Introducing VESSSNA: A project with a rich history in Russian Rock/Metal led by founder Marianna Lukyanova. From learning guitar at 13 to becoming VESSSNA's vocalist and guitarist, Marianna's musical journey has spanned genres. She discusses her evolution, influences, and the emotional depth behind VESSSNA's captivating music and visually stunning videos. Aspirations for future releases and performances add excitement to the road ahead. Learn more about VESSSNA's unique blend of creativity and introspection in this interview.
VESSSNA is a relatively young project, but its founder, Marianna Lukyanova, has a rich history in the Russian Rock/Metal scene. Can you tell us about your journey from learning to play the guitar at 13 to becoming a vocalist and guitarist for VESSSNA?
At first, I generally only wanted to sing and write lyrics. I also liked the bass guitar. But in the music studio where I went to study music, they didn’t take people to learn bass playing from scratch, and they told me to take some guitar lessons for at least half a year. In general, I quickly forgot about bass and vocals. Since childhood, I tried to compose songs, and when I more or less learned to play and learned the theory, I began to actively look for a band where I could apply my knowledge. At first it was a lot of one-day heavy and punk bands, mostly girly ones. I had a more or less serious band only at the age of 18, we played doom-gothic metal. After the collapse of this band, some people stayed with me, and it so happened that I became the main composer, and the vocalist also persuaded me to sing, since we could not find female vocals for a long time. This is how the Fright Night band appeared, the line-up and style of which subsequently changed many times. I have always written songs for male vocals, and for a long time we worked closely with vocalist Alexei Ovsienko. Then, when he gradually began to retire, I wrote several tracks with only female vocals. When Alexey left the band, I decided to take a break - at that time I was studying at a music school, I didn’t have the strength and time for the band. Well, I wanted to stop, think, to understand what to do next. As a result, I decided to make a "project named after myself", where all the musicians will be on a session basis.
Your project has evolved from being a part of heavy metal bands to creating music with gothic darkwave and gothic metal influences. How has this musical journey shaped the sound and identity of VESSSNA?
I believe that any musician should be able to play music in different styles, especially when he is just learning. I believe that my teachers instilled in me a good taste. I still listen to classic rock and metal. Of course, gothic is more to my liking, but, for example, in the song "Beasts and Monsters" you can hear a lot of guitar passages, in style suitable for Ozzy's songs, for example. The wider the horizons of a musician, the more music he listens to and performs, the more interesting his compositions will ultimately be, because all the best bands have always worked at the intersection of styles. And besides traditional metal, we have elements of a lot more - both progressive and folk. I also played for a long time in the darkwave project Mea Vita with my keyboardist Marina, which also undoubtedly left some imprint on my work.
In the mid-2010s, you transitioned from Fright
Night to VESSSNA as a solo project. Could you share the reasons behind this
shift and the decision to focus on completely Russian-language material?
I am very tired of people for whom music is
not the main thing in life. Yes, there were those who really helped me, but in
fact I always completely wrote music, was in charge of all organizational
aspects. I didn't feel like using the word "band" anymore, and I
didn't even want to ask anyone's opinion on important matters.
As for the Russian language - our lyrics in
Fright Night were originally written in Russian by me, then Alexei translated
them ... it was very strange. Then I thought that gothic metal in English
sounds more organic, but later I changed my mind. I think that I write lyrics
and poetry really well, and when I sing in Russian, I can express my thoughts
more sincerely and more clearly with vocals. Well, and ... probably, there's no
other place in the world where compatriots reproached so much the local
musicians for using the English language as it's going in Russia. Alas, this is
the reality, and many of the bands that started with us at the same time
eventually figured it out.
There was Vesssna's first EP "Smile of
Freedom" released between the Fright Night's last album and "Almost
Saint". There we tried to work with Max Chai-Van-Sebi, who had previously
mixed songs for us with the Mea Vita project. At that time, he had very little
experience with rock and metal bands. I doubted for a long time, but I did not
regret it. Professional session musicians were invited for bass and drums
recording. I really bothered with the arrangements, watched the video, read the
articles. In principle, the same scheme was on the album "Almost
Holy" - the music is completely mine, Marina and Max helped me with the sound
and keys, session musicians on bass and drums. The arrangements have become
even cleaner, Max also bought a lot of additional equipment. So the result was
even better than on the EP.
As for the music itself, I can say that there
are very interesting folk things in this album. As well as even small
borrowings from the classics. I composed these songs when I studied academic
vocals, so the album turned out to be quite "correct" from a
classical point of view.
The main themes of the album are experienced
betrayal and spiritual rebirth. Some kind of rethinking of your life
experience. I would say it is dedicated to all the people who have ever hurt
me. It is no coincidence that the internet edition of the album depicts a girl
wounded by many arrows.
"Beasts and Monsters," your second
full-length album, was released in 2022 after several years of preparation. How
did the process of creating this album compare to your previous works, and what
inspired the album's themes and title?
