Awesome interview with Diva Satanica of NERVOSA! She was previously featured in one of my former versions of THE METAL PIT. Diva joined Nervosa in 2020 and they recorded and released their latest album in January of 2021 PERPETUAL CHAOS. Diva has been singing in metal bands since 2010. Nervosa will be heading out on a massive tour next year.
Hi Diva. Thank you for talking to me today. You have actually been on my previous version of THE METAL PIT as I used to have a feature called Metal Maiden of the Month and when you were 22 and had a myspace page you were featured! Its great to see some of my sites past interviews still cranking out some metal. Don’t worry I am sure you won’t remember the interview. So let my first question be how you have prolonged your career in metal music?
Diva: Hi, Blake! I do remember! Specially when it’s about people that have showed some interest in my bands or in me in the early days, I really appreciate it 😀 Well, I’ve been working as much as I could just to get my chance to improve my skills and keep on developing as an artist. I did many collabs along the years with amazing bands such as KAMELOT, the spanish Mägo de Oz, Nightrage, Holy Moses… and also I tried to play with my band Bloodhunter in different summer festivals so we could reach as many different audiences as we could even if they were not interested in the extreme metal scene. Hard work, self-criticism and never giving up makes the perfect recipe for still standing up!
You joined NERVOSA for their last album released earlier this year. How was it going a new band with the 3 other new members and trying to make new music while covid was going on in the world?
It was intense! Everything happened in the middle of the pandemic situation so we had to work without meeting each other, each one of us from home just sharing files and sending our parts so the others could know how the demos would sound. We spent 3 months writing this album and then we entered the studio for 1 month for the recording sessions. It was a very intense time because we had to learn how to live and how to work together for the first time face to face! We had to face many challenges because there were flights cancelled, a lot of PCR tests and unexpected things that made us be more creative than ever haha. We feel very thankful that we could finally make it.
You haven’t been able to tour in support of your most recent album the way you would of wanted but you just recently played the Swiss Rock Cruise. What was that experience like? How does it feel to be playing live shows again?
Well, that was our last show but we’ve been playing live shows at festivals around Europe since July, we feel very lucky for that. Obviously that’s not a proper tour as it should be, but almost nobody is touring nowadays because it’s very difficult because you find difficult rules in each country that you’re travelling. I remember the first one in Louder Fest (Poland), it was a festival with real audience standing up with no social distancing and no face masks and also they made a live streaming, so imagine our very first show with this new line up and everything as if nothing has changed in the world. It was fantastic to feel the energy of the audience once again and especially because they didn’t know what to expect from us. You can find the streaming in youtube by the way…
Next year you have a big tour with Warbringer. How much are you and the band looking forward to that tour and really get to play a full tour again?
To me, it’s going to be the longest tour I’ve ever made so I’m trying to train myself for that because it’s going to be 55 live shows in 6o days… that’s insane!!! We are really looking forward to meeting all our fans around the world and also sharing this tour with Warbringer, who are one of our fave bands!
Any plans yet for coming to North America?
Absolutely…YES!!!! News is coming very soon so stay tuned!!!
What is your warm up routine before a live show?
The most important thing for me is doing my exercises to warm up the voice and activate my diaphragm which I really need for growling. Also some body warming up too is needed because screaming is very physical when you’re using this vocal register, you need lots of strength. So I spend like 10-15 min doing this, sometimes I use a balloon too when I feel more tired and I absolutely can not sleep the last 4 hours before the show so my voice can be ready for the show. I try not to eat too much before the show and I don’t drink any alcoholic or cold drinks.
Has it been hard during covid to stay motivated to sing when you didn’t know when you would next be playing live shows?
Not really because we were very busy doing the promotion of the album with the press. It’s been amazing to see the reaction of all the press media when they listened to this new album in its entirety. In the first months after the release of the album, each one of us spent 5 hours per day answering interviews which was kind of exhausting but at the same time we’d like to thank everybody for their amazing support. We have been doing promotional photo sessions, filming videoclips and we also played a private show for some close friends before the dates at summer fests. I think it was the perfect timing for everything in the end.
Who are some of your past and present vocalists that you admire?
I’ve always been a big fan of Sabin Classen of Holy Moses. She was probably the first woman that I’ve found performing some harsh vocals on youtube and then Angela Gossow ex-Arch Enemy at one live show here in Spain. She was the first woman that I could see performing live and that changed my life. Also Tristessa from Astarte has been a big influence and source of inspiration for me in the early days. Nowadays probably Tati from Jinjer, Lauren Hart from Once Human and Larissa Stupar from Venom Prison because they are excellent vocalists and all of them use the same register as myself.
I see by the bio on your bands website that in 2015 you were giving extreme metal vocal lessons. Are you still doing that or is it something you will do again once the world gets more back to normal?
Yes, I started as an extreme metal teacher in 2025 when some people from other bands came to me asking about tips for singing because they were harming their voices. Since then I have had the chance to give some masterclasses at some music schools here in Spain and private lessons that I keep on doing if I have some extra free time.
As I mentioned earlier 3 of the members of Nervosa are new to the band with long time member Prika. How has the band grown as friends during the time of forming the new Nervosa?
We didn’t know each other in person before joining the band so we didn’t know very much about the others besides our musical careers, I even was a big fan of Mia because of her work with Abbath. Being in the studio just made us feel that strong connection between ourselves as if we know each other from centuries ago. We are all very different characters but everybody is so open-minded that we embrace our diversity.
Going back to your younger days. How did you discover Metal music?
I think it was thanks to a Talent Tv Show where a girl was performing “Livin’On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi. I instantly fell in love with that sound and started to find more bands to discover: I remember that I was going to the record shop every Friday to buy a new album from any band that I’ve discovered at any music magazine.
You are from Spain originally. Do you still live in Spain or get back there often?
I still live here in Madrid, in the mountains because I really hate the noise of the city centre haha. I moved to a quiet place that keeps me close to the airport so I can travel easily and I feel like I need more action. I go to the city to have fun or ato attend any live show. I moved to Madrid 11 years ago, in order to get more involved in the metal scene, but I was born in A Coruña, in the land of the Celtics.
Even though you haven’t properly toured for the latest album has the band been working on any new songs for the next album?
Absolutely yes! We didn’t finish anything yet but we’ve been experimenting with the new influences that this line up has added to the band.
Thank you for the interview. I wish you and the band the best of the luck for the rest of 2021 and into 2022 and hope to see you in North America sometime soon.
Sooner that you think! Thank you so much for your questions, it’s been an honor! Hope to see you soon next year to enjoy this new era of the band all together. Until then, be safe and stay strong.
***Interview by Blake Mossey