Prika Amaral , founder and guitarist of Nervosa , spoke about the period of intense work following the sudden news of the departure of the other band members in 2020 , and commented on the success of Crypta , a project by Fernanda Lira and Luana Dametto announced to the public after the separation.
In an interview with Ibagenscast , Prika revealed that Fernanda's departure wasn't a complete surprise, but the timing of the separation was. "Everything happened very quickly and unexpectedly, actually, you know? When Fernanda told me she was leaving the band, it was something I expected, but in the long term, not exactly at that moment, much less during the pandemic," she said.
All these uncertainties, both from the pandemic and from how to solve Nervosa's future, marked a period of great stress and hard work for Prika Amaral, who had to write the album Perpetual Chaos in a month, find new members, and bring forward plans to live permanently in Italy, all while still uncertain about the future of the music industry in the face of the challenges of the pandemic.
“I know that in today’s scene and time, everything happens very quickly; if you take too long to do it, you lose momentum. I didn’t have much time to feel many things… Of course, insecurity always exists, but I strongly believe in the potential of women in general. I know there are very competent women all over the world, and I strongly believe in the talent of all of them,” she continued. “I felt like I had carte blanche, to do whatever I wanted. I actually felt very motivated and inspired.”
Prika Amaral praises Crypta's success.
In another part of the interview with Ibagenscast , Prika Amaral showed that she doesn't care about comparisons between the two Nervosa lineups. “If people want to compare, they will compare. I was very clear about that, but I didn't pay much attention to it. I think it's natural and I don't think there's a comparison; each person has their strengths and weaknesses, everyone is talented, both in Nervosa and in Crypta,” she said. “I was only concerned with what Nervosa was, it's over. I don't want to try to repeat it; now it's something new, different, of course making sense within the Nervosa project (...). Respecting what came before and bringing something new.”
The band's reformulation, going from a trio to a quartet, aimed to start a new phase without becoming "a Nervosa cover band," in Prika's words. When asked if the Brazilian scene benefited from the new Nervosa lineup and Crypta, the guitarist agreed. "Not only the Brazilian scene [gained], but the global scene for women. Having more representation is very important," she said. "And for me, it makes me very happy to see them [Fernanda and Luana] achieving everything they have achieved, because they deserve it. For us, the more women succeeding out there, the better."
READ ALSO: Fernanda Lira, from Crypta, on leaving Nervosa: “The hardest decision of my life”