Explained: Who is Antytila, the Ukrainian band that collaborated with Ed Sheeran for charity single

Antytila, one of the biggest musical acts of Ukraine, collaborated with singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran to record and release a charity music video while fighting Russia’s invasion. The band includes frontman Taras Topolia, keyboardist Serhiy Vusyk, bassist Mykhailo Chirko, guitarist Dmitry Acorn, and drummer Dmitry Vodovozov. Their repertoire includes songs in Ukrainian, Russian and English, and they have been creating music and videos since 2004. What is their collaboration with Ed Sheeran about? It’s a reworked version of Sheeran’s hit single ‘2step’. Frontman Taras Topolia has added a new verse and created a video to promote the remix. The version was released Monday. Over the next 12 months, worldwide royalties from YouTube streams, the official visualiser and Warner Music proceeds will be donated to Music Saves UA, a non-profit which provides humanitarian relief to Ukraine. How did the band form friendship with Sheeran? Antytila formed a friendship with Sheeran via social media, after they tweeted the British singer-songwriter ahead of his headlining performance at “Concert for Ukraine” in the UK in April. Antytila, who are serving as soldiers, had asked to be included live from Kyiv in the fundraiser, but Topolia said they had been refused a slot as the concert had a “purely humanitarian” purpose.

Organisers apologised, saying it must avoid association with the military. “Because we are standing with guns and helmets, we are soldiers, and this concert is not for soldiers but for helping civilian people,” the lead singer said. While the Ukrainian band was unable to perform remotely at the event, Sheeran invited Antytila to team up with him on ‘2step’. Topolia on his collaboration  “The sirens interrupted our sleep, grabbed in two suitcases everything that is in the past, then go!” sings Topolia on the Ukrainian band’s new collaboration with Ed Sheeran. “I decided to explain in the lyrics how it was the first day of the war for me and for millions of Ukrainian people,” the singer-songwriter — and now soldier — told the Associated Press on Tuesday, talking from Ukraine, on the frontline of the war against the Russian invasion. In the music video, Topolia leans against the side of a military vehicle during a patrol with his battalion, the reality of life right now for this recording artist turned soldier. “We were doing our job. And like driving and between the positions of our battle in the Ukrainian army and just stopped on the road and took the GoPro camera and shot this video. It took maybe 10 or 15 minutes.” He says that though it was dangerous, it made for a dramatic scene. Topolia on the music video As a father of three, Topolia wanted the video — which shows a young family fleeing the war by car — to tell the story of the “painful and difficult situation” for Ukrainian children. “Ukraine is not just only destruction and horrible war. Ukraine is also talented, talented people. And those kids that now have no possibility to dance, to sing, to increase their skills, to play in the playgrounds.” Another part of the video shows young Ukrainian dancer Oleksii Sokolov performing in a theatre. He later dances in the rubble of a destroyed building. “He came back to Kyiv from Mariupol just to film this video,” Topolia says. “His parents say that it’s very important for him and for them to take a part in this.” Topolia explains that continuing with music while fighting in the war is “very hard.” “I push myself to do something creative because the situation is not so creative. The situation is terrible. But I believe, I know that, what I’m doing now is just collecting the emotions inside,” he said. “When we will get the victory, all those emotions will be spread up by the songs, by the lyrics. And I will share it with all over the world,” Topolia says. “Emotions of happiness, of fresh start. Emotions of new country, of new future that we will build together united.” Over the next 12 months, royalties from streams of the “2step” remix video will be donated to Music Saves UA. Listen to the single here:

(With inputs from The Associated Press)