Chrissy Costanza Talks "Give it All," FFXIV's New Raid Track in The Arcadion

If there’s one thing that we can always count on when it comes to Final Fantasy XIV, and the series as a whole, it’s a dedication to creating incredible music tracks to suit every instance. From evocative world themes, to rousing boss battle music, you’d be hard-pressed to find something that doesn’t make its way to your playlists. 

With Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, a brand new Raid series has launched called The Arcadion. Within it exists an invigorating track called “Give it All,” which plays during the battle against Wicked Thunder. Not only does this track hark back to A Realm Reborn’s iconic Shiva battle song “Oblivion,” but it’s performed by Against the Current’s lead vocalist Chrissy Costanza. We had a chance to talk with Chrissy about how the project came to be, how she gave life to the vibrant track, and her history as a life-long gamer.

GINX TV: I wanted to ask, what were your initial thoughts when Square Enix  came to you with this project? What did you immediately think? 

Chrissy Costanza: Oh, I was so pumped. I've grown up with the name Final Fantasy since I've been playing games, since I was three. So, when you get that kind of message, ‘Hey, we have a song. We think it might be a good fit for you, would you be interested?’ I was like, ‘Would I be interested?!’ 

So, it's really cool getting to be part of something that's so iconic and feels much bigger than me. Getting to just play a small role in that is kind of a crazy thing. It's hard to wrap your head around.

GINX TV: And for the music as well, which I always associate Final Fantasy with having just incredible music. So when they bring in artists like yourself and it becomes this whole orchestrated, brilliant production, it's very easy to get excited by it. Could you talk a little bit about the recording process, perhaps? How did you approach it, for example? 

Chrissy Costanza: So, I was actually on tour while this was all happening, which was funny because we had to get it done pretty quickly. I was over in the UK and Europe, and I remember having to get it done. Everyone was so nice at Square Enix, we were working on six different time zones, it was crazy. I was recording one day in a venue that we were parked at that we weren't even playing, it was just our day off. They were nice enough to let me use a green room, and I was recording at midnight my time, and then a hotel on another day to finish it. So it was kind of crazy. 

I was really grateful I brought a Rode recording kit set up — I don't always do that, so I was really, really appreciative that I remembered to pack it. It was just awesome, and it was really fun getting to essentially play a character in a way. In songs I've done in the past, it's Against the Current just as myself, whereas this one, there is a character here, and we got to dive into that character's story, and motivations, and what she would be thinking.

GINX TV: So very different to how you would traditionally record with Against the Current?

Chrissy Costanza: Yeah, because —you know, it sounds really narcissistic— but it's me, it's my voice. So I just think about, ‘Well, what do I feel, what do I think, how would I sing this, how do I want to sing this?’ As opposed to how would the character be feeling in this moment, what are the character's motivations, and also how is the player going to experience this song? You know? What's going to make the best experience for the player while they're in game hearing this? 

GINX TV: When you heard the final version of the song, what did you think? 

Chrissy Costanza: I was so excited. I was also really lucky to get to work with Gus from a band called Voila, who I've collaborated with a couple of times and I'm going on tour with. I hit him up and was like, ‘Hey, I'm on tour. I have these vocals and I need someone to edit them.’ And he's amazing at producing vocals. My session was crazy, I organized everything, and sent it to him —and he just makes magic— and then collaborated with Square Enix to finish it up. You always get goosebumps when you hear the final version of something.

GINX TV: Because this isn't the first time that you and Against the Current in general have collaborated with a gaming brand to create music. Like the two League of Legends songs, which were awesome. As a vocalist, how do you give each song that unique voice that fits in so well with each project?

Chrissy Costanza: I think part of it just comes down to, when you're collaborating with an existing IP or company or game, leaving your ego at the door, realizing it's not about you. Obviously, the collaboration has come to my door, so there is something of me that makes sense for this, but at the end of the day, it's about the game. 

It's about the song, it's about the story, it's about the character, it's about the fans who are going to be playing it, so you need to kind of put what you would want aside, and look at that bigger picture and say, ‘Okay, what's going to make this the best for all of those different factors? For all those different people who  have a stake in this?’ And I think in that way, it makes it a lot easier, because then you don't get as wrapped up in yourself. You kind of just think about what objectively would be the best for the player experience, to represent Final Fantasy 14.

GINX TV: I remember watching League of Legends Worlds, in I think 2017, for Against the Current’s song in the opening ceremony. I remember thinking, wow, esports has really stepped it up, with the whole production. I guess that's a trend that Riot Games have continued by constantly having incredible performances at esports events. And the same happens during Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fests. I love whenever games collaborate with rock artists, especially. 

