Jinjer frontwoman Tatiana Shmayluk reveals Russia's war on Ukraine left her "creatively paralysed": "I cannot write about that"

Jinjer frontwoman Tatiana Shmayluk has opened up on the effects Russia's war on Ukraine has had on her creative process, revealing that, contrary to what people may assume, she hasn't used the horrors facing her country as inspiration to write new music.

"Not really," she confirms in a recently uploaded interview by Bloodstock TV (transcribed by Blabbermouth). "I don't know why. Honestly, I've written some war songs way before Jinjer, first of all, and way before war even started in Ukraine. And I don't know how, but it's easy for me to write about war when it's not happening around me. But when it started, I was absolutely devastated and paralyzed creatively. I cannot write about that. I still cannot process that. I think it's such a great trauma that it takes years and years to process, not only for me but mostly for the citizens of Ukraine, for the victims. I really think that it's not my time to write another war song right now."

"Actually, we've never had war songs," adds Jinjer bassist Eugene Abdukhanov. "We've never written anything which is militaristic or anything like that…we have a number of songs in our discography which are peacemaking songs, songs which call for peace, and calling them war songs can be a bit misleading because it may just make people think differently of what they really are, to be honest."

Earlier this year, Jinjer were given official permission by Ukrainian authorities to leave the country and go on tour as ambassadors for the nation. They proceeded to tour across Europe during the summer to help raise awareness of the issues affecting their homeland in the wake of Russia's attacks, which remain ongoing.