Many albums were released in 2021, and one of the most exquisite ones has to be “Animal” by Persona. I couldn’t resist but take the opportunity to interview their fantastic lead singer, Jelena. Here is what we talked about!
Hello, Jelena! How are you doing in these crazy times?
Hi Benedetta, thanks for having me! Doing pretty good, I feel these crazy times are actually giving us an opportunity to really evolve and grow, and I find that extremely important.
“Animal” is your latest release, and it’s such a great album. What are your feelings after you published your work?
Really happy you like it! The band and I are very proud of the result because its making has been such an exciting ride, and we’re extremely happy that the album itself shows that. It’s been getting great reactions from our listeners and from reviewers, too.
Awesome! I’ve read somewhere that you’re a fan of the movie Sweeney Todd. Which track from “Animal” would you choose as a 2021/2022 soundtrack for it?
Haha, that’s right, I love Sweeney Todd 🙂 Well, the vibe of “Animal” isn’t really musical-like, I would say, but if I had to choose, it would be ‘You Can’t Stop Me‘ or ‘Shadows‘.
I really like the structure you give to Persona’s songs. Can you walk me through the process you use?
This album is much different from the previous ones, and the process was also quite different. We wanted the songs to be compact and not very complicated in structure but still very dynamic, with lots of details and hooks to keep it engaging and fresh for the listeners. We would usually start with a powerful guitar riff and then build everything else around it but sometimes with drum parts or even a soundscape. The vocal lines and lyrics would usually come at the end when the whole atmosphere is set.
Brilliant! Do you get used to being a celebrity?
Celebrities are just humans, like everyone else 🙂 I think respecting personal boundaries within oneself is crucial for feeling balanced when exposed to lots of attention. But it’s good to be in a position where you can make some difference and be a positive influence.
Very well said. What sports do you enjoy watching or playing?
I haven’t watched any sports for a long time, but I enjoy watching gymnastics and ice skating competitions. As for myself, I usually do some mix of pilates, yoga, bodyweight and cardio exercises.
Oh, those are my favourite sports, too! If you were given the opportunity to give a speech during the Grammy Awards, what would you say?
Thank everyone who was part of my journey to the award, why the journey was important to me, say something about how I feel at the moment, and give an uplifting message in the end. Something like that, I guess 🙂
Unfortunately, women are still being discriminated against in the music industry. Did that ever happen to you?
I have to say that so far, I’ve been lucky not ever to feel discriminated against because I’m a woman.
What was your first thought when you woke up this morning?
Let’s feel good and do some creative things today!
Thank you for taking the time to do this interview, Jelena! Would you like to add anything else to FemMetal’s readers?
I think we’ve got all important stuff covered! Thank you, Benedetta, it was really fun!
Hi! My name is Benedetta, I’m 29 and I live in Northern Italy. My passion has always been music: I started taking guitar lessons when I was 6. Now I work as a sales representative, but in my free time I interview talented people, I spread the word about my favorite band (MoonSun), and I go to concerts or travel around Europe.
I am a huge collector of anything Tolkien-related, autographs, merchandise, and CDs. I am quite an original person and don’t mind being the voice outside of the choir (even though I play in the church’s choir!).
