An ensemble of professionality from a huge country are presented to use through the strumming of our city girl and her all female band. Here she talks about her personal experience in music and her ideas about women and AC/DC. It is all worth reading.

guitarist

Esprila 🇧🇷

What makes a musician stand out from others?

I believe that uniqueness, hard work and love for music, regardless of the goal, is a fuel for any job. But it is necessary to be prepared, to relate well with other people and to know how to work as a team.

What are your dreams in your musical career?

Beside playing the guitar, I am a teacher. I have a real passion for teaching guitar, and getting better at teaching is my goal. Of course I want bigger things than what I already achieved, for example playing with Nita Strauss; it would be incredible. Every time I approach an idol, it's a dream coming true; getting closer and closer to them are small steps towards bigger dreams.

What would your top 3 tips be to succeed as a musician?

To work hard, not to stop dreaming, idealizing, mentalizing, and a lot of love for your work. These would be the perfect match. No matter how fast progress is, nothing can stop you that way.

“I like to advise my students not to think of music as the only option, especially the younger ones.„

Do you have a daily regimen in music learning?

Certainly! without a study schedule, it is impossible to keep playing with technique. I'm in Brazil, but these tips are for any beginner in the world: (A) alternate picking, (B) melodic patterns, (C) posture adjustments (very important), (D) bends, vibratos and slides (bring your sound to life), (E) free improvisation with backing tracks or bands, (F) use the metronome, always!

What's art and music and why should it matter?

I will give my opinion as a music teacher; someone passionate about music and eternal apprentice. Art and music are necessary for human survival, that is why in all periods of our existence, there have been records. Music has proven to activate areas of the brain untouched by other activities. It is essential for the development of emotional intelligence, and it is a form of expression, as well as a way of survival for us who live on it. Music and all forms of art are what I consider to be the relief of the world's pains.

How has your musical taste changed over the years?

I'm a guitarist and passionate about rock. I started there, and I started very early, but I have always had an influence on Brazilian music. Brazil is a very big country and very rich in music, and each region has a style, and a different musical strand. Some bands mix rock with these rhythms which makes it sensational. I do not say that it has been changing, but I have been adding more and more different styles and rhythms, but I can't deny that my passion is rock n' roll!

How long have you been involved with music? 

When I was a child, my father started teaching me acoustic guitar. I lost him very early, but he left me with this love for music. Many musicians Here started playing in church, of course it was not different for me since I didn't even know what I was doing, but I was there. Soon I started teaching other kids, and we had a band of kids playing at church services. That was the beginning of everything, since then I have never stopped teaching.

Do you play for any bands? Who? Did you join/form them?

YEAH! I have a band formed only by women called TN/SHE and we play AC/DC. We wear clothes like those of the members. I have Angus's high school uniform. We have been together for 5 years, and we play all over Brazil. Here everyone loves AC/DC a lot and so do we!

Have you composed any songs/albums?

I have several small compositions saved. I like instrumental music too, but I have not recorded anything yet. This is a future project, I really want to record an album with the music that I really like to do.

“Music and all forms of art are what I consider to be the relief of the world's pains.„

Tell us about your favorite musicians/bands.

It’s a long list, but I will try not to stretch too much. I am a big fan of hard rock, of all the 80's music, like Van Halen, Whitesnake, Mr. Big, AC / DC, Bon Jovi, and so on, but the band always in my heart is called Angra; a Brazilian heavy metal band. It is the old band of Kiko Loureiro, current guitarist of Megadeth. Kiko is my great guitar idol along with Steve Vai. I suggest getting to know them since they are incredible. Claro is also gerat. My favourite female musicians are Lita Ford, Nita Strauss, Lari Basilio, Lzzy Hale, Joan Jett. In Brazilian music, it is Vinicius de Moraes, Tom Jobim, Elis Regina and many other artists.

How do you get inspired to make music?

There are two different processes: I really like to study, so it takes inspiration as well. I had a teacher here in Brazil who said: ''There must be two Esprilas: the Esprila who studies and the Esprila who plays, and the Esprila who studies is working for the one who plays.''

I hope it makes sense to you. I try to be inspired by other artists that I like, in what I am feeling at the moment, experiences that I have already lived. Sometimes we are doing very well, other days not so much, and then good ideas and creations can also emerge.

What are the responsibilities that are subjected to you when you have a huge fan base?

Great question! I'm a fan too, we all are, aren't we?

I LOVE THESE PEOPLE! The responsibility is with the feeling that people have for us, the affection, and respect that people show. In my TN/SHE band shows, we have many children, many girls who tell me that they feel motivated and want to be like me when I grow up. Paying attention to them, giving back and treating our fans as we would like to be treated is the biggest responsibility.

