written by Marko Jakob | 16.02.2022 |
Pix666: Hey David. Thanks for taking the time for the interview. How are you doing?
David: Absolutely! It’s exciting for us to be able to talk about VARA publicly and we are stoked to be able to do it here with Pix666! For that, I couldn’t be better.
Pix666: Your band is still quite new, you just formed VARA a few months ago. Please tell the readers how it all started and what kind of music you make.
David: Although the band is new under the name of VARA, we have been making music together for about 2 years give or take. We reached a point, after several lineup changes, where we no longer felt the music represented our matured artistic direction. As we decided to close one chapter, another was opened and led us to the creation of VARA!
Pix666: Have you been involved in other bands or projects before?
David: Each member of VARA has grown up with music being a very prominent aspect in our lives. Whether it was playing in garage bands as teens, drumming for your uncles band, or being a bedroom producer, we’ve all had our feet dipped in the extreme music scene for quite awhile.
Pix666: Some days ago your new single ‘Mirror Memories’ was released. How have the reactions to the song been so far?
David: So far we have been overwhelmed by the feedback from people who enjoyed the song! Music is ultimately a form of entertainment. The fact that some people can fill that desire to be entertained by listening to VARA is the ultimate satisfaction for us as artists.
Pix666: What is the story behind the song?
David: ‚Mirror Memories‘ is ultimately a collection of realizations and personal feelings, dancing around the fact that we all experience change, infinitely, throughout our lives. Sometimes Memories and deluded thoughts hinder your ability to think clearly and practically. This moment of awareness; the uncertainty that comes with it, is ultimately what ‘Mirror Memories’ is about.
Pix666: The clip is approaching the 15,000 views mark on YouTube – a really impressive number. Do you look at the statistics on YouTube and Spotify, e.g. do you know where your listeners live?
David: Our attention is always on the stats! We absolutely do make note of where, when, how, and to whom we marketing to. It’s kind of the way the digital age of music forces you to go, but being able to reach people across the globe with our music is an amazing thing, especially for independent artists!
Pix666: How far has the work on further songs progressed? Can fans look forward to an album from VARA in 2022?
David: We are always one or two steps ahead. When one song drops, you can expect several more in it’s place. While listeners have been getting familiar with Mirror Memories , we have been hard at work putting the finishing touches on our next release! For now our direction is mostly focused on singles but an ep or album is something we would love to put together!
Pix666: How do you create your songs? Is there a certain plan? Who in the band is responsible for what ?
David: VARA has an extremely strong sense of collaboration amongst its members. Lyrics, guitars, drums, bass etc… is all created collectively. We all have our strengths and with that comes a sort of supervisor mentality. For example: each member is free to pitch drum ideas, but ultimately the one supervising those ideas is our drummer Danny. His input may be a little more valued when it comes to drums. Same goes for each instrument and it’s corresponding member.
Pix666: The world is dominated by social media – even bands use social media extensively these days. …but Social media and music streaming are both a blessing and a curse for bands. From your point of view, what are the advantages and disadvantages of this development for your band.
David: I think the biggest cons of social media marketing is the intimidation factor. It’s a lot to learn, algorithms, statistics, marketing… but they are all tools that can be used for small artists like us to have a platform to upload our art onto and engage with our listeners, no matter where they live.
Pix666: Are there already plans for live performances by VARA in 2022?
David: At this point in time there are not. But that could change! We are still hyper focused on getting our listeners familiar with us and staying on release schedule, but that focus will gravitate toward playing live in due time.
Pix666: David, tell me a little bit about your dreams…. In which locations or at which festivals would you like to perform and with which band(s) would you like to go on tour in the future?
David: I think I speak for most musicians within the sub genre of metal when I say KNOTFEST would be a dream come true. Another personal, child like dream that I’ve carried with me through the years would be playing Hellfest in France! Touring with Northlane or Veil of Maya would be a huge one for me.
Pix666: As a musician, you surely spend most of your time creating music – but what else do you do in your free time when you want to distract yourself – are there any interesting hobbies you pursue?
David: If I’m not completely enveloped in music, you can most certainly catch me playing video games or cooking. Hilariously I admit, one of my favorite things to do is to take simple dishes and decorate them a bit to appear more enticing and then showing it off. Not so Pro tip: parsley flakes make everything look ”fancy”
Pix666: Do you have any other news about VARA that you would like to share with the fans?
David: I can’t drop the release date quite yet, but I can say that another single is coming. Mirror Memories was our way of establishing our versatility as a metal band. But this next track will bring a little more energy, darkness, and gloom to the growing world of VARA.
Pix666: Thanks for the interview, good luck for the future – and above all, stay healthy.
https://www.facebook.com/wearevara/
https://wearevara.bigcartel.com/
https://to.wearevara.com/mirrormemories/
https://www.instagram.com/WeAreVara/
photos © by Allison Calteux