In general, the work of creating and recording
this time did not differ much from the previous one. Basically the same people
were involved, so everything turned out even better. In addition, this time I
prepared all the vocal parts together with my teacher. So, probably, my singing
wasn't so well as on this record.
As for the themes: the theme of violence and
cruelty is widely touched on the album - merciless, senseless. We all
understand that there are sadists, maniacs in the world, there are cruel
people, but the worst thing is when you realize that your loved one is capable
of this. There are a couple of songs about difficult abusive relationships, and
the last song was composed during the general quarantine of 2020, therefore it
reflects the hopelessness of the situation...
It happened that the same person makes all the
videos for us - Anastasia Krutova - a professional director and a big lover of
gothic and electronic music. We have a lot in common with her, for example, we
both love the videos of Mylene Farmer, Smashing Pumpkins and Garbage. I think
the result of our joint work is getting better every time. Anastasia loves very
complex, intricate plots with a great deal of surrealism. And this is what
distinguishes her style from everything that other Russian and foreign bands
shoot. Many people tell us that each clip is like a small movie, and it really
is. We try very hard every time to do everything with the highest quality and
monitor every detail.
As the founder and driving force behind
VESSSNA, how do you balance your roles as a guitarist, vocalist, and
songwriter? What challenges do you face in managing a solo project?
I've been doing this for so long that it's
natural for me to combine everything. I would say that for me this is the only
possible way to achieve a result, since it is difficult for me to trust
someone. The composer in me is always in the first place, then he "shares
the parts" to the guitarist and vocalist, and they work on them. A certain
band manager also does not allow them to relax and makes them meet deadlines
:). As for the promotion of the project and external communications, well, it is
easy for me to communicate with strangers and advertise something, so this is a
natural process for me.
"Smile of Freedom" was an Internet
release with four songs in 2017. How has your music evolved since then, and
what can fans expect from your upcoming EP?
I still like the songs that were included in
that EP, they are very sincere, and I did it with a great spiritual uplift.
Over time, I improved in arrangements, in
vocals, in playing ... the music became more and more complex and
"progressive". After the prog and very sophisticated album
"Beasts and Beasts" I want to take a break and go back. Therefore,
the new EP will have only one new song, quite simple - it's called
"Consolation", the EP itself will also be called this title. The
remaining 3 songs that we plan to include in it are songs from the second
Fright Night album, but now they are in Russian, only with female vocals and
re-arranged. it was important for me to do this, since I consider this material
to be undeservedly forgotten.
Russian metal and gothic bands understand that they are in a deep underground.
And since they won’t be popular, then they can play anything at all, mix
different styles, add unusual instruments, arrange mini-performances at
concerts, release their music only online and without labels, as they want it
and when they want it. There are, of course, bands that, apart from some kind
of vulgarity, can no longer attract attention to themselves, but there are also
really original bands. In Russia, the audience is very much following the
personality of the artist, and even among the underground you can only become a
star if you represent yourself as a person. There are no labels, almost no
magazines, no metal radio stations - in short, the listeners themselves find
the music that interests them. And, in fact, people in recent years have become
much better at supporting local artists. The main thing is to “hook” the
listener with something, to find some kind of your chip. But I never think
about it in advance ... sincerity is important to me and that I myself like the
end result.
Your music often delves into emotions and
complex themes. What do you hope your listeners take away from your songs and
performances?
Yes, probably, my
music is quite emotional, but I just talk about my feelings and thoughts, and
often in a very metaphorical and veiled way. It is not always immediately
possible to understand what this or that thing is about. I remember one of our
listeners told me about one of the songs that every time he hears it live, he
cannot hold back his tears. For me it was very unusual. So I realized that
being "on the same wavelength" with the audience and conveying
emotions is more important than just telling some stories in the lyrics or
calling for something. On the other hand one fan of mine from Chile once wrote
that he listens to my songs on the way to work, and they are very encouraging,
although yes, he understands that in fact the lyrics are rather sad. So let
everyone perceive my work in their own way.
The live performances of VESSSNA have been a
captivating aspect of your artistic expression. Can we expect more live shows
in the future, and how do you plan to bring your music to the stage?
Yes, I would really like to have more
performances, but it just so happens that, since all my musicians are session
ones, performances also require financial investments. Therefore, recording and
filming videos are in the first place for now, but in terms of concerts, I
would like to do something interesting in the future. In Moscow, I often
organize festivals myself, inviting like-minded bands.
Looking ahead, what are your aspirations and
goals for VESSSNA in the coming years? Are there any particular collaborations
or projects you'd like to explore?
Of course, things are very unstable at the
moment. But I would like to hope for the best. I'm planning to release an EP
before the end of the year, and I'm already writing songs for the next
full-length release. Filming of two new videos is also planned. It is possible
that there will be some joint work with our underground colleagues , it is
still difficult to say. Well, I would also like to turn Vesssna into a more
live project.
Thank you for sharing your journey and music
with us. We look forward to hearing more from VESSSNA in the future!
Thank you as well!
https://www.facebook.com/Vesssna
https://www.instagram.com/marianna_vesssna
Post a Comment