guitarguitar Exclusive: Interview with Alexandra Lioness!
Alexandra Lioness is a self-taught guitar player from Belgrade, Serbia. She is the founder, guitarist, and vocalist of the heavy/thrash metal band JENNER. Alexandra also plays guitar in Sigma Epsilon and recently joined the Italian power metal group Frozen Crown, signed to Napalm Records.
Photo & Cover Photo by Igor Stanic
I recently featured Alexandra in my blog, Top Up-and-Coming Female Guitarists, which you can read [here]. Despite her packed touring schedule, she kindly took the time to chat with me about her journey, inspirations, and career in metal.
Amped riffs. Raw talent. No compromises. Ready to dive into the riff-heavy world of Alexandra Lioness? Let’s go!
The guitarguitar Exclusive Interview with Alexandra Lioness
guitarguitar: Tell us about your beginnings - what inspired you to pick up a guitar and decide that you wanted to become a professional musician?
Alexandra Lioness: When I first got into rock and metal music as a teenager, something just clicked. One day, my sister and I woke up and, without much thought, I said I’d play bass and she said she’d play drums. I honestly can’t remember how we even got to that decision, haha! She’d practice on pillows and chairs, and I made myself an improvised bass guitar out of a badminton racket. It’s still one of my favorite memories from those early days.
We formed a band right away, even though we couldn’t afford real instruments at the time. We’d rent gear from studios or borrow from friends whenever we could. Then one day, a friend offered to sell me their electric guitar for a really low price. I bought it, started playing more and more, and completely fell in love with it. And the rest is history.
Those beginnings were so pure and spontaneous that even now, I don’t fully feel like a professional musician. It still feels like a dream I never really woke up from.
When it comes to making music, I focus on creating something that feels true to me, something I’d enjoy listening to.
gg: It’s not hard to guess Metal is the genre of your choice and your passion - which bands / artists influenced your style?
AL: There were definitely many stages in my metal evolution, so my style today is probably a mix of all of them. It all started with 80s classics like Guns N’ Roses, Europe, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe, and Vixen. Then came a heavy metal and NWOBHM phase with bands like Judas Priest, Saxon, and Rock Goddess. After that, I dove into speed and thrash metal with Megadeth, Testament, Anthrax…
These days, I just listen to whatever I like, regardless of genre. And when it comes to making music, I focus on creating something that feels true to me, something I’d enjoy listening to.
gg: Alexandra, you come from Serbia - what’s the music scene like back home? Was it easy or difficult to break through into the metal scene over there?
AL: Metal is still very underground in Serbia and in the Balkans in general. Most people here listen to folk, pop, or rap/trap music. But despite that, our small metal community is surprisingly strong. The bands support each other, we have a small but loyal fan base, and we do our best to keep the metal spirit alive.
My band was well received from the very beginning, but I wouldn’t say we ever truly broke through. Like most bands here, we’re not full-time musicians, we all have “real jobs” on the side. Still, the passion is real, and that’s what keeps us going.
Photo by Richard Mastny
gg: You were one of the founding members of the all-female thrash metal group JENNER. With a few line-up changes, you have now taken the lead as a frontwoman - can you tell us more about the band and how do you find yourself within your new role?
AL: JENNER is a band I formed when I was 17 years old. Over the past 11 years, the lineup has changed several times. It’s something I’ve, unfortunately, gotten used to by now, even though it’s not something I can really control. At one point, I realized it might be easier to manage the band if I took on vocal duties as well, and worked with just two other people instead of three or four.
However, things didn’t go exactly the way I imagined. The challenges kept coming, which is understandable. After all, we’re a small band, and people have their own priorities, families, careers, university…
Still, I believe that taking on vocals made my life in music a bit easier. I don’t really consider myself a singer, more like a guitarist who sings. I know I’m not naturally gifted as a vocalist the way I am with guitar, and it takes a lot of practice and effort. But I’m someone who’s willing to keep learning and improving for as long as it takes, so I don’t see that as a problem.
gg: Aside from JENNER you’re also part of another metal band - Sigma Epsilon and you’ve just been announced as a new member of Italian power metal act - Frozen Crown - signed to Napalm Records. How did that come about? And how do you find the time to juggle 3 actively touring bands?! (wow!)
AL: The truth is, none of the bands I’m involved with are active at the same time or on the same level. Sigma Epsilon is more of a hobby project, a band I share with people I love, so it’s mostly stress-free and just pure joy. Over the past few years, we’ve been slowly working on our first album. I even had the opportunity to write a few songs for it. All the instrumentals are recorded, and now we’re just waiting for the singer to lay down the vocals so we can finally release it, hopefully later this year.
JENNER, on the other hand, is my own band, but it’s still not a fully professional project. We released our second album Prove Them Wrong last year, played some gigs and festivals, and my original plan for this year was to play more across Europe to promote it. But life had other plans. Our drummer Marija announced her pregnancy, and instead of starting over for the fifth time with new members, I decided to focus on other things, building my personal brand and possibly exploring some solo material.
Around that time, I was contacted by Federico from Frozen Crown, who invited me to join them for their summer shows, with the possibility of becoming a permanent member. Even though this wasn’t part of my original plan, the timing was perfect, and I couldn’t say no.
What really made me consider this seriously is that they approach the band in a way very similar to how I run mine, only at a much more professional level. And beyond that, they’re incredible people. After my first visit, I felt an immediate connection with each of them, like I was part of a family.
I’ve always dreamed of working with like-minded musicians who genuinely value my dedication, and that’s exactly what I found in Frozen Crown. Of course, my involvement with them won’t affect my work with JENNER or Sigma Epsilon, it may even elevate it.
Photo by Jon Rivas
My love for guitar and music never faded, it only grew stronger with time.
gg: You recently graduated from the Faculty of Medicine - what was the deciding factor that made you choose rock & roll life over a medicine professional?
AL: I’d say the deciding factor was simply a bad feeling in my gut. I’m a very emotional person, and most of my decisions are guided by intuition. I had been playing guitar for years before I even started studying medicine. As a child, I was always one of the best students, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to be “when I grow up”. I was always an artistic child, but like in many places, art was seen more as a hobby, something you eventually grow out of when it’s time to get a “real job”. So I chose medicine, thinking it was the responsible thing to do. In reality, I was still very young and mostly trying to please the people around me.
But my love for guitar and music never faded, it only grew stronger with time. I always felt a bit out of place in medicine. I loved studying and learning, but whenever we had direct contact with patients, I felt uneasy, like it just wasn’t meant for me. I’m very sensitive, and I didn’t want to become desensitized or emotionally distant just to cope with the more difficult sides of that profession.
By my fourth year of medical school, I knew I didn’t see myself working in a hospital. Still, I decided to finish my degree as I didn’t want to leave anything halfway. During those years, I stayed active with my bands, and thanks to that creative balance, I managed to finish my studies on time.
During the COVID pandemic, with online classes, I finally had more time to focus on building my personal brand on social media and taking music more seriously. But since I wasn’t earning money from it yet, I worked at my boyfriend’s company to support myself. That experience taught me a lot about organization and multitasking, but deep down, I still felt lost, like I didn’t belong anywhere. I felt like I had “wasted” years studying something I didn’t love, only to end up stuck in another job I didn’t want.
So I took another risk and decided to fully commit to a music career. We released a great album with JENNER, I started teaching guitar lessons, and I began collaborating with some amazing brands. I also didn’t want my medical degree to go to waste, so I completed additional education in nutrition and became a certified nutrition coach. Suddenly, things started to fall into place and make sense.
And then, the cherry on top, the invitation to join Frozen Crown.
I’ve always been a fan of high-gain amps, especially Peavey and Blackstar!
gg: Let’s talk about guitars! Naturally, as a metalhead - you’re very fond of Superstrats. What is your go-to rig when it comes to live shows?
AL: It might sound a bit unusual, but over the years I’ve tried not to get too attached to specific guitars or amps. I simply couldn’t afford most of the gear I wanted, so I had to make the most of what I had, or borrow equipment from friends for shows. Touring outside of Serbia also makes things tricky, since we often can’t bring our own gear across borders without tons of paperwork and risks, which complicates live setups even more.
The gear I’ve used the most in the past few years includes a Jackson Warrior, a Harley Benton Fusion III with Blackfire Pickups, a Bugera 333 Combo, and the Neural DSP Soldano plugin for virtual setups. Still, I have to admit, I’ve always been a fan of high-gain amps, especially Peavey and Blackstar.
gg: What’s your dream signature guitar?
AL: I haven’t had a dream signature guitar for a long time, but recently I started exploring Jackson guitars more, and I fell in love with MJ Series Rhoads RR24MG, so I’d like to have it in my collection in the future.
My favorite techniques are legato and fast shredding combined with lots of pinched harmonics, squeals and dive bombs.
gg: A day in the life of Alexandra Lioness: what does your typical guitar session look like? Talk us through your warm-up routine, favourite techniques and guilty pleasure covers / riffs.
AL: When I practice or teach guitar lessons, I always begin with a few minutes of simple warm-up exercises and stretches to get my fingers and wrists ready. After that, it really depends on my focus for the day, whether I’m working on technique, learning songs, or just playing for fun. Over the past few months, I’ve mainly been focused on learning Frozen Crown songs. Most of them are quite technically demanding, so they double as great practice material.
My favorite techniques are legato and fast shredding combined with lots of pinched harmonics, squeals and dive bombs, and my guilty pleasures are the full albums King Diamond - Conspiracy, Kreator - Coma of Souls, and Control Denied - The Fragile Art of Existence. I really enjoy trying to figure out the songs from those albums by ear. It’s both fun and challenging.
gg: We’ve recently featured you in our top-up-and-coming female guitarists blog for IWD. Your social media channel, the live music venues and festival stages you perform at, are all a tremendous testament to your hard work. How do you feel about being a role model for young girls aspiring to be guitarists?
AL: That feeling is one of the most rewarding things a young musician can experience. Playing live in front of a huge crowd and getting positive feedback online is great, but when someone tells you they picked up an instrument because of you, that’s absolutely priceless.
gg: I believe we all hold the power to help each other out. And by supporting one another we can build a beautiful community of incredible female guitarists that will continue on inspiring future generations. If you were to give a shout out to another up-and-coming female guitarist, who would it be?
AL: My favorite young female guitarist right now is my new bandmate, Alessia Lanzone. She’s only 19, but already absolutely shreds on the guitar. She’s a huge inspiration and motivation for me, and truly deserves more recognition.
If you truly feel that music and guitar are your passion, never stop playing and practicing, no matter what challenges come your way.
gg: If you were to give advice to someone who is just starting out on guitar what would you say?
AL: If you truly feel that music and guitar are your passion, never stop playing and practicing, no matter what challenges come your way.
gg: Thanks for joining us for a chat Alexandra & best of luck in your career!
Get inspired by Alexandra’s mesmerising guitar shredding, passion and dedication.
Make sure to check out Alexandra Lioness’ social media and keep an eye out for any future shows of either of her three bands, JENNER, Sigma Epsilon or Frozen Crown!
