In her latest single, Iona Zajac confronts toxic masculinity, reflecting on formative experiences from her youth. “Anton” features a sparse arrangement that places Zajac’s vocals front and center. The song is thematically close to her heart and deeply personal, and the vocal performance carries a haunting vulnerability that makes an impression on the first listen. Her voice almost trembles under the weight of memory, making her words heavy with confession and feeling. In the corresponding music video – a document of her singing confessional-style in front of the camera with a curtain backdrop – we watch her tremble as the words flow from her mouth. The song concludes with a butterfly metaphor that signifies hope after this catharsis.
“Anton is all the men who assumed they had the upper hand. The men that haunted my teens with their egos and their hands. It’s for the girls who said ok or didn’t. Who were expected to be ok or pretended to be. Anton is the power and the rage I’ve found since. I’m facing these bad times and giving them a terrifying scream, a wink, a handshake, a headbutt.”
-Iona Zajac on “Anton”
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