We had the pleasure of interviewing Nicol Hofmanová, from the Czech Metal band, STELL/\RIS. What does the vocalist have to tell us about herself, her band’s music, and her thoughts on many things? Let’s find out!
Interview
Hello Nicol! How are you and the other members of Stellaris doing these days?
Hello! Next week we are going to play our first gig of this year so now we are really good and happy 🙂
Wow! That’s awesome! If someone is reading this and has never heard your music before, how would you encourage them to check your music out?
If you like modern metal with a woman behind the microphone, you are our man. We will take you on the journey without any musical boundaries, based on heavy guitars, intense grooves and wide-range vocals of the frontwoman Nicol. In 2020 we released our very first music video single “Find your Course” which immediately got attention both in Czech republic as well as abroad. Now we are up to release a new single so stay tuned.
Brilliant intro! You released your single ‘Find Your Course’ last year. Can we expect any new releases soon?
Yes. We are going to release a new single on the 4th June.
Awesome! How do you feel about the reaction from the fans to your music so far?
There are so many positive reactions and a big support from our fans. We didn’t expect that with one single we can reach so many people. We are grateful for everybody who supports us. There are some critics or haters, of course, but we are doing our best to learn from the constructive criticism so our new music and videos can be better.
We have a tradition to play a game with our interviewees to get our readers to see their imagination and fun side. I will give you a situation in an alternate universe and you have to react.
In a universe where you sing in a jazz band, what would the band’s name be?
Haha, it would be like a parallel universe where everything is wrong 😀 Well, what about “Messy Notes”.
In a universe where the currency is the person’s sense of humour, how rich would you be considered?
If sarcastic humor counts, then super rich.
In a universe where a zombie apocalypse occurred, would you be hiding in a safe house, Outside fighting the zombies, or already a zombie?
Fighting the zombies with my guys I guess 😀
In a universe where you can travel back and forth in time, what time or era would you like to visit most?
I would like to visit a future (if there is any), where there is no cruelty, poverty, wars, everyone is equal and everyone is vegan and listening to metal music 😀 I know, I know. But just imagine it for a minute.
In a universe where the senses of sight and taste are mixed up, what would your art taste like?
Like a really good Czech beer. Once you taste it, you will never want to drink another one.
Thank you for playing Nicol. Hope that was fun!
Yeah, it surely was!
Humanity has advanced in many aspects of rights and liberty, but unfortunately, there is still a lack of equality in some fields. Have you ever faced sexism as a musician and a person? (If yes,) How would you deal with sexism?
Luckily, I have never had to face sexism that would affect me the way I would have to deal with it. However, once there was a guy, singer of a death metal band, who told to the microphone during his performance on stage “Hey Nicol, listen to these deep growls. I’ll show you how to do it because you know, girls can’t growl and scream that well like guys do.” We played our show after them and then he came to me, apologized and told me he was wrong. That my growls are deep as f***.
Great words! What advice would you give to young people who face discrimination of any form?
Stay strong and try to help other people who are facing the same s*** as you do. Educate the people around you and share your experiences. Together we are stronger.
Thank you for the interview, Nicol! It was a pleasure!
