wazzara: “The more you differ from that ideal man concept, the less worthy you are considered”

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The project wazzara, now a full band, is well-known at Groundcast. We interviewed Barbara, the composer and singer, about wazzara’s decade-long journey and their new album ARBOR. The discussion covers artistic growth since Cycles, more mature songwriting, increased collaboration, and influences from doom metal, black metal, and shoegaze.

With ARBOR, wazzara celebrates ten years of existence. What does this album say about you today that may not have been so clear at the time of Cycles?

BARBARA: The songs on ARBOR show a transformation towards maturity compared to those on Cycles. Back then, wazzara’s style just started to shape, and when writing the material for Cycles, I felt a bit like a child on a playground. In between those two albums, I’ve grown some songwriting skills, and I’ve grown — and of course changed — as a person, and I’d say I now have a clearer connection to the music that wants to come through. Also, on ARBOR, I opened the space for more collaboration. George, who plays the bass in wazzara, added some crucial guitar riffs, while Andrei Jumugă, who played the drums on the record, had a valuable influence on the songs with brilliant arrangement ideas and additions.

When listening to the album, I noticed that it sounds different from the previous ones, something darker and more ethereal, with some references not only to doom metal, but also to black metal and shoegaze. How was this work intended to sound?

BARBARA: I never write on purpose. I just play around with the musical styles that are suited best for me to transport and express what I want or need to, and then mostly something both dark and ethereal evolves. So, there was no clear intention how the songs should sound in the end — all I knew when starting writing was that I have a lot of anger to express and that I want to dive deeper into my darker musical side — into the shadows, into honesty.

The concept of ARBOR is dedicated “to those who are not afraid to taste the untamed fruit” and speaks of an ancient force that is buried but never broken. How did this idea come about and how does it connect to your own personal and artistic trajectories?

BARBARA: I believe we are now in a time when a lot that has been swept under the rug and kept silent is coming to surface. Personally, I am very interested in humans’ ability to connect with intuition while the world we are living in is so ruled by logic, measurement, competition and all that stuff (which also has its good sides, you know). But the systems we live in have also done their part to cut us off from intuitive knowing and from our connection to nature — who is so much bigger than us. We are not separated from this force, but the connection has been blurred by certain (belief) systems. It now needs the courage to think thoroughly and to rely on one’s guts to be able to navigate any further through this world — and to shed what doesn’t fit anymore. To connect with the untamed, the wild.

The other songs on ARBOR were composed between 2023 and 2025. What has changed in terms of writing and arrangements in the way you compose today compared to the time of the EP “zessa” and the album “Cycles”?

BARBARA: I think I am more courageous now to step away from fixed ideas and can make more space for parts that may seem odd at first glance but therefore are the truly interesting ones, the ones that will take you beyond what you’ve already done. Also, a huge leap was of course the collaboration with Andrei — having him looking at the songs from the outside was very valuable not only for the songs themselves, but also for me to learn more songwriting-wise.

Barbara, you started wazzara as a solo project so you could compose your own way, with a darker atmosphere and black metal influences. How much of that “solitary” need still exists in ARBOR, and how much has working in a band transformed your vision?

BARBARA: I’d say my vision hasn’t been transformed by that — it’s still quite the same musical vision but the form got more adequate with every album. But I as a musician transformed because of the band. I acknowledge that my vision can only come through with, or thanks to, all the other musicians, but it all starts with my ideas. So, I learned to juggle: to start something but then leave it to the others to play around and while they’re doing so, trust them — always in the interest of the best musical result possible, not in the interest of ego.

You went back to working with Andrei Jumugă, who, in addition to being a session drummer, took on the role of your producer. How did this collaboration affect the musicality of the album?

BARBARA: As mentioned before, Andrei had a huge impact. He is very talented at hearing what needs some extra glue or what simply needs to be cut away, and he came up with some very original additions arrangement-wise. I love to work with people to whom I don’t need to explain my vision, my songs, my ideas, but who just simply understand and help to give your vision its form. Andrei is definitely one of these rare souls, and ARBOR profited so much from his talent. Further influence on how the album sounds and feels had Andy Rosczyk who made the stereo mix. We went back to work with him for the second time because he too seems to understand what we’re up for and gets the best out of it. And then there was Martin Korth who not only delivered this beautiful mastering but also prepared the files for Dolby Atmos — it’s still quite unusual to have extreme music mixed for Atmos but we wanted to give it a try — and it was worth it! If anyone reading this has the opportunity and gear to listen to our music in Atmos, please do so — it’s quite an emotional journey! I like it a lot.

