Interview with Jen Majura (guitar) from How We End
In March there was surprising news from Jen Majura. The former EVANESCENCE guitarist announced the start of her new band HOW WE END. The band has an international line-up and consists of very experienced musicians, also known from other bands: Singer Diva Satanica (formerly NERVOSA), singer Jake E. (CYHRA and formerly AMARANTHE), guitarist Tom Naumann (PRIMAL FEAR), Mitch Kunz on bass guitar and Adde Larsson on drums. With ‘My Fighting Heart’ and ‘Levitate’, the band has already released two songs. Of course, I was curious to hear more about this promising new band. Via Zoom, I met Jen Majura in her home studio, where she told me a lot about the background and the beginning of HOW WE END. (On the side, her budgie Cookie entertained us with spontaneous stunts!)
Reflections of Darkness [RoD]: In March you revealed the surprising news of your new Band HOW WE END. How long before that did you prepare it?
Jen: It was a creeping process. When we announced the band, we did a ten-day social media campaign which I created. It was gradually introducing a new band member every day. The response was great! But at the real formation of the band, I actually wasn’t even there yet. I was just the last piece of the puzzle that was added.
RoD: Who had the initial idea and how did the band come about?
Jen: The band was established by Tom Naumann and Mitch Kunz. They have been friends for ages and said they wanted to make music together. Diva joined them as singer, then they also brought Jake in for the clean vocals and Adde on drums. I joined at the very end. Tom, who I’ve known for a long time, called me last autumn and told me about his new band. And then he cautiously asked if I would be interested. But at that point I wasn’t ready to commit to anything new. About a month later I asked him what actually happened to the band. He said that they were still waiting for the last band member to sign up. At first, I didn’t realise who he meant (laughs) - but then it was me! Then I listened to the music and said, okay - let’s do it!
RoD: What convinced you to become a part of HOW WE END?
Jen: I knew that I didn’t want to be in a mediocre band that was just bobbing along. I said, if you want me, we’ll give it our all and do it right. The first thing that convinced me was the music. And the fact that I’ve known Tom for so long. The human aspect is so much more important in the music business than most people know. For example - a show is maybe 90 minutes long. But then there’s all the rest of the time on tour. You’re together for 24 hours, you have to get along. I trusted Tom, we know each other, and that was also the deciding factor.
RoD: You have an international line-up, you come from different countries - Germany, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland. Is it difficult to live so far apart as a band and make music together? When and how do you rehearse?
Jen: People always think that bands meet once a week to rehearse in the evening - but honestly, that doesn’t always work. If you don’t live close to each other, you still know when something is coming up. Then you take a few days for it, get together and rehearse intensively and compressed. And then you do your show or your tour together as a band.
RoD: How and where do you create your songs?
Jen: When I joined the band, the songs were already done, so now I wasn’t really involved in the first tracks for the debut album. It’s usually Mitch and Tom bouncing ideas off each other and then Jake contributing his ideas on lyrics and vocals. I mostly sang the backing vocals on the songs that already existed. Guitars were already recorded and Tom is a fantastic guitar player - what else should I add? If a song is already good, I don’t need to put more guitars on it and then mess it up. I’m someone who works in a very song-serving way. For example, if I think that a song doesn’t need a guitar solo, then I don’t have to put a solo in it. The music has to speak. And you have to do what a song needs.
RoD: You all have a lot of musical experience, you are experienced musicians, some of you come from long existing bands. How difficult is it to get together?
Jen: Yes, that’s the question that always came up: How does that fit together, please? (laughs). It’s also true, we come from so many different corners that we wondered how this was actually going to work. Diva comes from death metal with NERVOSA, and the rest of us come from other different genres - it’s a conglomerate of many different styles. But that’s what makes it so interesting. I’m a huge fan of mixing genres and styles so that you don’t get pigeonholed into a fixed category. I wouldn’t have a problem putting a jazz part in a metal piece either.
RoD: How would you describe your musical style?
