Interview with original founding member and guitarist/vocalist for JENNER, Alexandra Lioness. Hailing from Serbia this 3 piece Thrash/Speed metal band is working on new music with 2 new members joining Alexandra.
Thanks for talking to me today. Your band JENNER has 2 new members. Introduce them to us?
Hello to you and to everyone who’s reading this! Yes, Jenner recently changed lineup again for the 50th time, haha. Since this is my band, I’m the only member who’s been there from the beginning. New members are Selena Simić on drums and Anja Mirković on bass guitar.
How did you find Selena and Anja?
At one point I realized that if I wanted to play live, I had to ask Selena to play the drums. We’ve known each other for a hundred years. She performed with Jenner few times before and actually recorded the album “To Live is to Suffer” while Marija was pregnant for the first time. At first I didn’t want to ask her because I knew she was totally dedicated to her band Nemesis, and doesn’t have much free time. I invited her for a beer, and after a couple of hours of talking and laughing, instead of me asking her to play with me, she asked me to be a guitar mentor at Rock Camp for Girls, where she was one of the organizers. I accepted, but I decided not to ask her to play, because I didn’t want it to look like we were doing each other a favour. I wanted to go to that camp for 4 days, to see how it works, and then talk when we get back. However, it turned out that we were going to different cities, which made me sad again. The camp was successful and a few weeks later we decided to see each other again and I casually told her that I wanted to ask her to play with me. She laughed and said, “Well, I wanted to ask you to play together! I was hoping you would ask me that day! “And so the two of us agreed to play together, but we didn’t have a bassist.
I’ve been following Anja on Instagram for a while now. I’ve noticed that she likes 80’s, heavy metal, that she dresses like a rocker, and I’ve seen that she’s got some pictures with a bass guitar. I didn’t know where she was from or how old she was, but I sent her a message without any expectations and I asked if she wanted to play with me, and she replied “Well, I also wanted to ask you to play together!” It was so cute, because it was the same situation as with Selena. I found out that she is from Belgrade, same as me, and that she is very young, she will soon turn 16, but if she really likes it and wants to progress, I don’t have a problem with that. I also found out that she was a participant in a Rock Camp for Girls two years ago, so she already knew Selena. I really like the energy of these girls! I have the motivation to work and progress again, but this time together with them!
Your first live show together as a band was back in November. How was your first show with your new band mates?
We had our first concert together on November 26th, and it was great! I really missed playing live and I had a blast. The best thing is that we were invited for that gig few days after we formed a band, so we basically had less then a month to prepare for the concert. We had only 4 rehearsals so I guess everything is possible when you put a little effort in it. This was Anja’s first gig ever, but she was like a real rockstar, I’m very proud of her. Also, Selena’s energy brought these songs to another level, so they sounded even better. This was my first concert as a singer and a guitarist, so I was little afraid because I didn’t know what to expect. In general, I think I did well, I gained new experience and now I know what to pay attention to next time we play.
Have you begun working on new songs for a new album?
I have few songs and riffs that I made while I was alone in the band, and we played one of these songs on this concert for the first time. We still didn’t start to work on new songs together, but we’ll do that as soon as possible.
You founded the band back in 2013 but have had many line up changes. How hard is it for you having to keep finding new band members?
Believe me, sometimes I wonder where I got so much strength and patience from, haha. From 2013 Jenner changed 5 bassists, 3 drummers and 2 singers. That’s too much. We couldn’t maintain any continuity with playing and writing songs. Every time we change a member, we had to go back to beginning, especially if the girl doesn’t know how to play her instrument very well. I had to work with some of them from zero, to even show them how to hold a pick. I didn’t mind, if she really wanted to play, I could wait a month or two, practice with her. I just don’t like when someone is playing games with me and wastes my time. I began to lose patience in 2018, when we were making EP „The Test of Time“. I even wanted to stop working with the band and start my solo project. Everybody told me that I should be patient and to continue working with the band. I recorded everything on EP by myself except drums, which were recorded by my friend, Nikola Simonović. Then I decided to continue with the band as trio, with my sister Marija Dragićević on drums and Katarina Henc on bass guitar. After the release of our EP “Test of Time”, in March 2020, there was a lockdown in Serbia, because of COVID pandemic. Our idea was to practice during that time and to promote the EP as soon as the conditions were created. We had our first rehearsal after the quarantine in May, and then I was told that Katarina no longer wanted to be in the band, and a couple of months later, Marija quit as well. I was so disappointed, because I recently announced a big comeback and new members on social media, and everyone supported us to the maximum. I had a feeling we were going to do something big, but instead of that, the band dropped to zero. That was a huge disappointment for me, but I didn’t want to share that with anyone except my beloved ones. I started to question myself whether I made the right decision at all when I decided to continue working with the band, instead of working alone. Instead of making drama and crying on social media, I used that time to build a new fan base on Instagram and YouTube. I started recording covers and posting videos where I play guitar. Also, I started working on new songs, and I had to study a lot, because I had few huge exams left until the end of my studies. I stopped burdening myself with the band, I didn’t want to force anything, but I never stopped playing music. In the meantime, I wrote a lot of new songs for my other band – Sigma Epsilon. For a short time I formed a band again, but that line-up didn’t work well. And just when I wasn’t expecting anything from the band, Selena and Anja came into my life and gave meaning to everything I’ve been doing all these years.
What got you into this style of metal music?
The right question is who got me into this music, and that is my mother. She’s huge heavy metal fan, her favorite bands are Anthrax and Europe. I always liked music, but I started to listen to rock and metal at the age of 13. My sister always liked hard rock and glam metal, and I was more into heavy metal and rock’n’roll. She liked Bon Jovi and Tigertailz, and I liked Motorhead and Saxon, for example. We both liked Motley Crue tho, haha. We started exploring thrash metal more when we met our producer Luka Matković. Nowadays I don’t limit myself when it comes to listening to music or composing. I listen and write what suits me at that moment.
What guitarists or bands got you interested in playing guitar and being in a band?
Lots of them, but lets say Motley Crue, Vixen, WASP, Judas Priest…
Your band released a EP back before the pandemic started so you never really had the chance to play live after that. Are you hoping to do more live shows or concentrate on next album first and then tour after that?
We are a small band, so far we haven’t had the opportunity to go on tour due to private obligations, because none of us makes a living from music. Anja is still going to school, I graduated from the Faculty of Medicine this year and now, until I start my internship, I have to work in the company that my boyfriend and I started last year, and Selena also works. The idea is to slowly write songs for the new album, but also to play some concerts and, above all, to enjoy the music and each others company.
You’re from Serbia. What are some other metal bands from your part of the world?
There are lots of bands, I’ll mention just few of them. Deadly Mosh, Infest, Nemesis, Quasarborn, Centurion… Also there are lots of death metal, black metal and punk bands.
For people that don’t know, how would you describe the sound of JENNER?
Oldschool, energetic, fast and loud
What are some of your favorite current Metal bands?
King Diamond, Judas Priest…
How long have you been playing the guitar? Did you take lessons or self taught?
I first started to play bass guitar in 2011, and 2 years after I started to play electric guitar. Let’s say almost 10 years, haha, because I don’t remember exact moment I started to play. I’m self taught, I never took guitar lessons, except for Youtube lessons, and advice from my friends guitarists.
What are your goals for your band in the new year?
My only goal is to have fun! While writing new songs, playing concerts or just hanging out with the girls.
Thanks for the interview. I wish you and the band all the best.
Thank you!
Interview by Blake Mossey