The production of your album was “fragmented” between your home studios in Switzerland and the drums in Romania. How was it managing all of that? How much did that influence ARBOR?

BARBARA: The collaboration was flawless, also thanks to modern times. 🙂 It’s easy nowadays to collaborate although being in different countries — also because the songs were completely finished and written down before they were recorded, and not dependent on still being worked out through jamming or improvisation, as you would maybe do when you go to a studio all together.

Between the last interview you gave us at Groundcast back in 2022 and today, what has changed the most in the way you view your own career and wazzara’s place within the metal/underground scene?

BARBARA: Since then, we made a lot of great memories together as a band — we were lucky to experience some unforgettable shows and to meet lovely people along the way. That, and the great feedback we’ve been receiving out of the underground scene, is the essence that keeps us going.

In terms of lyrics, ARBOR speaks of silenced voices that are now rising up. Are there specific episodes—personal, social, or political—that influenced the writing of this album and that you felt needed to be put into music? It’s a slightly bitter question, but I feel that on this album there is an even more powerful voice that confronts the silencing of people who are not part of what we consider to be “standard.”

BARBARA: I love bitter questions, as they often get to the core of things! And thank you for sensing that voice. My concern indeed was and is silencing people who do not adhere to the norm, while I see our nowadays’ norm as completely sick. I am also concerned about belief systems that have been telling us for thousands of years that we are inferior to a concept of God that I consider very hostile to life. It’s in our DNA. And women are especially affected by those belief systems — religion has played a huge part in helping shape the concept of the “ideal man” as a superior standard under which all, women and men — and animals by the way –, suffer a lot. The more you differ from that ideal man concept, be it through sex, gender, disabilities, poverty or what have you, the less worthy you are considered. This is sick, and again, hostile to life.

The transition from a solo project to a full band brought new members and new dynamics. What were the biggest human challenges in this transformation and how did it impact the creative decisions in ARBOR?

BARBARA: When you’re dependent on others helping you bring your musical vision to life you will need people who are ready and able to step back when it’s needed and to step in at the right time, leaving their ego at the door. This is not everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s fine — but I’ve learned to not compromise anymore. If someone’s not feeling what we’re doing here, none of us will get happy, so you need to separate. I became very sensitive to having the right people around my musical vision and to cutting ties if needed, and I think ARBOR profited a lot from being honest in all directions.

The title “ARBOR” comes after “Ombreine,” “Cycles,” and “zessa.” If we think of these names as chapters, what kind of broader narrative do they tell about the spiritual and aesthetic evolution of the project?

BARBARA: If you put these titles in chapters, it would be “a beginning” — “essence of life” — “death” — “superconsciousness”. A movement from a small, maybe also shy beginning towards a kind of maturity.

Thinking about the Brazilian audience, which is very intense and emotional, what feeling do you imagine ARBOR awakens in those who are listening to wazzara for the first time here?

BARBARA: I think an audience being very intense and emotional is exactly the right audience for our music. Our songs are not on the easy-listening side of things, rather they are designed to trigger feelings, they call for you to go both dancing and wrestling with your shadows. They rely on listeners that are open to that experience.

The album’s graphic art was created by you, Barbara. How was it to visually translate the concept of the tree, the roots, and this ancient force, and how does the visual aesthetic dialogue with the sound?

BARBARA: I generally love the creative process of expressing a certain idea on plain paper. You yourself decide how obvious or subtle you would want to go and which elements should be chosen and which should be left away. In this case, the artwork is closely intertwined with my lyrics on the album. But I would like to leave any further interpretation to the listener/viewer themselves.

Now I would like to thank you very much for your patience and for welcoming us again. Please leave a final message for our readers.

BARBARA: Thank you very much for your time and for the well-prepared questions. To everyone reading this and enjoying what we do: Thank you very much. It really means a lot. Thank you for your support!

wazzara: “The more you differ from that ideal man concept, the less worthy you are considered”

7 min

Posted by Fabio