Marina V – Symphony & Metal

By starrymag | March 24, 2025

By: Alejandra Gil M.

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) Someone once described my music as “emotional landscapes” and I think it is a beautiful description. Mostly piano-based, my songs are in the singer/songwriter genre with pop/rock and sometimes electronic elements. Everything I write is quite personal, but I never use specific lyrics – so my songs can be interpreted in many ways and are often universal.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) I grew up listening to The Beatles and Tchaikovsky and in my late teens I fell in love with Tori Amos and Jewel.

 

Q) Your new single “Symphony & Metal” is out now. What’s the song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) I usually write music first, but with a few key words (which usually appear at the same time that the music comes to me). Then, I keep working and developing the song, musically then lyrically. I try to record every bit of the process (just on my phone) so in case I forget something, or change something later, I can listen back and use it.

 

Q) The track features an all-star lineup, including Bruce Kulick (KISS), David Ellefson (Megadeth) and renowned composer Steve Horner. What was the experience like collaborating with all of them?

 

A) I have known Bruce and David for a couple of decades now. Bruce played guitar on a song of mine, “Killing My Dream,” for my 2011 album called My Star and we also played live together once when he joined us for a song (a KISS song “Forever”) when I had my residency at Hard Rock Café in Hollywood. But this was my first time recording together with David.

Steve Horner has been producing songs for me for almost ten years now, so we have co-written and collaborated a lot. And…all three of them did cameos in my 2018 music video “Born To The Stars.”

We did all of our recordings separately, in our own studios, across the USA. We texted and communicated our ideas throughout the process. While it was remote, we felt really connected through the song!

 

Q) You described the song as “a reflection of the timeless battle between our inner light and darkness, a message of resilience, and a call to never give up.” Have you received any feedback for the song that has stayed with you?

 

A) Several people have told me that this song helps them through hard times, which is truly amazing. But there one particular story stands out. I released this song in the original demo form a few years ago to my Patreon subscribers (patreon.com/MarinaV) and one of my fans said that this song helped her through the hardest time of her life as she was struggling to survive on dialysis for kidney failure. She said she’s listened to this song thousands of times and it helped her stay strong and to “live to fight another day.” She’s had a transplant now and is doing okay, and she loves the final version (I was worried she wouldn’t). I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it her experience and the role my song played in her life.

 

Q) What do you hope people take away from the song – either as a message or emotion?

 

A) I just hope that this song brings something positive into someone’s life.

 

Q) You have also self-released several critically acclaimed albums, with an upcoming release, Labyrinthine Rose, set to feature Bruce Kulick and David Ellefson. Why was it so important for you to release these all on your own?

 

A) I love being an independent artist and deciding what kind of music I create and release, whenever and however I want to. Through the years my fans have supported my work – and I am beyond grateful. They’ve been my label, so to speak, funding and encouraging me!

 

Q) You were born in Moscow, moved to the United States at the age of fifteen and have since performed over one thousand five hundred concerts worldwide, sharing stages with artists like Howard Jones, Macy Gray and Beth Hart. What has it meant to you have gotten such recognition for your music?

 

A) I love what I do. I work hard and I try to do the best I can. And it feels good to get recognized for my work. But for every accolade you see there are hundreds of “almosts” and things that haven’t worked out, in spite of my best efforts. But I try to concentrate on my love of music and be genuinely grateful for the things that did happen and worked out.

 

Q) Do you have a favorite song or one that has been more emotional to perform for you?

 

A) Most of the songs on the new album are quite emotional for me because all of these songs have something to do with the life’s extremes I’ve experienced recently. In a short span of time, I gave birth and became a mom and then suddenly lost my dad during the pandemic and then the Russian-Ukrainian war has devastated my family’s lives both in Russia and Ukraine. So, these songs come from a lot of pain and also joy (like my little daughter), so they’re all quite emotional.

 

Q) Was there been a song that has challenged you the most creatively?

 

A) The song “Symphony & Metal” had a long creative journey. My husband/co-writer and I wrote it over ten years ago, then re-wrote it and had a demo of it, for years thinking how to approach it, arrangement-wise. But we finally did it! 😊

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) My dream would be to do a duet with Paul McCartney

 

Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why?

 

A) I try to listen to new music – songs by Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Luke Spiller and old (but new to me) music from the 60s and 70s – we listen to a lot of stuff on vinyl, it is like time travel. Like we’re listening to a record by Cat Stevens this week!

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) Thank you for caring and for listening! Make sure to stay in touch and sign up for my updates too: MarinaV.com/links