She is known. As the former singer and bassist of the dark metal band Sariola. After fifteen years, the band disbanded last year. She is known. As a model from the TV show “Curvy Supermodel” on RTL II. She is known from the internet. Fifty thousand followers on Instagram speak a clear language. We are talking about Ira Getman aka Loreley vom Rhein (Loreley of the Rhine). The artist comes from Belarus but now lives in Duisburg (Germany). Now she wants to start a new chapter in her career, a music project named after her.
Her music sounds like a collaboration between Rammstein and Céline Dion called “Mein Herz will go on” (My heart will go on)! Power, self-confidence and passion create a great overall work of a modern independent woman here.
That’s what the press release says. I had the opportunity to listen to the new single “To Go For Your Love” in advance. Including the official video. Ira in different very feminine outfits and in various beautiful landscapes. Well, you know how press releases like to exaggerate. OK, the single sounds heavy metal, but it’s not Neue Deutsche Härte (New German Hardness) in the style of Rammstein. And I don’t know too much about Céline Dion, but I think the Canadian singer sounds a bit different vocally. But that should not diminish the quality of the new single. A pleasant new splash of colour in Female Fronted Metal. That’s reason enough for some curious questions.
KoR: Hello Ira. I’m Rainer and I write for Metalheads Forever Magazine. Thank you for letting me do this interview with you. How are you?
Ira: Hello Rainer. I’m doing fantastic, thank you. I want to thank you for the chance to talk about my music.
KoR: You have an eventful and varied career behind you. Please introduce yourself and your projects briefly.
Ira: I am known as the front woman of the metal band Sariola. Now I feel ready to start my solo career and present my debut single “To go for your love”.
KoR: You come from Belarus but now live in Germany. What made you decide to do this?
Ira: I am lucky to have a multiple migration background. My father is Belarusian, my mother is of Russian-German descent, born in Bessarabia (today’s Moldova). I can say I am a post-UdSSR child.
My German ancestors were resettled from Germany to Bessarabia in Tsarist Russia, as was customary at the time for the French, Poles and Germans. I was born there, but I don’t speak the language of the country and can’t remember it. At that time it was still post – USSR and the whole population spoke Russian. When I was little, we moved to my father’s homeland in Belarus. I didn’t feel at home there either. In addition, I and my two sisters were outsiders for a long time because it was not common in Belarus for someone from “abroad” to move here. In addition, I also had problems with the Belarusian language, because the second state language is Russian. Also, we spoke a “pure Russian”, without Belarusian accent and mixing it with Belarusian words, so people immediately recognised that we were the immigrants. At school I had problems expressing myself in Belarusian. Even now I speak the language rather badly and don’t understand everything.
I have been making music since my school days. I was a part of a VIA called “Centre”, our director Alexander Shagov studied together with Viktor Smolski (ex-Rage, ex-Lingua Mortis Orchestra, Almanac – note by the author) at the university. During my studies in Minsk, I continued to make music, but nothing moved big. So I decided to explore the world. Moreover, I had the opportunity to travel either to Norway or to Germany, because I know both languages well enough to express myself reasonably. It worked out better with my historical homeland, Germany. Here I saw the opportunity to develop myself musically.
KoR: Do you still have contacts in your former homeland? Do you follow the development of this country?
Ira: I have hardly any contacts with Belarus, only with one or two university comrades, many of whom, like me, had left before. That was also a reason why I looked for challenges abroad, because one did not feel free. After the rigged elections in 2020, the rest of my family left the country and are now in safety. If I had stayed in Belarus, I would have already been in prison or tortured to death, because I would not just stand by and do something about it. We were told in our first year at university (Belarusian State University with the world score, world famous!) that if we took part in the demonstrations we would be expelled immediately with no right to return. It means no chance to find a decent job, no future. Or take the example of Roman Protasevich (arrested on 3 May from a Ryanair plane forced to land in Minsk – note by the author). An activist since his school days, he initially received the presidential scholarship. However, after his activities, it was revoked. After that he had no chance to study at a university in Belarus. As far as I know, he studied abroad afterwards. He could not look away from what was happening and co-founded NEXTA (the largest Russian-language Telegram channel on the political situation in Belarus – note by the author), if I am not mistaken.
