JINJER's TATIANA SHMAILYUK Opens Up About Her Relationship With Ex-SUICIDE SILENCE Drummer ALEX LOPEZ

Vocalist Tatiana Shmailyuk of Ukrainian modern metal frontrunners JINJER spoke to Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", about how she met her husband, former SUICIDE SILENCE and current P.O.D. touring drummer Alex Lopez. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I met him through Internet. Of course, he was a famous person in the heavy music industry. So I liked him. And then it kind of happened that they [SUICIDE SILENCE] invited us to be a support act for them in Bratislava, Slovakia back in 2017. So I was, like, 'Well, that's destiny.' We took a picture together after the show. And then we started chatting through Internet. It was not very consistent talk — once a month, once every three months, short [messages]. And then we were talking about us, JINJER, coming to the States, and at that time it seemed impossible to come here, because, oh my God. [Laughs] And a year after, in 2018 I think, we went to the United States supporting CRADLE OF FILTH. And he came to our show to say hi and stuff. And then here and there, that's how it happened. So I think I made it happen. [Laughs]"

When Radioactive MikeZ noted that she was the "aggressive one," Tatiana clarified: "Not aggressive, no. I just was more enthusiastic. You know what I mean. Sometimes women have to do the first step to get what we want. [Laughs]"

Tatiana also talked about what it was about Alex's appearance that first drew her to him. She said: "Yeah, I felt like he looks like me, but like a male version of me. We're both shorties, brown eyes, brown hairs. I love Mexican culture, and he's full-blown Mexican."

Asked how she likes living in Whittier, California, where she shares a home with Lopez, Tatiana said: "Well, I like it because it's in the middle of everything — 30 minutes to downtown L.A., 30 minutes to Laguna Beach, 30 minutes to another beach to another beach and another beach, and then an hour to Big Bear mountains. So it's the perfect location. But I don't go out much because, honestly, I didn't find anything to go out to. [Laughs] And I have a lot of work to do, so I'm just sitting there chilling in the house, enjoying the sun and hummingbirds flying here and there. So, [it's] pretty cool. I love California in general — it's a beautiful place. I don't think there's a big difference between [Whittier] and another small town somewhere in California."

JINJER's 2022 USA headline tour, produced by Live Nation, with direct support from P.O.D., kicked off on October 31 in San Diego, California and will end on December 22 in Los Angeles, California.

JINJER played its first live show since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on June 10 at this year's edition of the Greenfield Festival, which was held in Interlaken, Switzerland. The concert took place just days after it was announced that JINJER had been given permission from authorities to leave their war-torn nation and tour Europe this summer as ambassadors of the country.