Jinjer Interview By Jet Pace
Throughout these years, Jinjer has consecutively won Best Band in the Ukraine. how does that make you all feel going from being touted as “pathos and crabs” to pouring your hearts and souls into becoming known world round as a “phenomenal” band?
Well, we always knew that this band isn’t definitely about pathos at all. Another thing that people never believed we would make it. Partially it moved us all the time, we probably wanted to show those skeptics how wrong they were. But mostly we made music and keep making it and tour because we just love it. And getting bigger and bigger we are so much busy that there is short time to look back and think over it and feel, we just enjoy it.
Even though you all heard those comments were made behind your backs, what was it like to be so determined that your passion, drive and creativity outweighed mediocre criticism?
We didn’t pay much attention to that. Like you said with that level of passion, determination, we just did what we liked and that’s it.
Tatiana revealed that diversity is HUGE in the creative process for everyone in Jinjer. Where does that come into play with taking emotional freedoms and liberties in the creative process?
Diversity now comes into play during the creative process all the time. At this point we all are engaged into writing music and we are all free creatively. So each of us can express themselves in the music of Jinjer.
Teamwork and being inclusive of each others energies and talents seems hugely important to you all. Can you all share why it’s important to each of you and what is the key to working together for the best results?
Well, My personal opinion is that writing music together instead of giving this privilege to one person helps to overcome a lot of negative creative aspects, like for example self-plagiarism, when some bands start playing that old same song over dozens of albums. It helps your music breathe freely and shine with much more colors and shades.
You all stopped working toward making Micro an album because you were asked come back to America and build a rep here. Was it hard for you all to decide to stop knowing you had struck a creative vein like none other before in prior albums?
No, it wasn’t a too hard decision. We knew it was right to do so and we did. Micro turned out to be a an incredible release, and this is when a size doesn’t at all
What do you think is you most significant work from Micro and do you intend to add to that compilation?
What sort of compilation? It is very very hard to choose the most significant one out of these five tracks. Really. They all are like edges of the same diamond
In prior interviews, you mention that you held a fascination with America as a young teen, even painting your nails as the American flag. Why were you so intrigued and influenced by America?
It is easy… We were overloaded with American culture after the Iron curtain fell. American movies, books, fashion, music like a wave covered us completely. Everything local lost its value, but exotics from overseers took the first place. Probably due to this we turned to be the most westernized generation
Even though MHF is a world magazine, I hale from United States and am asking you all to describe for people what it is like to be artists in the Ukraine – are there limitations to creative freedoms and can you describe some social differences?
Hmm… There is no pan form to be an artist in Ukraine, almost none. It is a leftover from the USSR, being an artist is actually considered being a lazy ass doing nothing. The art unfortunately isn’t yet much appreciated. And I am talking about the art in general, not only music. So it is always a struggle for surviving.
Our upbringing and surroundings impact creativity. Can you describe some of your social, cultural and political influences that shape the messages and meanings in your music?
Ha, we are a lost generation. Born on the ruins of the Soviet Empire. We had no past nor future spending our childhood in the years of severe economic crisis while our parents literally struggled to survive and feed us, the children. We were raised with the American culture and at the same time this culture was hated by older generations, and these old generations kept praising the USSR and their lost motherland. We were fed the ideas of communism at school, as it was just years after the communism fell, but we lived in a new born capitalistic barbarism.
Tatiana I wholeheartedly share your outlook that gender does not define or limit talent, courage or outspokenness. Male or female, people must intelligently respect each others strengths and talents in order to create projects and teams that defeat all odds. How would you describe Jinjer being a good example of that mentality?
Honestly, I don’t really think about it unless I am asked such questions… People just should respect each, no Matter what gender they are, race, country of origin… We are all equal, we are all bros and sisters
On the album King Of Everything, you speak of breaking mental addictions to material and fluid beliefs that can hold people back. In your country a lot of political suffering is based on that. What addictive idea do you think the world could benefit from letting go of and what what ideas do you think the world could benefit from by embracing?
To be honest in my opinion religions are the thing we should eventually get rid of. It still brings so much pain and suffer to people, this blind faith is so much destructive. As for what we should embrace – the celebration of science as the only way to enlightenment and of course the idea of unity for the whole mankind. The unity of not only people between each other, but the unity of the mankind and nature in which the latest one won’t suffer from our progress.
Because you’ve changed so much as a band in terms of talent and genre was it hard to remake “Inhale, Do Not Breathe?”
Remake? We didn’t remake it. We reissued Cloud Factory. Which is fine. But yeah, remaking Inhale is a problem. The quality of that release is too low in terms of production so we can hardly do anything to make it better. It has its value of course and we will maybe do something with it, but this project will require quite a lot of energy, time and strength
What was your biggest accomplishment in 2018 that will carry into 2019?
Hard to say, too many accomplishments to choose one
What are the goals you all have set for 2019 and beyond, what can we look forward to from you all in the days ahead?
The main goal is making more music. And this is what we are craving for at the moment
What message would you give the world toward finding self, believing in talents and becoming ones very best?
The main message is to be yourself, be honest with yourself and do what you really enjoy
MHF Magazine/Jet Pace
