I found this interview in an Argentine website, here is the link
http://women-in-metal.com.ar/index.php?ind=reviews&op=entry_view&iden=7
is in Spanish so i tried so hard to translate it, hope everything be right. mmm spanish is a very hard language, and very different in every country, if something is not understood just ask
so...here it isAfter several sirenia’s vocalist, aylin last and current vocalist, tells us a bit of everything about her arrive to Sirenia
Hi Aylin, first of all, thank you so much for your time for this interview, it is an honor to talk with you, thanks againHi, thanks to you
Let’s start for your arriving. How do you feel now, with the band and your arrive to sirenia?Well right now i think i can not be more happy, i could said that 2008 has been the best year since i am Sirenia’s new vocalist. It is great, always ask me how I feel and I never find the proper way to express how I feel, I just can say that I am very happy!
We are very happy for the choice morten did with you. Did you ever imagine being in a gothic metal band? Did you imagine that you could be part of one of the most talented band in the genre like sirenia?I had many years dreaming of being part of a gothic metal band, i dreamed it and i wished it, but i also have to recognize that i saw it as something impossible. I remember that when I noticed that Nightwish was looking for a new vocalist I thought that could be great to be in a band like nightwish, but I didn’t think to present myself. In that times if someone told me that I will be the vocalist in a band like sirenia, I could not believe it
How did you feel with the guys’ choice for you to be the new vocalist?It was great!!! When i received an e-mail from Morten telling me that i was the new vocalist, the first thing i did was cry, and later i jump of the chair and started screaming in the house for my family to know the news!!
When did you decide to present yourself to be the new sirenia’s vocalist? How did you become the new voice?It was very funny, because i presented myself without knowing, my sister was looking through my space gothic metal bands to add them as friends and she founded sirenia, she called me to see the videos and hear the music and we liked it, so we asked them to be friends. I think after a month Morten contacted me asking me if I wanted to do the auditions, later I went to sirenia’s myspace and I realized that they were looking for a new singer, and I also saw that if you wanted to present yourself you have to send them a demo or just add them as friends and they will listen to the material you have. When I calmed down from the surprise the first thing I thought was that somebody was playing me a joke
What do you feel since you are in the band? About their career and yours, I mean it gives you any satisfaction, does sirenia give you something?I feel very good, besides i see everything more positive, sirenia gives me everything, now i am very happy, it is the first time that i am comfortable with the things i do, because it is the first time that i am singing what i really want. Before, I used to sing every kind of styles, because of my job. I don’t mean that I did not like what I was singing, just that sometimes I had to sing songs that I did not like, but they asked for it, so I had to do it
Let’s talk about the album “The 13th floor” Have you composed any track for the album?No I have not composed anything for “The 13th Floor”, when I arrive to the band Morten had all the work done
Would you like to compose for the next album?Since i was a little girl, i liked to write, the truth is i have never think about that someday a Sirenia lyric could be mine, i always write stuff and when my family and friends read it they tell me that is really beautiful or very deep, but I don’t like it at all, I guess it is because I am very critical with myself, but I don’t know, who knows, maybe some day, but I like very much how Morten composes and I think that everybody like to hear and enjoy what he does.
