Emo Music in a Time of War: Sincerity, Vision and Personal Experience in an Exclusive Interview with Dorian, the MySpace Band

An exclusive interview with the famous Kyiv singer Dorian, known as the voice of the MySpace band. The songwriter and soloist talks about his deep connection with emo music and how it has influenced his life and work. Dorian describes his path from the project «Cursed» to the creation of the "myspace" band, aiming for a more classic emo style.

Emo music is a way to express your emotions and find understanding with others.

MySpace's Dorian reflects on how hard times in the country can inspire more emotional music that resonates with people's feelings, even though emo music isn't usually associated with political themes. He believes in the honesty of the lyrics and that the success of myspace is due to their true expression, so maybe emo is gaining popularity in Ukraine, again.

Myspace band: emo music helps people in difficult times.

13 questions for Dorian from the rock band MySpace

Dorian talks about his aspirations to present Ukrainian music to an international audience and his gratitude for his audience, emphasizing the desire to resonate with the emotions and experiences of listeners. He shares his diverse musical background and his transition to focusing on emo music, finding expressive depth in conveying emotion through vocals. Read more in the interview! !

How emo culture in Ukraine influenced your creativity and the creation of the MySpace band?

1. Since childhood, I started listening to emo music and it has become an integral part of my life to this day. Emotions, experiences, feelings, as well as love, feelings of loneliness, rejection by the world and other more or less significant worries are in the life of every person, and I always wanted to broadcast these seemingly banal, but also deep moments for listeners through creativity.

After creating and working with the "Damned" project, I personally wanted to change my direction to more "classic emo" and after meeting other like-minded musicians, the myspace band was created.

Do you see a connection between the development of the emo scene in Ukraine and political events in the country?

2. I don't have a solid answer. On the one hand, yes, because hard times in the country encourage the creation of sadder minor music and emo music copes well with this, thanks to deep poetic metaphors, description of the human condition in a detailed emotional color, crying and extreme vocals, as well as heavy penetrating music that touches and heart and mind.

On the other hand, this genre does not touch political ideas and trends. Even the opposite is contradictory.

Why do you think? rock music on russia has lost its relevance, and how has this been reflected in your music?

3. I'm not sure that it is, but I think it's because the sincerity of the music is at issue here.

If the values and attitudes of most performers do not coincide with what they show/describe in music, then of course it repels.

On myspace, this very question was not reflected in any way, because we do not have any kind of interdependence today. Emo is perhaps a new era for rock music and the scene in Ukraine.

Why did you decide to record tracks in English?

4. There are listeners in America and other countries. I would like to popularize the Ukrainian emo scene in other countries as well.

Also, even in Ukraine now it is also a more optimal language for perception, because there is a biased attitude towards languages.

What is the meaning of the song "Esly by etot mir...." for you?

5. Well, very big. This song reproduces many experiences from different spheres of life.

Every person, regardless of the current situation, can find himself in this song. The main message is that, as a rule, the world is unfair, cruel and illogical.

And whatever the outcome, you have a choice in every global or small situation. Either sacrifice yourself somewhere (ideals, principles, views) and survive, or go to the breach and once again risk your life both physically and at the level of yourself, which you are. It's like feeling yourself in a crowd. You are either like an airplane that is trying to fly around asteroids without touching them and not flaking, feeling the potential danger and will not even try to touch them, or as if you are torn into millions of pieces and in an instant you become a small piece of each unit and a large whole crowd in general.

What emotions do you want to evoke in your listeners through music?

6. First of all, I always wanted to reproduce in music what everyone feels, but not everyone can or wants to talk about it, express themselves.

I want every listener who feels alone to feel at least a little bit that he is not alone and that there is someone who can understand him.

Who feels unbearable pain, that it will pass and he will become a stronger and better version of himself, who feels that a little more, and he won't be able to stand it - tomorrow will be... Better. We grow in crises and suffering. It is a pity that it is so difficult, but who is asking us?

That's why I love my audience so much. Each of them is a unique sensitive person who became part of myspace.

Why did you switch from rap to emocore and how did that transition affect your style?

7. During my life I made different music. Deathcore, trap, trap metal, but I always added something from emo music. I see myself as a creative person. "Screaming language" is the easiest to perceive emotions and feelings. As one performer (I can't say her name) said, the auditory perception of emotions through screaming is detailed, colorful and close to the soul.

When we scream from pain and suffering, from anger, pleasure, etc., it is understandable and immediately perceived against the background of feeling and comparison with our own feeling.

I personally burned out in rap, and after a full-scale invasion, the project came to nothing. I wanted to start completely from the beginning.

By the way: recently, the world celebrated International Emo Day - December 19.

Як скандал навколо MySpace вплинув на сприйняття гурту слухачами?

8. It's really hard to answer. Probably not. The situation that has developed for the listeners is very clear, and so is the behavior of the participants. Moreover, there was a participant who eventually did not want to make emo music. But now one group will become two. It is more interesting for listeners and also a plus for the music scene of Ukraine.

Sometimes, people by themselves may not be the most pleasant, but talented musicians. So we'll see.

Do you plan to cooperate with other Ukrainian emo bands?

9. Yes of course. It is necessary to restore and resurrect the emo scene and culture. Therefore, we need to help each other, despite the fact that there are very few performers of this genre.

What bands or artists inspired you to create MySpace?

10. Oh, let's say they are not few and not many.

My journey with emo music started with the band Origami, and of course it contributed to my vision of music. But also bands like Greeley Estates, State Faults, Dear Whoever added vision in vocal performance and sound reproduction.

Also, about 10 years ago, I really liked the band Chelsea Grin and the old Bring Me The Horizon. Hysterical and heavy extreme vocals were added to the vision from them. Also let's start bands. But still, it is very difficult for me as a performer to say that we look like someone.

I haven't had any idols for a long time now, and my personal vision of music is different, where it even goes far beyond "emo".

But that's the fun, just being myself and doing what I see myself as.

What are your musical plans for the future?

11. It is quite difficult to plan anything now, especially because of the war situation. There are a lot of problems that often either slow down or require changing plans and paths. Make and release songs, give concerts, revive emo culture in Ukraine.

There are many plans and goals, but I will share them gradually. But the songs that will be released soon, I am sure we will surprise you.

What do you think about the place of emo music in the modern cultural palette of Ukraine?

12. It is not that there is a place for it, but it should be.

There are many talented performers of various genres in our country. And it is time to expand and support the artists of our country.

Unfortunately, for some reason, they often try to stifle and simply do not understand that it is not just that he wrote a song and that's it. This is also work and a contribution that requires a lot of effort to be heard. But everything takes time, even understanding such things. Therefore, a big Yes, and emo will become an integral part of Ukrainian culture. I will try.

What personal experiences formed the basis of the lyrics of your songs?

13. It is difficult to answer this question. Each song is my personal experience.

Like every person, I experienced many situations that affected me, my personality and vision of the world.

And it is exactly what I reproduce in music. And "Damned" and myspace" - my life, my experience, my feelings and emotions.

Summarizing the interview, I would like to say that the band has a new music MySpace YouTube channel - follow the link and listen to the songs. 

Photos courtesy of singer Dorian MySpace

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