On the last frame of Anastasia’s video to the explosive debut single “Evaporate” are the words “you are not alone.” The words are dedicated to “everyone that has suffered from an eating disorder.” Anastasia, born in Russia is now NYC-based and garnered a degree from Berklee School of Music. Her rich, powerful vocals are the real star to this emotional song and equally memorable music video.
URL: https://www.anastasiabaast.com/
In the song, Anastasia combines elements of pop music with some dance-track or electronica. The underlying vibe is movement – this song isn’t resting and it feels like a sense of emotion bubbling up to the top. Her vocal range is deeper than a typical pop star and she’s got beautiful, stoic delivery. When she sing ‘evaporate’ she breaks up word to form ‘e-vapor-rate’ and it has a lasting effect. She sings “I hope you never know the feeling that I’ve been holding this time…this pain is mine…I’m the one not ready to let it go….evaporate….evaporate…I would escape all this pain.” As a listener I was drawn to the emotionally-driven pain coming from her voice – she’s singing from her gut. I never felt like she was just singing words on a page. Such empathy she creates!
As the song closes, she repeats the phrase “I’m not ready to let it go” quite a bit. Fittingly, she’s really not letting the listener let her go. Her voice echoes in your head moments after the song ends. It’s an earworm, to say the least. Those words are cemented in my brain and while it might sound annoying to some, it really struck a special connection. The accompanying music video might have the theme of suffering from an eating disorder, but really, as a listener this could apply to so much in one’s life. We all have baggage we carry daily, and not everyone’s baggage is on their heart sleeve. That’s what I liked most about this song – besides Anastasia’s wonderful voice – is the message and the way that listeners can create their own connection.
The music video is highly engaging. Directed by Frankie Turiano, it’s highly dramatic. There’s a red-clothed figure (faceless) that is following the two protagonists. It’s like a shadowed figure that never goes away, until it embodies or covers up one of the characters. The other character is seen treading water at the end, as if to say they are not drowning yet, but the water is getting close to swallowing them. The colors are dark, with little sunlight happening in the whole video. Anastasia is wearing a white dress, as if to symbolize pureness and hope.
Anastasia is the great white hope. Her talents run deep and while her voice is a bit sophisticated for pop music, “Evaporate” is a great song overall. Unlike the title, this song has lasting power and Anastasia’s a driving force to be reckoned with. I anticipate exciting things for her in the future and this can’t be a flash-in-the-pan career. Her vocal talents have staying power, as does her music choice.
Jodi Marxbury