written by Ivona Bogner 

In Corona Corner, we are asking musicians how the outbreak has effected them, how did they adapt to the situation, what did they learn. Amazing Stela Atanasova, mastermind of Metalwings, shares her quarantine story with our readers.

Hi! How are you doing during corona outbreak?
Hello! Thank you very much for this interview. We all feel good. We can’t wait to get back to a normal life, namely to make music without restriction and to prepare our next album safely.

What have you cancelled/postponed due coronavirus?
What we had to postpone due this virus is the shooting of our next official music video, which will be the single of the album. Most likely this will happen by the end of summer. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the band’s creation. We intend to celebrate this fact with the release of this single and the official video for it. So, the best is yet to come.

How the global coronavirus pandemic is directly impacting bands?
What made the pandemic was that it divided people, divided bands, families. Everyone had to find a way to get through this. Many of the bands failed to do tours, concerts, to release albums. But this is not the end of the world. We just got a chance to restart. We got time to create new songs, to think about our priorities, to dream. Nothing fatal happened to the bands. Most independent bands like us have seen much worse than that. We are not afraid of such things. We survived all the time, with no support other than our fans. So we can handle it. For the rest bands, I can say nothing. I guess their labels will help them deal with this situation. Bands will survive. But it is important to say that bands, especially rock and metal, at such tough times should give the most support and courage to their fans. This is not a time to complain, but to give strength and hope to people. Our fans are the ones who need us more now than ever. It should not be the opposite.

How are you keeping your fans during this chaotic period?
As always – with music. We’ve created a brand new song “Still believe in us” – dedicated to people who still believe in goodness and are fighting for a better world. We do what we are best at doing – making music and giving hope.

What will metal look like when we re-emerge from isolation?
I sincerely hope it will re-emerge more authentic and wilder. Such as the spirit of metal in the 70’s. It is time to bring back that sense of freedom and change. Definitely it’s time for a change.

Who will suffer the most after all: musicians, organizers promoters…
What does suffering mean? That they lost money? That the tours were delayed? It’s nothing – it’s just a wind. Many people did not survive. They lost their lives, lost loved ones, lost their jobs. This is a real loss and suffer. The other is a vanity and comfort that many of us are used to and cannot accept that they can lose it. I would like to recall in this connection Darwin’s words: “It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change”.

What is your isolation soundtrack?
I can’t wait to wake up in the morning, open my window and hear the birdsong. I’ve never heard them sing so beautifully and fabulously. The best singers in the world. I would get at least a hundred guest musicians from them in the band immediately. This is how my soundtrack sounds in isolation. With the voice of nature.

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