Songfacts®:

• Gala, born Gala Rizzatto, is a Brooklyn-based Italian singer and songwriter. Born in Milan in 1975, she left home at age 17 to study at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. After graduating, she dabbled in the music business, singing backup and testing her chops at songwriting.
  
  But it wasn't until she returned to Italy in the mid-'90s that it all came together. There, she recorded "Freed From Desire," a song born from three big ideas: the jarring inequality she saw in New York, her own rediscovered passion for dance despite a back injury that had threatened to hold her back, and her love for a dancer who came to New York from Senegal with little more than an unbreakable spirit.
• The song's message is rooted in Buddhist philosophy, challenging the constant craving for more and encouraging the value of principles and personal freedom. "'Freed From Desire' is a 'fight the power' song that embodies my spirit," said Gala. "I wrote it drawing on a Buddhist concept that challenges the constant craving for more and encourages us to value our principles and our own freedom instead."
• Gala released "Freed From Desire" as the lead single of her 1997 debut album, Come Into My Life. It was met with critical and commercial success, receiving a triple-platinum certification in the UK and topping the charts in several European countries, including Belgium and France.
• "Freed From Desire" has taken on a new life as a football anthem, with fans around the world altering the lyrics to include players of their teams. Wigan Athletic fans for instance, adapted it for striker Will Grigg, changing the lyrics to "Will Grigg's on fire." France, England, Switzerland and Poland's national football associations chose "Freed from Desire" to be played as their goal music at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The song was also included in the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
• "Freed From Desire" has been used as a protest song by various groups, including the LGBTQ+ community and striking teachers.
• The song shows up in these TV shows:
  
  The BOXXER Series ("Season 3, Episodes 2 and 3" - 2022)
  Derry Girls ("The Night Before" - 2022)
  Sex Education ("Season 2 Episode 6" - 2020)
  Eglimata (season 2 Episode 10 - 1999)
• In 2016, Gala recorded an acoustic version for a French film, Un homme à la hauteur, but by 2024, she had bigger plans. Following in Taylor Swift's footsteps, she decided to re-record "Freed From Desire" to reclaim ownership after realizing she wasn't receiving her fair share of royalties.
  
  "Over the years, I put a lot of myself into keeping that song alive and relevant," she said. "I love that the song's resurgence was driven not by a commercial operation, but by people singing it at sports stadiums, students' protests, LGBTQ+ gatherings, and DJs around the world playing it."
• "Freed From Desire" remains Gala's most famous song, but she had a couple of other successful singles:
  
  "Let a Boy Cry" reached #11 in the UK and topped the charts in several European countries.
  
  "Come Into My Life" peaked at #38 in the UK and reached #1 in Italy and Spain.
  
  Gala has continued to release music and perform over the years. In 2018 she wrote and composed two original songs for the movie Favola (Fairytale): "Happiest Day of My Life" and "Nameless Love."
• Fun Fact: Her parents gave her the name Gala after Salvador Dali's wife, Gala Dali.