ElectraHeart: “Girls run everything!”

By Mitrovica Rock School communications trainee Marina

ElectraHeart is a mixed band from Mitrovica Rock School. They consist of five members: singer and songwriter Rina, guitarist and backing vocalist Tringa, Jelena, who plays bass in this band, guitarist Egzon and drummer Baton. They are a dream team of talented and musically educated young Mitrovica people whose dreamy pop rock sound is incredibly fresh and recognizable.

ElectraHeart is a young band, but their talent, progress and success are undeniable. They’ve had many independent gigs and their growth is something to admire. We decided to interview them and see what they have to say about their music and much more. This is what they told us:

Rina, since you’re the songwriter, tell us something about what you write and what do you want people to hear and learn from your music. Is there any (song)writer you look up to?

“I write about what happens in my life. I wake up and go on with my day, I get bored and I write what I’m feeling. Most of the time my little diary is the only thing that I can pour all the rage and all the happiness into without being judged or misunderstood. I write about people: people that impress me, pure souls. I write down their habits, what they do, the way they speak, it’s just everything to me. I feel like I am talking to them through my songs.

“I want people to listen to the music we make, get in their feelings, rethink everything, the pain, the love, mistakes they’ve made and at the end of everything just be like: It’s okay. Nobody’s meant to be perfect. We do wrong to others, others do us wrong, but at the end of the day we’re all humans and humans make mistakes. It will be alright.

“As for songwriting, I’ve always looked up to Halsey. She’s a singer and a songwriter that hasn’t been long in music industry. Her first album Badlands helped me overcome almost every bad thing that happened to me. She writes about her teenage days, her mental disorder, her sexuality and I think that’s brave. Accepting yourself for who you truly are and let the whole world see it.”

You have three women in your band. Do you feel like people around you don’t understand that sometimes? How does being a female musician in a somewhat conservative place feel?

“Yes, there are three women in a band. As until now, there weren’t any problems with it, and I don’t think there will be. Girls run everything! I do get judged a lot about my decisions. People don’t really get the fact that being a musician is not easy at all. But it doesn’t really matter because I am my own person and other people’s opinions are never going to be that important to affect my life.”

Tringa, why is your band called ElectraHeart?

“I love harmonizing voices. The electric sound in general really fascinates me, I love the guitar and midi effects, and so do my other band members so I guess this is where the ElectraHeart sound comes from, hearts finding comfort in electra sounds.”

Baton, you’ve been a member of MRS for a very long time now and you played in many bands. Do you think there is a difference between older and newer bands, and if there is, what do you think changed? Is rock’n’roll the same as it was five or ten years ago, or did it change and evolve with the times?

“Yes, I’m part of the school since it’s beginnings and I’ve been and am part of a lot of bands old and new. It’s true that music has evolved, rock music is the same, but the taste of music for people and our students has changed. Students nowadays listen more to electronic music versus instrumental, and that’s because electronic music has a more simple approach and it’s more ‘IN’ than rock, which is seen as ‘old’ and aged.”

How would you describe the sound of ElectraHeart?

“All the members in the ElectraHeart have a unique/different taste in music, our sound is made by adapting our ideas to the singer’s voice, which is dreamy/alternative pop.”

Jelena, you’ve been in many bands before – and each and every one of them was unique in it’s own way. What do you feel makes ElectraHeart different from the rest?

“ElectraHeart is very different for me personally since it’s the first time I’m taking the role of a bass player. Other than that, the style is very different and more experimental than in previous bands.”

Tell us something about your music making process. How do you make songs together, how do you function and what’s the overall mood on your rehearsals and the connection between you and bandmates?

“The songs are mostly done together, it can start with a single idea from one of the members and then we all share our inputs and develop it together. The team work is great and we do our best to achieve success regardless of tension sometimes that is normal to happen. We always find common ground.”

Egzon, how does working with so many girls feel? Is there ever any barrier between your music tastes which makes it difficult to make music from time to time or do you get along easily?

“It’s really fun, but sometimes it’s not easy to work and deal with girls. We have a different tastes between us, but we mostly adapt to the singers voice when it comes to making music.”

Your band is really young, yet you’ve had a lot of independent gigs. How do you feel about your fast growth? Are there any plans for the future like recording an album or playing somewhere outside of your country?

“I feel proud of this fast growth, and this motivates us to continue working and improving. We’re working song by song and, of course, in the near future we would love to record an album. And why not, we’re hoping to get the chance to play everywhere including abroad.”