#Pussy Riot and Dorian Electra Share Wild Video for New Song “TOXIC”: Watch

In a statement, Tolokonnikova noted that this year is the 10th anniversary of Pussy Riot creating political music and art. “‘TOXIC’ is political, because personal is political,” she said. “The single reflects on the importance of self-care, cherishing your mental health and staying away from relationships that poison you.” She continued:

A few years ago I went through an emotionally abusive relationship (that ended up being physically abusive, too—I was being held against my will in a house we lived in). The best way to process trauma for me is via creating art, that’s why we wrote TOXIC with Dorian and Dylan. Besides music, I use other tools to convince others to put their mental health first, train themselves to recognize emotional violence and leave abusive relationships ASAP.

“I’m so honored to be featured on this track,” Dorian Electra said in a statement. “Nadya is one of my all-time favorite people, friends and collaborators and I’ve always been so inspired by Pussy Riot’s blending of activism and art. This song came together so quickly with Nadya and Dylan in the studio—we knew we had to make something both hella abrasive and cute at the same time.”

In January, multiple members of the Pussy Riot collective were arrested in Russia after protesting for the release of opposition leader Alexey Navalny. A few days later, the ensemble released a video for the new song “RAGE,” which had been scuttled in production last year after being deemed “gay propaganda” by Russian authorities last year.

Last summer, the band released the new songs “Riot” and “1312,” and Tolokonnikova penned an op-ed for The New York Times supporting Navalny. Peter Verzilov, another associate of the group, was arrested twice in 2020.