Chrissy Costanza: It works really well together, too. Really well. Music and gaming is so anthemic, and it's epic, and it wants to rile you up. So I think my favorite collaborations are typically with the rock artists, not even being biased myself as one, but just because it pumps you up. It feels like that big arena rock feeling. It's just so fun.

GINX TV: And you're a big gamer yourself, right? Could I ask what your favorite games are? 

Chrissy Costanza: It's tough. I've been gaming my whole life, pretty much. The Riot IPs overall have been very special to me, League has been something that I've played since I was 16 years old, so it's pretty core to my soul. But honestly, my favorite games have always been things that are rooted in some kind of fantasy RPG. So I loved Skyrim, I love Divinity, which doesn't get as much love as it should. I loved the Fable series. It kind of just ebbs and flows depending on where I am, how much I'm touring, etc. So I would say my favorite game of all time is  probably Divinity 2, which is a hot take, but that is my favorite.

GINX TV: I know quite a few people that would definitely agree. Even people in our office are like, ‘Yeah, Baldur's Gate 3 is great, but have you played Divinity 2?’

Chrissy Costanza: Listen, I played through the whole of Baldur's Gate 3. No shade — I liked it, it was fun. But the elemental magic system in Divinity 2 is just so satisfying. It is so much fun to light places on fire, and then put it out with a rain spell. And then you electrify your puddle. It's fun, it's a good time.

I also love the Total War series, but more on the Warhammer side. I have played some of the more historical ones. I'm excited to play Pharaoh. I'm going to do a campaign with one of my bandmates.  I love the Warhammer ones, though I haven't played the third one yet. I do love Warhammer 2. 

GINX TV: Are there any games coming out that you're, kind of, excited for, or perhaps haven't had the chance to dive into that you're, kind of, eyeing up a little bit?

Chrissy Costanza: So Warhammer 3, which is out, and it's been out for a little while, I just actually haven't gotten a chance to play it. I'm also watching this, it doesn't have any release date or anything in sight, but it's called Crimson Hollow. It's an indie developer, and she's developing entirely on her own. She's been posting vlogs and she has a Discord, and somehow I got recommended the YouTube video of the very first dev vlog and I have been on the ride ever since. It's kind of like a spooky looking Stardew. The art style is really cool. She also makes really good videos on showing her process.

GINX TV: Do you think you'd be curious to try out Final Fantasy XIV, now that you play a very cool part in it? 

Chrissy Costanza: Absolutely,  and I have, it's just been one of those things where you know that your life disappears for a while. The first time I ever played WoW was when I was sick for three months, and I couldn't leave my bedroom. So it's one of those things where I have to be ready to commit the time.I have dabbled, but I would love to do a full on stream and go through it with everybody. I've watched so many hours, hundreds of hours of streamers.

GINX TV: You recently unveiled your own solo project, which is also super exciting. How's the reaction been to the first song? 

Chrissy Costanza: The reaction was amazing, which I was so grateful for. I always panic before anything's released in general, but doing a solo project was even scarier, because you don't really have anyone else to say, ‘Oh, well, you thought it was a good idea.’ If everyone thinks it's stupid, it's your own idea, so you bear the full brunt. It's very stylized — I mentioned, I love fantasy, so it's very much in a fantasy world. The whole video is very stylized. Everything about it, the email lists that we send out are on parchment-looking paper, so I was kind of like, ‘Is this too much?’ But the reaction has been amazing, and I'm really, really grateful for it, and I'm excited to tour it. 

GINX TV: I listened to the song last week and watched a video — it's really striking.Did you have any particular influences, either for the song or the music video? 

Chrissy Costanza: Yeah, I like sword and sorcery fantasy. And then I did go down a rabbit hole of, I think they're calling it Romanticy. On tour I was reading it a lot, because it was  a really easy and light read, and I was just, like, ‘You know, I just kind of want to play one of these characters for once.’ 

And then the other side of it is I'm really inspired by Greek mythology, and mythology in general. And I was also inspired by the Diablo franchise. I was really inspired by Lilith, because I was watching all of the cinematics and I had played through Diablo 4.

Sometimes you just go into one of those holes, and you just disappear. I loved Lilith's story. I liked the idea, when I was looking into Lilith's story online, where some people paint her as a villain. But then some people see it as her perspective of the situation, it's because she didn't want to be submissive to someone. She didn’t want to do what was asked of her when it wasn't what she wanted out of life, and then she somehow gets painted as a villain. I liked that dual nature, and that's a lot of what inspired the light angel and dark angel in the video, and in the song.

"Give it All" features as part of The Arcadion Level 100 raid series in Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail and will be included in the upcoming album from THE PRIMALS. Pre-orders for the album can be purchased here.