Ignea: We’re fighting for Ukraine
All IGNEA band members are staying in and near Kyiv. We appreciate your support!
Hi Ignea! For a long time, I wanted to get in touch with some Ukrainian band and now I got the chance. This interview will not be like the usual ones, because everybody knows what is happening right now in your country. How are each member of the band and their families right now?
All band members and their families are safe now and, so far, unharmed. Hopefully, it stays like this.
What is the situation in your city, as I understand you are from Kiev?
Yes, we’re from Kyiv and we’re staying here. When the Kyiv region has been freed from the Russian troops some weeks ago, it became better. However, missiles are flying all over Ukraine and you never know what the next one will hit. I’d say, there’s no safe place in entire country. Of course, there are regions where it’s more patient and there are regions with a constant battlefield.
Much is said about what is going on in Ukraine, but nothing better than you to be able to inform as it really is. Do you have a way to keep the world informed?
Yes, from the first day of war, we’ve been posting daily updates about the situation on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/update-on-in-62978480. It’s a publicly available post, so anyone can read it, not only patrons. We’ve been also sharing a lot of things through our socials, as much as we can. It’s not an easy thing to do because Facebook/Instagram aren’t used to such horrifying pictures and texts and they mark a lot of content as sensitive and impose shadow bans on accounts. So, we do our best to inform everyone but not get banned because the system doesn’t want to showcase people’s sufferings from Russian aggression.
Is there a way for anyone who wants to make a donation?
First of all, there are official accounts where you can donate money to the army, to the medical organizations, and volunteer centers. You can find those at the top of the post on our Patreon: ttps://www.patreon.com/posts/update-on-in-62978480
Secondly, we use a big part of our income from merch sales and Patreon pledges on donations. Usually, we try to cover urgent needs of separate batallions, or people who, for example, purchase drones for special operations, or, let’s say, people who cook for for elderly people from previously occupied territories. Because we’re here, we just know where the money is needed most.
In the midst of this terrible situation that is affecting Ukraine, have you remained active musically?
In the first month, we couldn’t do anything. Now, it became a bit better. We managed to nearly finish the recording of our new album and we’ll even play a charity concert in Ukraine to raise funds for one of the battalions. However, we cannot tour abroad because of the general mobilization and because the war isn’t over. And again, you never know what comes tomorrow.
Are there any projects for a new album?
Yes, music-wise it was finished before the war started. But now, we don’t know when we’ll release it.
How are you supporting, from music of course, your community and your country?
Raising awareness about the situation and raising funds.
How is your communication with your public?
Like I said, we use Patreon and social networks.
Do you maintain communication with other bands in your country?
Yes, we have many friends among Ukrainian artists and we try to stay in touch and help each other, if needed.
Undoubtedly, this whole situation has changed their lives forever. What are you doing to be able to live from day to day?
We’re trying to pull ourselves together, survive, and be as useful in this war as we can. A huge part of help is also keeping the Ukrainian economy going, so we’re also trying to support local businesses.
Do you use music, let’s say, as an escape route?
Escaping from the situation would be a weak thing to do. And you cannot really escape when you’ve got air raids every day.
Well Ignea, I can only send you much strength and my full support in the midst of this terrible situation. The space is yours to convey a message to the world.
Don’t forget that there’s a full-scale war happening in the middle of Europe. We’re fighting not only for Ukraine but for peace on the continent. If you’re able to help financially, please donate to our army, help refugees, and support the Ukrainian metal scene. If not, go to protests in your city, talk to your government to provide Ukraine with more weapons, or simply spend some minutes listening to music by Ukrainian metal bands. Any help is vastly appreciated.
Follow the band at:
https://www.instagram.com/ignea.band/
https://www.youtube.com/igneaband
You can be informed about the band and the situation on the war here:
