Barbara Jedovnicky

AM : As you’re a newcomer on the european metal scene, can you present us the band, and tell us how it all began ?

Barbara : Hi Eric and hello to all the readers and creaters of your website !
Let me introduce us, there are 6 of us in the band:
barbara jedovnicky : vocals
rok kolar : violin
tine cas : guitar
luka verdnik : guitar
lenart jerabek : bass
mitja melanšek - mic : drums
We come from Slovenia and we know each other more than 10 years. Some of us were schoolmates, others got to know each other at our local music school. We started playing together and in 1999 we established the line up as it is today. Slowly we got into Slovenian music scene and so in 2004 we released our debut album “Numedia”. That was in Slovene language and only for slovenian market. At the end of November 2005 we released our new album “Out Loud”, this time in English and with worldwide release.

AM : It’s stated on Napalm Records website that you won several international competitions ? Which ones and what did it bring to you ?

Barbara : In spring 2004 we participated in the international music competition Newcomer 04 in club Orpheum, Graz, Austria, and from among 92 bands won the first place. Beside the first price we got to play before P!NK in Piberstein, Austria. After the concert Napalm records offered us to sign a contract. Because of that we released a new album in less then a year time. The same year in autumn we won also the “Alpe- Adria” competition in Monfalcone, Italy. We used the first price for shooting the video for “bla bla” from “Numedia”.

AM : I think your sound is an unusual mix of modern metal (nu metal ?), rock and violin, how did you get this alchemy and the idea to use the violin ?

Barbara : We once got the idea to make a song with the violin and so one of us knew Rok (the violin player) from the music school and called him. At the beginning he only recorded stuff for us but then in a while we got so attached to him and the violin that we decided to start working on that. We think that the violin gives us a great combination of classical and rock sound.

AM : You’re compared to Evanescence by your label, what do you think of this comparison, doesn’t this put much pressure on you ?

Barbara : On one hand this is very flatering but on the other hand I wouldn’t compare us to Evanesence. The whole idea of message in our music is different. It’s most of all going into direction of positivism and energy and not so much into direction of pathos. When we were creating “Out Loud” we wanted to create live feel.

AM : There are many potential hit singles on the album, are you going to release singles and make a video for the musical televisions ?

Barbara : Thanks for the compliments. We are promoting three singles right now. “The mirror”, “n.ss” and “Out of the great book of fairytales”. We are definitely planning to do a video as soon as possible.

AM : About your album, how is the composition process, is there a main songwriter or do you all compose some songs ?

Barbara : Usually Rok ( the violinist) brings the main idea into rehursal room and then everybody takes care of their own part. When it’s decided in wich direction we want to go we create the basis of the song. That means that guitarists do the arrangements for guitars, drummer for drums, … It is most often then when I start to work on lyrics. When the song is finished we always play it live to see the reaction of the audience. This is important to us. We wouldn’t put a song on album that doesn’t function live.

AM : What are your lyrics about ?

Barbara : Themes of the lyrics are different, but they all come from some realistic situations or experiences (except from “out of the great book of fairytale”, which is obviously a fairy tale). Observing how life takes us through different stages and situations is an inspiration to me. Watching people and trying to understand their stories…It can be a story of somebody else (the way I see it) or it can be something I’m thinking or questioning about. But the main message of naio ssaion music (in whole) is positivism in sense of believing in yourself, not giving up and moving the boundaries.

AM : What does “naio ssaion” mean ?

Barbara : naio ssaion is a name connecting 6 different but irreplaceable characters who walk the same path while following the same goal. It expresses our aspects of life, our energy, our creativity, our virtues and our love towards what we’re doing, towards music. We’re very proud of this name and it is only ours…

AM : Last question, you’re from Slovenia, and you’re the first band I know for this land, so how is the metal scene and the metal audience out there ?

Barbara : Slovenia is a very small market (2 million people), so alternative bands don’t get many opportunities. Despite that we have some great metal musicians. Some of the bands: Laibach, God Scard, Noctiferia, Kaoz, Leaf-fat...

AM : That’s all, thanks for the interview ! I hope 2006 will birng you much success !

Barbara : Thank you s! Wishing you all the best in 2006 !