Gala is reclaiming ownership of ‘Freed From Desire’ with re-recording

Italian singer Gala Rizzatto has re-recorded her 1996 dance anthem ‘Freed From Desire’ in a move to reclaim ownership over the famous song.

Out now via Ministry of Sound/B1 Recordings, the new version comes alongside a remix from Diplo.

The re-release aims to amend the unfair contracting on the original track that excluded Gala from receiving equitable royalties throughout its success.

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Originally a '90s rave classic, ‘Freed From Desire’ experienced a sudden resurgence in 2016, when it was used as a football chant at Wigan Athletic, with the chorus changed to “Will Grigg’s on fire, your defence is terrified!” – an ode to the Northern Irish striker.

This shot the song back into the limelight, spreading to other stadium stands across Europe and beyond.

“It is regularly used by FIFA and UEFA as goal celebration music, multiple clubs - including Manchester City, AC Milan, Newcastle United, and Napoli - have adopted the song, and in France the song has become the nation’s sport anthem, with French rugby using the track for almost three decades,” explains a press release.

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The catchy “Na na na na na … ” line could also be heard during the Euros this year, as well as the Paris Olympics, and was even performed live by Gala at the Women’s Football finals.

Meanwhile, it has been used as a protest song by the LGTBQ+ community, as well as by women’s marchers, students and striking teachers, with the latter group chanting: “My pay’s no higher, Rishi Sunak is a liar!”

The original track has amassed over 500 million streams on Spotify, charted Number One in France and Belgium and Number 2 in the UK, Ireland, and Italy.

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But, throughout all this, Gala has seen little direct financial success, as she did not own the original rights to the song. The recent re-release sets out to correct this, in a style akin to Taylor Swift's 'Taylor's Version' re-records.

Speaking on the track, Gala says: “‘Freed From Desire’ is a ‘fight the power’ song that embodies my spirit. I wrote it drawing on a Buddhist concept that challenges the constant craving for more and encourages us to value our principles and our own freedom instead."

"I had a gut feeling that 'Freed From Desire' could resonate with people. Over the years, I put a lot of myself into keeping that song alive and relevant. I love that the song's resurgence was driven not by a commercial operation but by people singing it at sports stadiums, students’ protests, LGBTQ+ gatherings, and DJs around the world playing it.”

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“This re-release is not just about trying to reclaim my rights,” she continues. “But also about renewing the song’s spirit for a new generation. I feel more connected to the song’s core philosophy than ever before in today’s world where the pursuit of material desires is questioned by new generations.”

The Diplo edit will be followed by several more remixes over the coming months.

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Listen to Gala’s re-recording and Diplo’s remix below

Meena Sears is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Instagram

Update 29/10: This article has been updated to correct a line saying Gala has received "no royalties", she has received "some"