The woman in silver is a thousand light years from home. Like a regal visitor from ancient Themyscira, Tatiana Shmayluk shimmers beneath the bright lights of a small Los Angeles photography studio. She is the Ukrainian-born singer for Jinjer, and one of metal’s most dynamic, fastest-rising figures, clad in a gown of metallic fabric, arms smothered in tattoos, with a feathered serpent inked onto her throat.
She is quiet in front of the camera as the room is filled with a tuneful stream of alt rock hits from the 80s and 90s: The Cult, Nirvana, Social Distortion, all of it edgy and emotionally raw, but far removed from the intricate prog metal storm and precise math rock impulses of Jinjer. Asked if she would prefer a different soundtrack for this session, maybe something louder and more aggro, Tatiana says she is absolutely fine with it. “I listen to Tchaikovsky when I’m not onstage,” she adds with a smile.
