Who is Leandra?
Leandra is the dreamy, sensitive and discovering part of me. Sometimes I dwell in my own secret realm, perceiving the world like a child – very seldom moments, but in fact inspiring and stunning.
How would you describe your character?
Which one?? In summary I’m capricious, excessive and complicated. I’m easy to get into things of which I easy get disappointed. No, I wouldn’t recommend someone to hang around with me. And when I come to think of it, I suck.
You started playing piano at a very young age, what do you remember of those days, was it love for the piano at first sight?
It was love at the 1095th sight for the piano stood right in the living room of my parents’ home and I dug it as I was four. That day I wanted to hear the melodies of a children’s show which came before bed time. The moderator was a doll pig and it announced some animated short movies like “Nu Pagadi”. It was the Russian version of Tom and Jerry with a wolf and a bunny in it chasing around each other. Quite funny that the winners of the German “Pop Idol” named their band like that in 2004.
You started playing in a grunge band, why the change of direction?
Because of my puberty and curiousity. I felt quite fantastic coloring my hair green and loving every band coming from Seattle. I had a very difficult puberty. I cut my arms with a razor, ran away from home and stole sleeping pills from my mum. But I still love stoner rock, hell yeah.
What was the turning point for you in this?
Having discovered the western “society of adventure” I just launched into one of the opportunities of being allowed to express myself and my teen rebellion, which was directed at the pressure of the strict classical education I had in that times.
What drives you in making music, is it something inside you that has to come out?
When I find myself in the situations of answer 1 I hear fully instrumented songs. I just have to write them down. If I’m in an other mood I find myself writing an electro punk-, trance- or a black metal-song. Sometimes I throw them away or keep them for other projects. But mostly I like the spherical sounds. It’s like I want to hear a record describing a moment like a movie soundtrack, but it doesn’t exist. So I record it as if it’s my diary I write the situation into.
Your website says: “Leandra refuses to surrender to every-day life, to a stagnation of the productivity of her own imagination.” How do you prevent stagnation and every songwriter has experienced some kind of writersblock at moments, how do you deal with that?
I don’t prevent writer’s block consciously. I’m just one of these sissies scared to death by everyday life, doing every possible thing to avoid it. Climbing on roofs, into old houses, singing on streets and learning Klingon are my everyday-activities. And if I get tired of it I become a nerd until it gets boring again.
What inspires you in songwriting and life in general?
Everything I get into: red light-districts, churches, my cats, books (I totally dig Castaneda btw.), woods, porn, my other band Jesus On Extasy, studying, the juicy meadows of my university, Tool, my piano, cigarettes, red wine, meditation, being sleepless and salt and vinegar chips.
You seem to be a very spiritual person, what does spirituality mean to you?
To me it means reflecting myself in a honest kind of way and then to wake up and to look in the mirror finding no self-lie in my face, no doubt of what I’m doing and total belief in my aims. The most important thing is to get the energies channeled. Every month I delete useless addresses from my phone and people out of my head. Last year there were only 3 numbers of friends and 5 numbers of business partners I kept.
Is it hard for you to keep a personal life instead of a public life, part of your life is public because of your music?
There are precise constraints between boths and they are tattooed on each of my synapses. Depending on my attitude I can even wash my clothes in public and it wouldn’t bother me as long as I keep my core together. It is all about self-programming and energy recourses.
You already did quite a few Leandra shows, everybody we spoke mentioned an intimate atmosphere, how do you create that while being
onstage or is it something that just happens?
It’s like avoiding the every day life: the songs are intimate and very personal and that’s what I feel like on stage. There’s no concept. The audience should just feel what I feel and it certainly does. And I’m happy.
What is the difference between Ophelia Dax and Leandra?
Leandra looks at the world with the eyes of a child and discovers it every day in a different way. Ophelia Dax has more vulgarity within and lives a rock'n'roll life. The only thing both have in common is the look at life as if there's no tomorrow.
It must be different, being on stage as member of Jesus on Extasy or doing solo performances, what are the differences for you and do you need both?
Playing with J.o.E. is like having fun with friends. There’s no burden of responsibility and I need not much time to prepare. Playing solo gigs is more personal and more exhausting of course. No one knows what organizational work it is to have control over all people involved, but in fact the audience wants to see a perfect show. I have to switch to my inner self just five minutes before stage and it of course demands lots of discipline. So I definitely need both for my inner balance. It’s like golfing after the office.
Your album “Metamorphine” is out now for awhile, how are the responses on it and how do you look back on the making of it?
First I thought no one would understand what I’m doing there but now I sometimes cannot understand the reactions. There were critics of course but the mostly good reviews interpreted Metamorphine in a completely right way, and so did the fan mails. Some analyzed it totally right, some even said, the album saved their lives. And suddenly I got fan messages from artists I’m a big fan of and they really dug the album!! I’ve heard Blixa Bargeld adored Metamorphine in an interview. Imagine me jumping around my house, screaming and breaking things as I heard of it! Looking back to making it I only feel thankful to all who helped me. My photographer died of a heart attack some weeks after we finished the work. I really miss him. And I hope it wasn’t my dictatorial perfectionism.
What things have you learned or do you want to chance for a next album, after all you dislike stagnation?
I learned that I like this wooshy sound deadlines make when they fly by. So I work at the next album as if there’s no label, no agencies and all this stuff makes you distracted. I don’t like concepts. I’ll just let my imagination work on it and depending on my mood it could even become a death metal or psytrance or a pure piano album.
How does the ultimate Leandra day looks like?
Waking up. Feeding the cats. Cooking some buckwheat with milk (an old Russian tradition from my childhood). Eating while checking emails. Working at songs. Working at my university stuff. Working at my voice. Teaching some piano. Doing some sports. Bathing in a mountain creek. Drawing. Writing. Meditation, red wine, cigarettes, reading. At last sleeping well . Nerdy, hm?
What is the stupidest thing mankind invented and why?
Time and religion. And digital watches. Time makes us sick and aggressive, religion evokes more fears and self-lies than we need and digital watches are just crap.
What will be next for you?
Sleeeeeeep.
Any last words for the readers?
*snore*
www.myspace.com/leandrasphere
www.leandrasphere.de