Icona Pop Refreshes Ultra Naté’s Club Classic ‘Free’ Into a ‘Very Now’ Banger
The freedom of love and dance is exactly what Icona Pop and Ultra Naté channel on their “You’re Free” collab, a reimagining of Naté’s “Free” to celebrate the “classic” song’s 25th anniversary. The refreshed version is sure to be a club staple.
Aino Jawo and Caroline Hjelt used to play the Naté track in clubs even before they formed their duo. “It is the ultimate expression of what we want Icona Pop to represent; freedom to be whoever you want to be, live life to the fullest, and have fun,” the women said about the original track. “At first it was intimidating when we started to play around with the idea of making a new version, but it felt natural and really came together when Ultra Naté said she wanted to collaborate on our version. We are beyond honored.”
“We hope that we have done it justice,” Icon Pop added, referring to Ultra Naté as a “legend.”
Ultra Naté, who released her single “Miracle” earlier this year, shared her excitement about working with the Swedish duo on the song’s reimagining and said she “immediately felt good” with Icona Pop’s approach to the classic club banger. “It all feels like a big party with a lot of in-your-face attitude, and I’m here for all of that!“ she said.
“‘You’re Free’ really is the kind of interpretation I had hoped for: to introduce the song to the next generation of clubbers in a way that is not framed as nostalgia, but as very now,” she said. “It’s so important to find a way to bridge the gap when working with such a highly identifiable, classic record. And believe me, many have tried over the years!”
The single comes as Icona Pop and Charli XCX celebrated the 10th anniversary of “I Love It” earlier this month. “It’s always hard to beat that first vision you have for a song, but we wanted to take a fresh look at it together with some of our favorite new producers and bring it closer to the experience of Icona Pop live in 2022,” the group said.
