Jinjer’s Tatiana Shmayluk has revealed that she is “losing her faith in music” due to the war in her homeland of Ukraine.
Interviewed exclusively in the brand new issue of Metal Hammer, the singer spoke of her pride at the band being granted permission by the Ukrainian authorities to tour abroad as ambassadors for their country and raise funds and awareness about the war raging back home.
“We are very thankful to our Ministry of Culture for the Ukraine who gave us this opportunity to do what we love to do and play all the festivals we have announced,” says Tatiana, whose band play the UK’s Bloodstock festival on Saturday, August 13. “We’re using every festival to raise funds and spread awareness about the real war that is happening in the 21st century, which is crazy.
“It’s hard to believe, but this is the harsh reality. It’s heart-breaking, but at the same time we are also full of hope that soon it is all going be over. We are spreading positivity and hope, and we are dreaming about peace. I hope that no other European or world country ever experiences the same as the Ukraine.”
But she also said that the Russian invasion earlier this year had made her question what place music had in her life: “You know what, I’m losing my faith in music. I don’t feel like I can express myself enough to say what I really feel because there are no words to explain. So, I feel like I should give up… but then something makes me go further.”
She added that despite the band’s success over the past decade, happiness is more important than fame to her right now.
“I want my band to be one of the biggest bands in the world, but happiness is the priority. They say you cannot find happiness anywhere because happiness lives inside you, but I’m learning to appreciate my life. That’s my biggest ambition, to be happy and find inner peace, and for there to be justice for Ukraine.”
Read the full interview with Tatiana Shmayluk in the brand new issue of Metal Hammer. Order your copy here.
