This week’s featured Meet The Band artist is Venus 5. The quintet of female European singers just released their self-titled debut album. Vocalist Karmen Klinc introduces us to her band.
Chad Bowar: Give us a brief history of Venus 5.
Karmen Klinc: Venus 5 is a new band, created by Frontiers Music srl. Serafino Perugino got the idea of putting together five girls, singing metal music. Mario de Riso helped him, finding five girls from five different European countries and started making everything possible. So here we are: Tezzi (Persson) from Sweden, Herma (Kick) from Italy, Erina (Seittlari) from Albania, Jelena (Milovanovic) from Serbia and myself from Slovenia. We don’t have much history yet, except for the recording sessions and making videos, but we do believe there’s a bright future ahead for us.
Describe the songwriting process for your self-titled debut.
The songs were written by Jake E. (Cyrha, ex-Amaranthe), Stefan Helleblad (Within Temptation) and Per Aldeheim (Def Leppard, H.E.A.T, Stanfour, etc). We had to learn all of the songs before we started working in the studio. Aldo Lonobile as a producer and Jake as co-producer guided us through the recording sessions and we created what you can hear on our album.
What will be your strongest memory of the recording of the album?
There’s a lot of great memories. We were working very hard, but it’s been an amazing experience with lots of laughter. I remember teaching Aldo and Jake how to say fantastic in Slovenian language, and after we did something right they often used it, pronouncing it in a funny way. And once we couldn’t sing something right, Aldo told us he’s going to come to our stage someday and say “no” in Italian. Imagining him doing that was really funny. Putting funny memories aside, I will never forget that the whole team that worked together for the first time got along so well and created something so amazing.
How would you characterize its style/sound?
You can find a lot of styles on the album. You can hear all the genres included, from heavy metal to symphonic metal to hard rock and pop. Erina would say the album is soft and heavy. We could also say it’s pop metal, because of the catchy melodies and metal background.
How do the visual elements come into play?
Well we’re just who we are. We didn’t change anything with the visuals, except for the videos where we can be Alice In Wonderland, a queen for a day, or a spy. Other than that, we’re all very different from one another and I think that’s also what makes Venus 5 so unique. We have Erina with fiery red hair and witchy style. Girly Jelena, who looks great in pink and loves the latest street fashion trends, Swedish metal girl Tezzi with a mystic dark style, industrial alien Herma who loves green color, and myself, who’s in love with everything that reminds of ’80s heavy metal style.
What lyrical topics do you cover?
The lyrics are talking about taking risks in life, about strength, love, sadness, having fun, heartbreaks, etc. I would say mostly the topics anyone can relate to.
What has the response been to the singles you’ve released so far?
The response has been very good so far and we’re very thankful to each and every person that supports us.
What are your goals and expectations for the album?
I’d say our goal is to reach as many listeners as possible and to present the album in the best possible way, with live performances as well. There’s nothing more magical than the connection and energy between the audience the stage. We do hope and believe people will give us a chance.
Do you have plans to play live shows?
We do. The first show we play together is in Spain, at Zurbaran Rock festival, on 9th of July.
How did you get started in music?
It’s been a big part of my life since forever. My father was actually the one who introduced me to music. When I was little he played the guitar and I sang along. At the age of five I started to play the piano and visit music school. In high school I decided to focus on singing. I was in a girls choir called Aurora. We were winning many international competitions and we also had a full-length concert in Slovenian Philharmonic. At the time I also started my first band.
Who were your early influences and inspirations?
Anything I could find in my father’s LP collection. Bands like Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, The Beatles, CCR, Dire Straits, The Doors, Jimmy Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Queen, Eagles and many more. There was a lot of classic rock music, which I still love to listen to. As a child I also discovered Tchaikovsky in Walt Disney movies, like Sleeping Beauty. I’ve been a big fan of his compositions ever since.
What was your first band, and what type of music did they play?
It was actually a girl band. We had a few pop/rock style songs, but the whole thing didn’t last very long.
What was the first metal concert you attended?
Iron Maiden in Ljubljana 2007.
What are some of your non-musical interests and hobbies?
I sometimes do watercolor painting, it’s fun and relaxing. And I really love hiking. I like to feel connected with mother nature and the view from the mountain top is always breathtaking.
Anything else you’d like to mention or promote?
A big thank to Heavy Music HQ for this interview, and everyone who’s reading it. And also listen to the Venus 5 album. You won’t be disappointed.
(interview published June 11, 2022)
