“This song reflects my love for both our culture and Latvia’s nature, which gives me strength. I dared to give this well-known melody my own personal sound,” says Maksims.

The arrangement was developed in close collaboration with music producer Džulians (Jānis Zvirgzdiņš), and vocal coach Una Stade assisted with the vocal delivery. The special sound of the piece is enriched by Laima Jansone’s kokle performance, which, as Maksims describes, “sounds like the strings of the soul.”

“When Laima agreed to participate, the song finally gained that special feeling I had been longing for — her kokle playing became the heart of this version. Kokle is my favorite traditional instrument! Just like in Rainis’ play “Spēlēju, dancoju”, where Totss plays the kokle. I hope that one day I’ll have the chance to play Totss — it would be a beautiful reason to learn the kokle,” Maksims shares.

Another important element in the song is the RDKS Gospel Choir, symbolizing the voice and unity of the people: “I truly wanted a choir to sing with me in this version — as a symbol of the people’s voice. When one melody is sung by many voices moving in the same direction, hearing each other — that’s the only way we can all come out of the darkness into the light,” says Maksims, who sang in a choir for ten years and has participated in the Latvian Song and Dance Festival.

Listen to the song here!