My nephew was a senior officer in the Belarusian army and refused to be used against the people. He got into big trouble afterwards and also had to flee. He was interrogated and then left Belarus. He received a summons and a huge fine unjustly. Fortunately for him, he did not appear in court. However, he was stripped of his rank. He was also interviewed by a Norwegian newspaper, which made his return to Belarus impossible. The rest of the family also had to flee, because they were put in danger because of my nephew’s decision. My younger sister also took a very active stand against the regime at work and got into trouble. Fortunately, she is also safe, like the rest of my family.
I actively follow what is happening there and support Belarus as part of the Belarusian diaspora abroad. It breaks my heart to see how the people there are suffering from this injustice, because I spent part of my life in Belarus. I was particularly saddened by the video I saw online last year on the NEXTA Telegram Channel of a lecturer in our department being dismissed and escorted out of the university building by the military.
KoR: You were the singer and bass player of Sariola for eleven years. How hard was it for you to break up this band after such a long time?
Ira: With Sariola it was love at first sound. When I came to Germany, I immediately started looking for a band. I was living in Rhineland-Palatinate and there was no interesting project for me. When I discovered Sariola, I really wanted to sing there. The previous singer left the project. I travelled 300 km to Duisburg to introduce myself. Before me there were about 20 girls who had already tried their luck with Sariola. The guys then told me that they knew right away that I was going to be the next front woman without even listening to me. The chemistry was just right. After that, the guys were convinced of my singing skills. I was the only one who could sing a high soprano. I have a wide vocal range (4 octaves), we incorporated this skill into the new songs of Sariola. You could hear the lows quite clearly in the song “Crystal fracture”. I moved to Cologne and then to Duisburg. For many years we went head to head through thick and thin. We constantly had problems with the line-up. We were always missing a drummer, bass player and another guitar. At some point I got fed up and took over the bass. Not for nothing did I attend music school for classical guitar for years. Failures and further line-up problems have led to the fact that Sariola is no longer active.
Sariola is and remains an important part of my life. It is like a first school love that didn’t work out after graduation. It stays in the memory forever.
But I see it in a positive light. I was able to gain experience in teamwork, management, singing, studio recordings, stage performances, partly composing music and now I use it to position my solo projects more strongly.
KoR: The first single is finished. What will happen next with Ira Getman?
Ira: I have decided to produce single by single and release it in a certain time frame. A complete album is not yet in sight.
KoR: I read that you were a student of Floor Janssen (ex-After Forever, ex-Revamp, Nightwish). In which of these three creative periods of the Dutchwoman was that? How was the collaboration with Floor?
Ira: I had the pleasure of meeting Floor when she split from After Forever and started her band ReVamp and was still living in Roermond. At the time she was studying at the Rock Academy. She is very professional, has a good vocal technique. Working with her was very relaxed. Before Floor, I had a singing teacher who was an opera singer in Bayreuth. And after the time with Floor, I continued the singing lessons in Essen.
KoR: Your manager’s email said that you are an “influencer on the topics of feminism, self-confidence and authenticity”. I have to admit that I personally don’t know much about the term “influencer”. Please explain what is behind it.
Ira: An influencer inspires people to do something or recommends certain products. In my case as an artist, I inspire people with my image of a strong independent woman with curves. I get a lot of emails from girls who write that I encourage them to either become a model or to accept themselves as they are. I am very happy that I can help people in my own way. Since I have mostly male fans, I am especially happy that I can appeal to the female audience. Now I want to convince the fans with my music, because the moving themes are feminism, independence, love.
KoR: I know that you are also a model. I have seen many of your pictures. What impresses me is the complexity of your portrayals. Sometimes as an innocent-looking girl, then again highly erotic or as a rocking metal musician. How do you manage to portray these many different characters?
Ira: I am pleased that my pictures appeal to you. That’s the drive of a modelling job, to present yourself in a versatile way. My job is to combine the incompatible. That’s what makes me special as an artist and brand.
KoR: Thank you again for this interview. Would you like to say something to your fans at the end?
Ira: Thank you again for the great questions from you, Rainer! I would like to thank my fans for supporting me all these years and remind you all that my single “To go for your love” will be available worldwide on all platforms from 6.08 on.
The single can be bought on the known platforms. You can watch the video for the single here: The singer would be happy if many would buy the CD or watch the video. You can find more information about the musician here:
