A.DROZD: My song 'Phoenixes. 2500 Degrees' is about those who have survived war, forced migration, and the deepest hardships, yet remain standing

Anastasia Drozd is a Ukrainian singer-songwriter and vocalist of the Ukrainian-German band "A.DROZD", who firmly believes she is building her music career against all odds. Before deciding to form her own band, Anastasia led her own music school and taught jazz and pop vocals at Mykolaiv Music College and later at Kyiv Academy of Hryhory. At the start of the full-scale war by russia against Ukraine, Anastasia moved to Germany, where she experienced a long period of despair. A pivotal moment in her career was her decision to enroll at Popakademie Baden-Württemberg, where she met the future members of her band: Lilo, Jonathan Michelmann, Jayne, and Emanuel Abanto. On March 6, the band "A.DROZD" will release their album titled "Neurotrans". Anastasia shared with Drive Music Media her musical journey, the release of the Neurotrans album, and her new career in Germany.

Interviewer: How and when did your musical journey begin? What were your first steps in this field?

Anastasia: I started music at the age of 5 – my parents enrolled me in piano lessons. My childhood was spent in Crimea, and from the windows of the music school, there was an incredible view of the Black Sea. This atmosphere was my first inspiration. Before the war, my career in Ukraine focused on pedagogy and performance. I taught jazz and pop vocals at the Mykolaiv Music College and later at the Kyiv Academy of Hryhory, and also ran my own music school. However, as with many, the war turned my life upside down. In 2022, I found myself in Germany, feeling like I had lost everything. It was a period of complete uncertainty – I desperately searched for opportunities, trying to find people like me, fellow music enthusiasts. That’s when I took a desperate step – to apply to Popakademie Baden-Württemberg, which I had already heard of. The problem? I didn’t know the language for the course. I relied solely on professionalism and luck. But, as they say, luck favors the diligent. Despite the tough selection process, I made it. It changed my life 180 degrees. I had to work to exhaustion, but it was worth it. I entered an environment of like-minded, talented, and creative people, and this is where my career as a songwriter and performer began.

Interviewer: Tell us about your upcoming album on March 6. What is this song about? How long did you work on it?

Anastasia: On March 6, our first EP "Neurotrans" will be released. Initially, it was supposed to be called "Post Scriptum", but at the last moment, I changed my mind. We often joked with the band about song titles like "Adrenaline" and "Dopamine". We joked: "So, will the album title be 'Pharmacy'? What’s next, 'Serotonin'?". Therefore, it seemed logical to call it Neurotransmitters. But that was too long, so I shortened it to "Neurotrans" to make it more intriguing. In fact, it is very symbolic, as each song on this mini-album is related to altered states of the psyche, which, of course, is connected to neurotransmitters. The album consists of 6 songs: "Joker in your hand", "Dopamine", "Adrenaline", "Silence", "Dejavu" and "Phoenixes. 2500 degrees Fahrenheit". The titles are very evocative and provoke many associations. We tried to add a bit of surrealism to the sound, and we are curious to see how the audience will react to it. In terms of chronology, this is my second album, but it’s being released first. The creation and release of this album took about a year.

Interviewer: Why did you decide to collaborate with each other? How did your creative partnership begin, and what is your background? Why did you choose music as your path?

Anastasia: The story of the current lineup of our band is quite unusual. This is actually not the first lineup. The first one fell apart six months after it was formed. At that time, I was deep into my studies at Popakademie, and when it was time to prepare for my summer exam, I just didn’t have a band. I physically didn’t have time to solve all the organizational issues, and it felt like a disaster. But everything changed after the intermediate jazz performance exam. I hadn’t even left the stage when a guy approached me on the staircase of Popakademie.

Everyone was rushing to do their own thing, and he stopped me and said:  "I heard your performance. It was amazing! If you need a guitar in the band, I’d love to play with you." This guy was Manu – a guitarist with a completely unique sound. What he does with his guitar, the sounds he can extract from it, is otherworldly and beyond belief. I was standing there stunned, not believing my luck, and replied: "Yes, of course! I really need a guitar… and I really need a band. I don’t have a band!". That was a turning point. Since then, the story of the new lineup began, where each member is an incredible musician who can feel the music not only technically but also with their soul.

Interviewer: How difficult is it to build a career abroad/in your home country? What challenges have you faced on this journey?

Anastasia: Building a career abroad is incredibly difficult. First and foremost, due to the language barrier. But when you manage to overcome it, opportunities open up that are inaccessible in Ukraine. Thanks to Popakademie, I finally gained enough tools, knowledge, and understanding of how the industry works. I finally saw the structure of this business and gained access to resources that help artists build careers. In Ukraine, to get even 10% of this knowledge and opportunities, you need to: pay a lot of money and have the right connections. I can’t say that it’s easy for me. But I can say that it’s here in Germany that this path became real. And it’s here that I found people with whom I can create.

Interviewer: Tell us about your live performances. What is the international audience like for you? 

Anastasia: Honestly, it’s still difficult for me to evaluate the interaction with the international audience, as this is our debut release, and we haven’t performed with this project outside of Popakademie yet. But the concerts at the Academy became key in shaping our sound. There’s a special atmosphere here – everyone knows each other, supports one another, and reacts very actively.

It’s like playing in front of friends who are fully in tune with the music. Each performance here feels like having wings behind your back. This stage has become my creative home, where we can experiment, test new sounds, and receive honest feedback. Now, we are curious to step beyond these boundaries and feel the reaction from a larger audience.

Interviewer: What projects are you working on right now?

Anastasia: Right now, I: sing in an old-school jazz ensemble called "Rosevalley Sisters" and work on a new album – the one that is chronologically first. These are completely different projects in terms of sound, but each is an important part of my musical journey.

Interviewer: Do you have a song that holds special meaning for you? Why this one?

Anastasia: Of course, in this album, I addressed political themes. The most openly political one is the song "Adrenaline". But there’s another song that seems less political but is actually much deeper – "Phoenixes. 2500 Degrees Fahrenheit". Initially, I dedicated it to the Ukrainian soldiers. But in the process of writing, I realized that it is much broader. This song is for everyone who has gone through war, forced emigration, who has faced the deepest shocks and still stands. It’s incredibly hard. It changes a person forever. And this is the feeling I embedded in its sound.

Interviewer: Which of your songs will never see the light of day? Why this one?

Anastasia: I hope that all my completed songs will see the light of day. But I have many drafts. They are not all collected in one place. And from time to time, I return to them when I’m purposefully writing. But they always appear very spontaneously – for example, at night when I can’t sleep, or on a train, or during a walk in the forest or field. Or even at a party, when lyrics or musical ideas just start coming to me, or even in my dreams. It has often happened that I woke up in the middle of the night because I dreamt music and quickly notated it without getting out of bed, in the dark, while I still remember it. That’s why I have a lot of drafts, and I don’t always manage to finish them. But if I’ve written it, I try to finish it.

Interviewer: What word do you associate with your musical creativity? Why this word?

Anastasia: "Against". My solo career is built against all standard scenarios. I started this path at the age of 33, in a new country, without industry connections and even without the language. But none of this stopped me from doing it. I didn’t look for perfect conditions; I simply moved forward, step by step. Therefore, "Against" is not just a word; it’s the entire story of this project.

Interviewer: What mission do you have as a singer and songwriter? Why this mission?

Anastasia: My first songs, when I entered Popakademie, were related to war. These were songs about sublimation and catharsis. They were an attempt to find points of support in complete chaos. It was a pure emotional outpouring that needed to be released. Some of these tracks are still blocked on social media because of their content. I really hope that they will resonate with someone’s story, give them a moment of support, help them realize their strength, and find a point of stability to move forward. The EP "Neurotrans" is more motivational. I wrote it when I had already found certain points of support within myself.

Pictures were provided by Anastasia Drozd