What do you think about the album? Because it was done when you were chosen, did you like the tracks?The first time i heard something of the new album was in the first audition, i tried to sing songs from the previous albums, but Morten told me to sing some demos for the new album. Honestly I was speechless, it was the first time that I had a song that fit perfectly with me and my tastes. It was only pieces of the going to be songs, but it sounded great
Well, previously you told me that your favorite track was “The Seventh Summer”, could you tell us why? Does it mean something special? Or you just like itWhen i joined the band, Morten made me go to Norway for record the demo of all the songs. I like them all, but when I heard “The Seventh Summer” I knew that, when all the songs were done it was going to be one of my favorites. I like everything, the music, the melody, the lyric… every time I heard the song, when I hear the chorus, I get very excited!!! Although the truth is that is very hard for me to choose my favorite song because I like them all and I can just choose one…I also could choose “My Mind Maelstrom” because it is one of my favorites
Gothic Metal band Forever Slave is Spanish but they sing in English, although sometimes they make some songs in Spanish. Would you like to make a song in Spanish for sirenia?Yes!!!!!!. I would love to make at least one single song in Spanish!!! It would be great!!!! And I think lot of people is waiting for it
Ok, let’s talk about you, Did you receive singing lessons? You have a pretty voiceWhen i was 15 years old, my mother did enroll me in a Music School, but for personal reasons I had to leave the lessons after a year
Besides singing, do you play other instrument?When my mother enrolled me in the Music School for singing lessons, she also enrolled me in piano lessons, but I had an accident at work and I hurt my hands and Doctor recommend me to leave the piano, so I had to leave it too…right now I am studying violin, but I don’t go to any school, I study it alone at home, on free times
Aylin your real name is Pilar Gimenez Garcia right? So why did you chose Aylin as artistic name? Does it mean something for you?I chose Aylin for Several reasons. The first is that I always have liked Asiatic culture, besides that from a distant relative I have Chinese blood. So when I started to sing I always stared at Chinese or Japanese names. Another reason is that I did not like how “Pilar” sounds for the music I used to sing neither for the music I sing now, before, I always sung as soloist and when I went to some performance and they introduced me as “Pilar Gimenez” it seemed that I was going to sing a different style of music and that made some confusion. I like the name my parents gave me, it is pretty, but too common in Spain, so at the end I decide to change it. I like the name Aylin because it means, in Chinese, true love. Besides just some people calls me Pilar, just my family and my closest friends, so long time ago people knows me as Aylin
Do you feel a difference between your goth style and your previous one on Factor X, do you like it?Factor X-style was a little problem… I presented myself to auditions with this look (gothic look) and I sang Gothic Metal and New age songs. When they chose me to be part of the show they told me that I will keep the image and the music style, but at the end they did not keep the style
Was Sirenia in your musical tastes? I read that you like Evanescence and Within Temptation, that are bands in the same style I would like to say that i knew them before, but the truth is that i didn’t know them. If I am not wrong, I knew Sirenia on October 2007 that is when I started to listen to their music
Well, about the previous vocalist…you may have noticed that Sirenia had a singer for each album. About you, would you like last longer than the previous vocalist, I mean, to be able to record at least another album with them?I was worried about the fact that in every album they have had a different singer. But when I went to audition they told me that they were looking for a vocalist who will be with them for a long time. Honestly right now I don’t want to do anything but being with sirenia for many years. I don’t want to be with sirenia just for another album, I hope that we can make much more music together
Which previous vocalist did you like most? Why?I think i like them all, i think that every one of them gave something different to the band. I don’t like to compare, so I just see what I like most of them
Now let’s talk about the relationship with the band? How is your actual relationship with the guys and your career? I mean how do you communicate with them because of the distance? Do you think to live in Norway one day?The truth is that i am very happy because my relationship with them is very good, we get along very well and i love to travel to Norway to be with them, they always make me feel like a part of their family, like the little sister
Right now, because of the big distance we communicate by e-mail or by phone. And about moving to Norway is something that I have in mind since I am part of the band. I don’t know when yet, I will move t o Norway at least as I can because it will easy things for everybody
Do you know something about the guys' mother tongues? I mean do you speak Norwegian?I would like to speak Norwegian!!!. I would love to, but the guys had told me, that I have to focus on my English first, and when I finished I will focus on learning Norwegian. Although I always ask them how say this or that in Norwegian, or I pick my Spanish-Norwegian dictionary and write some phrase on e-mails
About the tours…would you like to tour South America with the band some day? In these countries we love Gothic Metal with frontwomen, we would love to see you soon with sirenia in Argentina… (Other South American countries too)I would like to go to South America!!!! I have lot of friends there and they always talk about the places they would like us to go. I think the guys want go there too, so we cross our fingers (?) to go there
Finalizing, is there anything you want to tell to the fans that are waiting for see you on stage?I just want to thank to everybody who is supporting me unconditionally, to tell them that I am very thankful, that is very important to me and I hope to see them on tour soon
Thank you so much for this interview Aylin! See you soon and success with sireniaThanks to you kisses!