She has just shared a clip of that moment on her official Instagram, in a collab post with EXIT, writing: “All my life I’ve stood up against injustice. Freed from Desire was born as a fight-the-system song, and it’s an honor to see it used today by Serbian students in their peaceful protests — demanding justice and a better future after the tragic loss of 16 lives.
This Summer at Exit Festival, I felt the same spirit — people united, using music as strength against inequality. I hope that energy continues, despite attempts to silence it, so we can keep celebrating freedom, resistance, and love — next year and for many years to come.
FREEDOM AND LOVE ARE WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR. PUMPAJ!”
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Before arriving in Serbia, Gala sent a video message to students, saying she sees them, hears them, and feels them, reminding them that they are writing a new chapter in their country’s history. It’s no coincidence that students in Serbia chose this very song as their anthem, since it long ago outgrew the confines of a dance hit. The mantra‑like chorus speaks about letting go of materialism and greed, and calls for a return to community, awareness, and freedom. That universal message helped the song travel from clubs to stadiums, from sports celebrations to social movements around the world, and, with this performance, take a special place in the history of Serbia as well as the EXIT Festival.
Alongside Gala, powerful messages of solidarity with the students also came from Bob Geldof, the Sex Pistols, Indira Paganotto, and other international stars who performed at this year’s EXIT. It’s also important to note that EXIT was the only major festival to support the student protests, hosting numerous local artists who backed the students and took part in the demonstrations, and whose concerts and festival appearances were being canceled across Serbia over the summer. Among those who performed at this year’s EXIT were Goblini, Atheist Rap, Ritam Nereda, Marko Louis, Bojana Vunturišević, Kanda Kodža i Nebojša, Partibrejkersi, Pekinška patka, Džoni Midnajt Trio, Oxajo, and others.
EXIT also dedicated a special area at the Fortress specifically to students – the Free Students Stage, where they had the chance to bring their voices and messages to the audience. There was also an exhibit of authentic photographs from the protests and campus blockades, capturing the persistence and struggle of a generation.
Everything that the anniversary edition of EXIT delivered, especially Gala’s performance with the students, showed that EXIT has always been, and will remain, a platform and stronghold for free‑spirited thought and action through music, social activism, and the voice of youth. Pumpaj, Serbia!
