EMQ with MISSCORE
EMQ with MISSCORE
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Polish Heavy Rockers, Misscore. Huge thanks to their Vocalist, Natalia Rygiel, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
We are Misscore – a Polish rock band, formed by lead singer Natalia Rygiel. The band’s current lineup formed in early 2023. The band consists of Natalia Rygiel (vocals), Mateusz Dźwigała (bass, keyboards), Krystian Suchorab (guitars) and Jarek Bielecki (drums).
This year, on November 29, our second album titled ”Hypocrisy” will be released, and it will be promoted by two main and quite diverse singles: ‘F’ and ‘Hypocrisy.’ In March of this year, we released our debut album ”Drown”. From the band’s history: we’ve won several competitions and played many concerts, but we know that even more lie ahead of us.
How did you come up with your band name?
The idea behind the band’s name was to find a word or combination of words that didn’t have a specific meaning. This way, everyone can interpret the name however they wish, if they feel the need to. If I were to suggest any possible explanations, it could be:
- “missed + core” = lost core
- or more simply, “miss + core,” as in a woman and hardcore.
For me (Natalie), the most important thing when coming up with the name was that no one else had thought of it before.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
The band identifies with the village of Lubrza, located in the Opole Voivodeship of Poland, near the Czech border. This often leads to amusing situations, as hardly anyone recognizes the name, and it’s frequently confused with other towns.
Festival organizers even have to check the map to see where we’re coming from. We rehearse in this village and also have our recording studio there.
You could say that the music scene in our village doesn’t really exist because it’s a small place. 🙂 However, the entire region is called the capital of Polish music. There are quite a few rock and metal bands here, achieving varying levels of success.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Today, I can say that the latest release is the single “F,” which promotes our second album ”Hypocrisy”. You can watch it, along with a crazy music video produced by 2K4K and directed by Karol Kozanka, on our YouTube channel. It’s the first music video I entrusted someone else to direct, and the crew made it as part of their portfolio—we’re still impressed! 🙂 The entire album will be released on November 29, and I can’t wait for you to hear it. 🙂
Who have been your greatest influences?
As individuals, we each listen to different music and draw from various inspirations, which can be heard in Misscore’s sound. One band we all listen to and love for their sonic style is Bring Me the Horizon. Most of Misscore’s songs are written and produced by Natalia and Mateusz (the vocalist and keyboardist/bassist), which is why you’ll hear a strong presence of synthesizers and electronic elements in our music—these two have a particular fondness for those sounds.
Misscore is often compared to Evanescence, but when it comes to our inspirations, we don’t model ourselves after them in any way. The comparison likely comes from having a female vocalist, rather than any direct influence. Recently, more and more people have been comparing us to the new female-fronted Linkin Park, which I think is a great compliment and quite an opportunity for our music in the music market.
What first got you into music?
Since childhood, I wanted to play the violin, but unfortunately (although now I think it’s lucky) I couldn’t attend music school. When I was 12, my parents gave me a guitar for good grades. I once saw a group playing and singing by a campfire, and I wanted to do the same!
Later, I bought an electric guitar, and eventually, I started singing. Through trial and error, sometimes ending up with a sore throat—here I am now.
I’ve always listened to Rock and Metal because I have a brother who’s 6 years older. He once made me a Linkin Park mixtape on a pink CD. I listened to it so much that he eventually broke it out of frustration. Naturally, I made myself a new one 🙂
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
My dream (Natalie) is to one day produce an album with BMTH producer, Zakk Cervini. If I had to choose an artist, I would love to open for Halestorm or Linkin Park.
And to record something together with the vocalist of P.O.D., Papa Roach, or Sevendust, though I don’t think I’ll ever get to see Sevendust live in Europe. 🙂
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
One day, I’d love to play on the main stage at Rock for People in the Czech Republic! This festival is fantastic, and the Czechs are amazing people who know how to have a great time! After a concert like that, I probably wouldn’t be able to recover mentally for the next year. 🙂 It will happen eventually; I’m too stubborn for it to be any other way.
There are still many places where I’d love to perform, meet new people, and see interesting places especially in the US and UK. I believe it will happen.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Once, I received a pair of women’s panties (luckily new) with the band’s logo drawn on them with red nail polish. I don’t think anything can surprise me anymore!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
- Support your local music scene. You have many great bands around you that don’t stand a chance without an audience.
- To our current and future audience: hit “like,” “subscribe,” and others on our channels – it helps us a lot!