Jen: Our music is definitely fresh, modern with of course some old-school elements in it. It’s difficult - I really can’t describe it. The funniest discussion in the band was when we sat and thought about what style of music we would write in our biography. There was a collective silence (laughs). A bit of metal, a bit of hip hop, mixed with power metal, but death metal is also in there...it’s very difficult. But honestly, I don’t care what it’s called, the main thing is that the music is good. HOW WE END consists of musicians who make music that they would also listen to in private. That’s important, the music has to convince.
RoD: And if a big label would now push you in one direction?
Jen: No, we wouldn’t go along with that. Absolutely not. We’re all not twenty years old anymore, we all have our experiences and we’re definitely not going to change just to get a label. I think we are all out of that age. Also, you just can’t let yourself get bent. If you do that, then you won’t be happy in your life.
RoD: As you say, you all have a lot of experience and of course everyone has an individual self-confidence. Is it difficult to maybe take a step back in the new band?
Jen: All I can say is: I am the mother-hen of the band! (laughs). I’ll put it this way, it’s important that people have a clue. But that doesn’t mean that you have to put yourself in the foreground with it. That also comes with the experience of trusting the abilities of others.
RoD: You currently have a crowdfunding project going on. What exactly is it about?
Jen: It’s about promoting the second video and the third single. The idea from the beginning was to release the first three singles independently of a record company. I’m not a fan of having a label that talks us into the creative process. I’ve experienced that a lot. With HOW WE END we first wanted to establish our sound and our look. After the first show, we will start negotiating with record companies. Some have already shown interest - including major labels, which makes me a bit proud. The Crowdfunder came about because I said from the beginning, let’s get the fans involved. It’s the coolest way to do something together with the fans, to create something together. Some people are now in the music video! We write them small parts now and then they are fully involved. Currently there are three locations where we could shoot the video. Depending on what the outcome is in the end, we can say where we will shoot. Option one is a rehearsal room in Sweden, option two is a pirate ship in Spain, option three would be a film set in Germany. Let’s see what comes out of that!
RoD: As far as the fans are concerned - each of you already has your own fan base. Is that noticeable?
Jen: Yes, definitely! For me, fans are very important. For me they are not someone who spends money and buys records, for me fans are people who really love and are passionate about what you do. I know most of my supporters by name. The community I’ve built up over the years is wonderful.
RoD: You will be playing live with HOW WE END for the first time at Rock Harz in July. How do you prepare for that?
Jen: We get together for that just beforehand. We will rehearse for this show two days before, and then we will go on stage! More gigs are not planned yet, but I do hope that there will be more gigs soon! We just have so many options to play our music live thanks to our different backgrounds and skills.
RoD: You are not only on stage or in the studio, but you are also a teacher in your music school, right? What do you currently teach?
Jen: Yes, in my music school, the Music School Brilon, I teach myself and I love it. I teach classical guitar, electric guitar, music theory, instrumental theory, music history, ear training, exam preparation for the music performance course and singing.
RoD: What does it mean to you to pass on your musical skills when you teach in your music school?
Jen: In general, I think if you have a voice, you need to use it wisely and properly. No matter in which field. When I have the option to pass on and share my knowledge and experience with younger musicians and/or upcoming artists, I’m happy to do it. Ambitious young musicians can only benefit from this. The joy of teaching is when you explain something to someone one week and see your student start blossom the next week. When you see it “clicks”, when you see him/her getting better. I have so much fun teaching, I gave my first guitar lesson when I was twelve.
RoD: How old are your students?
Jen: Very different, one is six years old, the oldest is 86!
RoD: What is the most important thing you give them?
Jen: The most important thing is that the children learn to have fun and enjoy music. It’s more important than being a strict teacher and insisting that a certain practice is perfect.
RoD: You make music yourself and you pass on your talent. What does music mean to you?
Jen: I can’t do anything else! I mean that - I can knit a bit and cook a bit. I’ve always made music all my life. For me, there has never been a question of doing anything other than music. Music is the only thing. Music is everything for me.
RoD: Thank you very much for the interview!
Pictures by: Band - Dirk Behlau, Jen solo - Tom Row, Gustav Pohland
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