How do you see your audience? What do you want to tell them and what do you expect from them?

I love these people, they support me every day. This is so important. many of these people I have never seen in person, and yet I receive so much affection. My main contact network is Instagram. Recently, I have been going through difficult times. I am dealing with depression, and I ended up walking away for many weeks. Many people noticed this absence, and filled my DM with messages that in a way helped me. I realized that I also help people with my work, whether as a teacher or an artist. I would just like to thank you for all that affection.

Where do you think rock n’ roll is today and where is it going?

Difficult question. Every day we see fewer rock bands. We are a little stuck in the past, I confess. But I trust a lot mainly in my generation of guitarists and musicians, who like me, love rock n roll and we work to take it to other generations. We will never give up!

What are some of the challenges as a musician, especially a female musician?

There are challenges on a daily basis like maintaining ourselves financially with our music and work. For all the resistance and hard work, we have less comments belittling what we do. But in particular, here in Brazil we are going through a very difficult moment as the covid-19 totally prevented our shows. Keeping ourselves motivated is also a great challenge. So, I appreciate your work for providing us this space.

What challenges does the music industry still face?

I think the main challenge is to adapt to what we are experiencing at the moment. It is impossible not to mention the covid-19 as the great challenge of the century, for us musicians and all other sectors that depend on music. Thankfully, we have the Internet as a great ally in this challenge.

What do you think of pop music? Would you consider some of today's music in the rock charts as pop?

I like pop, it is not my favorite style, of course. But many of my students like it, and I have a lot of contacts. But here we have a question about what is pop. AC / DC launched the PWR UP in 2020 and stayed for weeks on the charts, all over the planet (except in Brazil, because it was not released here, which is sad). We can consider AC/DC popular, but it is not inserted within pop culture. This is hard, right? It depends on the point of view of each one.

“Paying attention to them, giving back and treating our fans as we would like to be treated is the biggest responsibility.„

Do you ever receive sexist comments in your social media? If so, how do you treat them?

OH MY GOD! Yes Yes Yes! often. We have already suffered from cyber crime cases. Most of the time I respond in the way that the person deserves and then I block them. But when things get more serious, we call the police. And believe me sometimes things do get serious. This is very sad. I imagine what great artists face in their daily lives.

When and where were you born and raised?

Just a city Girl, …. took the midnight train goin' anywhere. It was just a joke with Don't Stop Believin from Journey, I love them!

But yes, I was born in southern Brazil, Paraná, and I love this place with all my heart, in spite of all the political and health crisis that we are experiencing these days around the world.

Aside from music, what studies and jobs do you have or have had in the past?

There were so many things. I wanted to be a policeman when I was a child. I love football and I also wanted to be a football player, I love Marta and Rapinoe, they live in my heart. I went through other professions, a law firm, a seller of records and musical instruments, a secretary But together with these professions, I never stopped teaching music and studying guitar. Today these professions have become just curiosities of my history.

What are some of your hobbies?

Music is not a hobby, I think it never was. I love football, really! It is the second thing I love most in life. I love playing sports, the gym. I really like dancing a country style, a specific dance rhythm from Brazil. I also have learned to play the drums and I am in love with it! it is a wonderful feeling, so I have spent my free time playing the drums.

How did you discover your musical talent and passion?

It was from a very early age, my father started to teach me, soon I got my first guitar from my mother. I will never forget this day! But I think that many things I absorbed and learned on my own, asking other people who played guitar, other church musicians and friends who were also playing, and listening to records. I was always very curious, I think that helped a lot.

How can music change the world?

There are so many ways, I believe that music is one of the few things that can touch people's souls. From private lessons on an instrument to beautiful incentive projects in poor communities. I could see this up close. I worked a few years for the city hall of my city, going to places in need in relation to culture and music. Seeing smiles and a little hope for the simple fact of playing a guitar, It was one of the most beautiful periods of my life, I learned a lot in that time and I miss it a lot.

Does it sound scary to choose music as a career?

Today it seems so, but I didn't have a choice, it was the song that chose me, I was born to do what I do. However, I like to advise my students not to think of music as the only option, especially the younger ones. In Brazil things change very quickly and you have to be careful, but I encourage them as if it were my own dream.

What song would get you back on your feet when you're down?

There are many songs, but AC/DC's Thunderstruck is really electrifying. It was their first song I heard in my life, long before my TN / SHE band and I remember thinking what a powerful sound that was. it was really magical!