natisa realised that the music career that had been the defining force in her life since childhood was how she could strike back. She teamed up with US-born, Prague-based songwriter, musician and producer, Gregory Darling, know for his piano-pop solo output. Natisa’s fiercely evocative timbre – as dreamy and sophisticated as it gets – is the perfect accompaniment to her melancholic pop landscape. And at the heart of that landscape is love. This is her story. These are her songs.

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