“Look, what I found” – I received this message back in January when my best friend discovered Infected Rain. “I know that you prefer these all-screaming things, but this one is very intense” – she added. The song was Orphan Soul. After this conversation, I listened to that song for days and it became my favorite Infected Rain song.

This song means also a lot for Lena Scissorhands too. “It is very special because all the songs are based on my experience and my emotions on the things I went through, or the people I met.

I write my own lyrics and it’s easier for me if I can relate to something, when it’s connected to me. Orphan Soul was a project I started long ago, I was just writing and I didn’t even think. I write all the time. And a friend of mine told me that ‘it’s okay to talk about it within your songs’. So he made me think about it. I was never ashamed of anything, and then I thought why not?

I am a human and I have the right to be emotional, just like everybody else, so…

That’s why I decided to do it. And the boys from the band supported and helped so much when we did the music video. I had to talk with them how important certain things for me to be just like that because it was just like my childhood.

Lena actually comes from a poor family, so her early years were full of challenges. She was the oldest sis’ and she had to take care of her two younger sisters. “Well, the biggest challenge in my life was the separation of my parents. The situation we were in, after a while the family was brake up…

When it’s so difficult to go through life you know, there were three kids, it was not that easy…

My parents were very young when they had us. So that was more difficult. Because when I was a kid I didn’t really realize that we don’t really have too much to eat, or we don’t really have too much to wear. Me and my sisters were very happy together, we were sharing clothes and we were eating whatever there was. We never were very picky. I started realizing a little bit later when we started doing better.

I started working very young so that’s why I realized ‘oh, there could be more in life’ – when you can have this, or you can visit this or this place, or you can go there. But other than that I wouldn’t say that I can complain much about it. The only complain is that my mom worked very hard and pick up a lot of jobs so she was never around. But we had each other, you know. I was the oldest sister so we were playing, we pretend that we are Powerpuff Girls, so it was fine.”

It seems like Lena is really into cartoons, because she is also a huge Disney fan. “I became a big Disney nerd at an older age. When I was a kid I grew up in a pretty poor family and we didn’t really watch Disney movies unless they were on tv. So, I would say I really love Lion King because this was my first Disney movie I’ve ever seen and it’s very emotional. I also absolutely love Snow White, because I think it’s just amazing how unique it is, and it was the first cartoon movie that was made so… I also love a lot Alice in Wonderland, because I’m a big fan of the book as well, and I really like how unique the movie is, but still – you know – having the lot from the book… I can go on and on like this forever and ever. There are so many good ones.”

Lena used to work as a hair and makeup artist. Well, maybe you already knew that Lena is vegan – so we were curious if she uses vegan makeups too? “Yes, I try my best. Some of the companies are not that specific about what they do and how they test their products, but I try my best to find the pure and natural cosmetics. For example one of my favorites is – I’m gonna do a little bit promotion here (laughs) – Kat Von D. She’s a vegan artist in general and all her make up line is vegan as well. People usually don’t understand the whole point of vegan cosmetics. First of all, they do not test on animals. And second, some of the greases that are used in makeup is not animal grease. So that means a lot.” 

So, that led us the next typical question: why did she decide to go vegan?  “I tried how I feel, what will happen with my body. I was in a phase when I really wanted to be more healthy and clean my body a little bit more. So, it worked out so well for me and it helped me so much on tour. It gives me a lot more energy because on tour we don’t really have time to sleep enough or to eat good food, so. That’s why I chose that and it really works well with me and I really like it. It was almost 3 years ago when I made that decision and yeah, I love it.”

The singer always has been sporty. “Since I was a kid, I loved sports a lot. I didn’t do anything professionally, but I always continued to do many things. Believe it or not – I was pretty good at it too. I loved it! I love the feeling of my body stretched and strong. I can feel every cell of my body, and my skin breaths when I work out. I was never dedicated fully to some sports, but I love it. I try to do it all the time even when I’m at home

I am one of those people that are disciplined enough to work out home,

and if I have good company I go to the gym, and on tour, I always do it on backstage or in a hotel room before the show. You know, all depends.

I love yoga a lot because I become stretched really well. I like building up my body and you know, doing some weights sometimes. I don’t do cardio, because I have very low blood pressure, but at the same time I love hiking, I tried climbing as well, and I like biking a lot.

I have a little ritual that I try to use every time before every show, sometimes even the days off. But usually, it requires half an hour of exercising. Sometimes even an hour. And minimum half an hour of vocal warm-up, and I need an other half an hour to do my makeup. So, usually, a good two hours are the best for me if I have before the shows. I feel perfectly prepared, I feel stretched, I feel warmed up and I feel good.”

Well, feminism and sisterhood in the metal scene is quite a popular topic – it may be a surprise, but Lena doesn’t consider herself as a feminist. “I know a lot of people expect me to be a little bit more feminist, or to talk more about how awesome it is to be a girl in metal. I really don’t do this big of a difference. I love seeing many girls in metal in general. It’s really cool because it takes dedication and women usually are very busy with their everyday life, with their families, with their kids, and it’s not that easy if you’re a woman, to give up everything. It’s a little bit easier for a man. Maybe. I don’t know.

But in the way or another, I still don’t think that it should be such a big difference.

Young generation these days look up to men just they look up to women. Young man looking up to other young men as an idol and they take example from them, or young women fall in love with young men and there’s a lot of pressure on them, just as much there’s a lot of pressure on women on the stage when somebody else is looking up to her and expecting so much from her. So I really don’t think that there’s a lot of big differences. Really. You’re not the first one asking me about it.

I grew up in a company of boys, in my neighborhood.

I felt always very comfortable and until I turned 15 or 16, I was very boyish. Just wear pants and go out and drive the bike. I became more feminine later, but that’s it.

That’s only the way I look. Inside I’m very fragile, I like being a woman, I like being fragile, I like being loved, I like being taking care of.

But trust me, a man can say the same. Men also love to be loved, men also loved to be weak sometimes, and men also have weaknesses and emotions. We have blood, muscles, we are the same! Right? So, I really don’t see a big difference.”

Interview: Afrodite Szeleczky
Photos: Péter Tepliczky
Art: Fausto Dalla Chiara

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