- Always be yourself!
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
I’m not sure I would feel the need to resurrect anyone. Some left because they wanted to, others because their time had come. But their music will stay with us forever. A new generation is coming, new stars who deserve a chance. I’m not a fan of a lot of modern music, as some of it can’t even be compared to actual music but more like digital noise. However, there are many musical gems to discover that will become legends for future generations.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
It might sound crazy, but I love the long trips the most, when you can stay overnight before or after the concert in a hotel or cabin and chat with the musicians and crew. It really brings people together! You can clear up misunderstandings and plan a lot of things. Sometimes totally wild ideas come up that we later put into action.
Of course, I miss my dogs and cats, feel exhausted, and dream of my own bed, but after a great weekend, it’s so much better to come back home!
What do I hate? I don’t think I know the word “hate.” I can’t stand music competitions and all the jostling that comes with them. Music isn’t a race. Plus, you have to wait for the results… but results of what? A better genre versus a worse one, or maybe just the taste of the head judge?
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Not even in the music industry, but in education. From a young age (at least in my country), children are exposed to digital Disco-style music. This should be banned or even punished. There should be a law that educates about different music genres, so children can experience something other than the questionable musical tastes of some teachers. They don’t necessarily have to listen to Metal, but not this meaningless thumping that you can only jump around to. I don’t think I have anything more to say on this subject because I’m already feeling irritated.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
“SEMPITERNAL” by BMTH. It’s a f***in masterpiece!
This album has been in my car for 4 years!
I sometimes switch it out for a Misscore album, or rather the latest versions of albums with new mixes and tweaks. We produce, mix, and master everything ourselves, so it’s good to listen to the songs in a different environment than the studio. It’s much quicker to catch mistakes (like volume levels) that way. 😉
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs or Downloads?
Live concerts are, of course, the best!
Unfortunately, I don’t have a way to play vinyl or cassette, and I treat CDs as a “keepsake” from the artist. It’s great when it’s nicely produced, so you can look through it and see the artist’s complete vision. On a daily basis, I use streaming services. I don’t download mp3s.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Every concert brings something good. You can always draw some conclusions and gain a few fans. My favourite memory is playing in Warsaw, opening for the Swedish band Smash into Pieces. The club was packed with people who were listening to us. Probably because they were waiting for the next concert, so they couldn’t leave (haha), but we received a lot of positive feedback, and many people stayed with us as fans. Another memorable show was with our previous lineup in 2017, opening for the Polish band Kabanos. Apparently, we sounded better than they did, people had a great time, which is the most important thing, but unfortunately, that was our last concert before a nearly two-year break from performing.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
If I weren’t a musician, with my adult ADHD, I would probably find a million other strange things to do. I would probably be a manager for others, organizing small festivals (which I also do), or maybe a sound engineer, which is what I’m trained as. I also went to hairdressing school… I would definitely be doing something at least a little creative!
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
It depends on what kind of dinner it would be! I would definitely bring my parents. Or friends I rarely get to see. Dunno.
What’s next for the band?
Ooo, good question! I have a lot of plans. Totally crazy ones! Right now, I’m writing the script for a new music video, and I want to involve about a dozen people in it. It’s a challenge because I want to give everyone a cool role. I need to get to know these people better first and then match them to something. After that, I’ll have to figure out the makeup, costumes, and design. It’s a lot of work, and most of it is handled by us as a band and a few friends. Plus, there’s the release of the second album, promoting it, the release party, and new songs that are already playing in my head!
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
https://m.facebook.com/misscoreband
https://instagram.com/misscoreband
https://www.tiktok.com/@misscoreband
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll, or a Tea Cake?
Considering where we come from, we call it a “BABECZKA.”
It’s a round, sweet baked good from a mould, with chocolate or lemon essence—these are the most easily available in most supermarkets. As an interesting fact, here’s its declension in grammatical cases:
Nominative: babeczka
Genitive: babeczki
Dative: babeczce
Accusative: babeczkę
Instrumental: babeczką
Locative: babeczce
Vocative: babeczko!
Additionally, if you have one cupcake, you say “one babeczka,” if two, then “two babeczki,” and if five, then “five babeczek.”
“Babeczka” is also a cute term used for a woman, for example, “fajna babka” or “fajna babeczka” (meaning “cool girl” or “cool woman”). Have fun – learn polish!
But sometimes we also use the diminutive “Muffin,” meaning “Muffinka.”
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