Against The Current singer and long-time League of Legends fan Chrissy Constanza has some of the most iconic Worlds songs to date, here’s how she ended up making some of the most beloved tunes LoL fans have ever heard.
League of Legends has had a long history with music. From the orchestral sounds played throughout the game’s champion selects all the way to the hyper pop fixations of K/DA, True Damage, and more recently Heartsteel, the game has been embedded with music and only continues to push the envelope.
This includes the songs made for the World Championships each year, and none knows that better than Against the Current singer Chrissy Constanza. We had the opportunity to speak to them about their time crafting both Legends Never Die and Phoenix.
A gamer at heart
Chrissy Constanza has been a lifelong fan of the gaming industry, having a controller in her hands since she was just three years old. Starting up their love of League of Legends at 16, they were familiar with Riot’s MOBA and basically jumped at the opportunity to create some magic with the game in-mind.
BIG WIN LETS GO #t1win @T1LoL pic.twitter.com/LD2UTSKsTj
— Chrissy Costanza (@ChrissyCostanza) April 13, 2024
Constanza happened to be in the studio playing with their band when the invitation from Riot arrived, truly making it a dream come true.
“To do a song for not just any video game but my favorite game was the most unbelievable idea. Sometimes I joke it’s not even really a dream come true because I could have never possibly believed something so perfect could even have happened.”
What made the opportunity even more unbelievable was the ability for Constanza to perform the song live at Worlds 2017. The singer was able to take inspiration from the fantastical display Riot had put on for the event.
“What was really amazing in the first live performance at Worlds itself was that the stage was completely turned into Summoner’s Rift. It felt like being dropped into the game in real life, coupled with the epic drums and dancers, it all felt very epic,” Constanza explained.
“It was like being down and winning the baron flip in a game 5 at Worlds, just pure adrenaline and ecstasy.”
A Phoenix rises
Of course, following on from arguably the most iconic Worlds song to ever be released, Chrissy was asked again to perform Phoenix for the LoL developers, to which the singer was honored.
“When they asked me back for Phoenix, I was just plain honored that I did a good enough job in their eyes to deserve a round two.”
Outside of her two songs, we had to ask what Constanza thought about the other bangers released for Worlds, to which the singer replied with a few of her favorites.
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“Oh wow, that’s tough because Legends Never Die really is my favorite. I do love Rise though as well, and I thought Gods was awesome. Warriors will always be my favorite though because I do feel very in love with the idea that Imagine Dragons play League themselves and that makes it feel so much more special to me.”
Giving it their all
Costanza isn’t just a well-known voice in League of Legends, however. Her most recent venture took her to the lands of Eorzea, where she sang “Give It All” the theme song for Wicked Thunder, which many players have come to love. We inquired what the recording process was like, with the singer complimenting the devs on how flexible they were.
“It was amazing, truly, they were so wonderful to work with and accommodating. I was on tour at the time of needing to record the song and they were very flexible with late-night recordings from various venues and hotel rooms, and meeting with me at 2 am my time. I had such a blast.”
With such an iconic song being loved by the community, Costanza excitedly explained how she was going to start venturing into Final Fantasy XIV soon.
“It’s one of those games at the top of my list that I need to get to, but haven’t actually. I have watched a ton of FFXIV playthroughs and other content though so I’m super familiar with it, just from a third-person view. That being said, I have it downloaded now and am planning to stream it soon and hopefully get to the raid my song is in eventually!”
Gaming in the downtime
Outside of her time spent recording, playing, and performing Costanza is often playing video games or streaming. She’s spent her time recently running back through the original Divinity, after being reinvigorated by Baldur’s Gate 3.
Streaming is also another pastime for Costanza, who uses it to chill with her fans and community.
“I take on a big persona on stage, and though I love that, I use streaming to just be more myself and chill with my fans and community. It makes streaming a low-pressure outlet for me to be fully ‘on,’” the singer explained.
Despite the myriad of achievements Costanza has achieved throughout her career, she remains humble and in awe of just how cool her fans are.
“I think if there’s one thing I would ever feel comfortable bragging about, it’s how awesome my fans are. I’m wildly lucky already to even say I have fans (I mean, how insane is that right?) but then you look at how genuinely cool mine are and I must have done something really good in another life for this kind of good luck. Thank you so much!”