At the end of the 1940s, the North American youth began to question society’s prevailing norms at that time, in order to promote changes in social and political structures. Thus, as a contention and rebellion genre, Rock N’ Roll emerged. This musical style reached its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, leaving a big legacy and a lot of big stars around the world.
Even with masochism and misogyny very present at the time, many women showed their talent in the Rock industry, marking generations with their voices. It is no wonder that Janis Joplin is considered the “Queen of Rock N’ Roll’’. The movement would not be the same without her. She was responsible for breaking the 60s style of Rock because of her striking voice. In addition, with her rebellious and questioning attitudes, the singer gave space and strength for more women to enter this world.
Taylor Momsen, The Pretty Reckless’ vocalist, is an example of women that are being part of this new wave of Rock N’ Roll Her songs talk about self-destruction, toxic relationships and rebelliousness. Although this is not something innovative in the Rock’s universe, it’s interesting to have this life perspective narrated by a woman, differing from other numerous male rock bands with heavy lyrics.
But have you ever wondered what a woman’s trajectory inside the Rock N’ Roll world looks like? What are the prospects of being part of a place that historically has always been dominated by men? To answer these questions, I talked with Helena Accioly – who’s also known by her nickname Nena- the bassist and guttural of ‘Melyra’, a Brazilian female rock band. This band’s songs are full of rock and heavy metal and they are too good to miss on their work!
- “I feel like I’m right in the place where I want to be.”
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How long have you been in Melyra and the Rock N’ Roll world?
Nena: My father was a musician (composer and guitarist), so I naturally entered Rock’s world, having contact with instruments, shows and bands since I was a kid. I’ve been a part of Melyra since the band’s founding, in 2012.
Why did you choose the bass? Was it the instrument you fell in love with the most?
Nena: As my father was a guitarist, I always had contact with string instruments. Thus, I began to fall in love with the bass sound.
Cool! How does it feel to be a woman on the Rock’s universe? Have you ever experienced an uncomfortable situation due to sexism?
Nena: Being a woman in the rock universe is wonderful, it’s an achievement for me. The women’s representation in rock fascinates me a lot and I feel honored to be a part of it. We women have to do what we want to understand that our place is wherever we want to be. The labels are always related to “the band only got visibility because they’re all women’’ or “the band only sings in this place because they’re women’’.
What a shame! Have you ever heard those sexist comments?
Nena: Yes. There are also comments like “you play very well for a woman’’ or “you play like a man’’. Sometimes, it also happens that a man tries to regulate my instrument as if I don’t understand its regulation. I just tuned in the way I liked!
Did you ever feel like Rock wasn’t your right place due to sexism? Or did this ever stop you from playing?
Nena: Quite the contrary: this type of remark is like a ‘’fuel’’ to me to go further. I have always seen Rock and Metal as my place.
You know that Melyra inspires other women to enter Rock, right? How do you girls feel about that?
Nena: It’s really dope when women say they get inspired by seeing us playing, I feel very happy. It is a role of representation.
How do you feel when you’re playing on stage?
Nena: I feel unique and excited. I feel like I’m right in the place where I want to be.
That’s so nice! But how is the band handling the quarantine?
Nena: We participated in some lives like “O Papo é Rock’’, “Heavy Talk’’ and “Pedrada”, and we also made lives on our own Instagram. The quarantine has been difficult for everyone, but we adapted to it because we meet and work hard online too.
How does it work the process of songwriting?
Nena: Usually Fernanda (the guitarist) arrives with a ready riff (progression chord) and we start working, making a puzzle on top of this chord. The drummer mounts the drumline, I mount the bass line and so on. In face-to-face rehearsals, we build the music in a way that everyone likes. In the online format, we build the songs in our houses and then we exchange ideas to assemble the lyrics.
Hmm, so are there gonna be new songs?
Nena: That’s a surprise [laughs]. But I can assure you that we have been working a lot in the quarantine.
Therefore, this was an amazing example of a talented girl inside the Rock’s World. If you got interested in her work, you can check her Instagram: @nenaaccioly. And if you got curious about Melyra too, which is an amazing band, search for their Instagram: @melyraband. The songs are available on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and Amazon Music.
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The article above was edited by Rafaela Bertolini.
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