Singer and pianist Katrīna Gupalo has released her new song “Agonija”. The song is about the last breath of love – about the last moment before the inevitable split. The message of the song is amplified by the music video. The musician in cooperation with the Crisis and Counseling Center “Skalbes” is calling to pay attention to the currently very obvious public mental health issues.
“I wrote the song “Agony” two years ago, when I had been suffering from depression for a long time. It was a time when I went through the cruel and ruthless criticism on my skin, which I could not “filter out” and perceived it very directly and painfully. At the time, I didn’t really see any light at the end of the tunnel, and the only thing that pulled me out of my deep depression was the resumption of active concert activities and the creation of music. Only after a while, looking back at my thoughts and feelings, I could take it easy – as a normal stage in my creative growth. But if I weren’t a fighter by nature, it might have ended differently. This situation made me remember my grandmother’s grandmother Sofia, who dreamed of becoming a doctor, but when her husband forbade her, Sofia hаnged herself in the attic of her house,” shares Katrīna Gupalo.
The song “Agony” tells about the last breath of love – about the last moment before inevitable leaving. It’s the moment of sweet bitterness towards the morning, when the party is almost over and everyone is drifting apart. When you really feel sleepy, but you are afraid to fall asleep, because in the morning everything will be different, so with the last effort you desperately try to stick to the reality that no longer has a future.
Jānis Škapars, the director of the video “Agony”, has presented the song from the viewpoint of this moment in time, when dark, depressing thoughts and feelings have filled the pandemic reality. He tells about the video: “When creating the music video, I wanted to show a multi-layered and ambiguous journey of an individual into the world of thoughts and dreams. The mind and the subconscious are sometimes the darkest places. When we close our eyes, we get into the darkness, into our thoughts and fantasies – sometimes it can be soothing and hide the reality for a moment, but sometimes it pulls you in so deep that it is very difficult to break out. With this video, we want to emphasize that suicide is not the solution, and that the complications that lead to it can be resolved.”
Katrīna Gupalo urges: “We want to encourage everyone – women, men, children and teenagers – not to hide and not be ashamed of being in greater or lesser difficulty, and to seek help before the situation worsens. In such moments, an open conversation with a friend, relative or a call to a crisis helpline can be very important. We also invite you to contact your loved ones more often to find out how they are doing, because such a call can provide not only joy, but also the necessary support.”
The video’s creative team and the Crisis and Counseling Center “Skalbes” encourage everyone to share their experiences of the pandemic on the social networks Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #paliksimnomodā, also about the ways of overcoming difficult situations or distressing thoughts. You can also express your emotions in a song, drawing, poem or other creative way, as this is one of the ways to help yourself organize your thoughts and at least partially get rid of negative feelings. Experience stories will be collected and published in the accounts of Katrīna Gupalo Music and the association “Skalbes” on Facebook.
