Up next in 10
Karmen Klinc is a talented Slovenian singer who makes waves in the metal scene and is one of the five vocalists in Venus5. This unique metal vocal group brings together female singers from across Europe. With roots in classical piano and choir singing, Karmen's journey led her to join this groundbreaking "pop metal" project launched by Frontiers Music Srl, which released their self-titled debut album in 2022. When she's not belting out powerful vocals with Venus 5, Karmen enjoys watercolor painting and hiking in her home country of Slovenia. Her musical influences range from classic rock legends her dad introduced her to (like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin) to metal giants like Iron Maiden. Check out her YouTube channel where she posts awesome covers, including recent collabs with other artists on tracks like Whitesnake's "Still Of The Night."
You can hear something about Klinc beginning in music, Venus 5 recording a new album, and other interesting projects in which Karmen participates. So, enjoy the episode with Karmen Klinc.
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0:00
Okay, in the new episode of the Denim
0:02
and Leader podcast, we have a powerhouse
0:05
Slovenian singer Carmen Clinch. It's
0:09
It's not Clinch. Okay. I thought it was
0:13
It's Clint. Carmen Clint. Okay. Sorry. I
0:16
I always thought you were Clinch, but
0:18
it's Clint. Okay. Uh Okay. We can we can
0:21
go on no matter that I I uh I mistaken
0:25
your your last
0:26
name. Uh how how are you? Welcome to the
0:29
show. Thank you. So, welcome for the
0:33
invitation. Yeah. Um, I'm okay. I'm
0:37
okay. A bit tired.
0:40
Um, I was sick this week, but I'm okay
0:44
now. Okay. But, but but I saw you like a
0:46
few days ago that you were singing with
0:48
your band. Uh, it's probably a cover
0:51
band or No,
0:54
no, it's
0:55
a it's basically something in between.
0:58
Okay. Uh we play a lot of u ex
1:03
Yugoslavian rock music, but as well we
1:06
have our own music. So with a mixture of
1:11
everything. Yeah. With the band that's
1:13
called for the for the world to know
1:15
rock partisans or rock partisan, right?
1:18
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Okay. Rock
1:20
partisani. It's a it's an interesting
1:22
name. Yeah. Yeah. It's kind of
1:27
um it's
1:30
basically has this historical vibe, you
1:34
know, and that's why we also play this
1:36
um old songs. Yeah. Old Yugoslavian
1:40
music, but on the other hand, we're a
1:43
party band. We always, you know, um try
1:46
to make people have fun at our shows. So
1:52
that's why it's it it goes together
1:55
well. Somehow you you play something
1:57
from from your uh from your Slovenian
2:00
bands from back in the days like uh
2:03
Bulldoger or like uh or like Pomerancho
2:07
or something like that. Uh no,
2:10
unfortunately not. But I love both of
2:13
those bands. And tomorrow actually I'm
2:16
going to the concert of Pomerancha.
2:18
They're playing here in Giblana. Yeah,
2:21
I'm really excited about Caparancha.
2:24
Yes. Yes. Caparancha. Great. Great heavy
2:27
metal band. Great. Yeah. Yeah. Probably
2:30
the greatest one in Slovenia. I mean uh
2:32
they were really amazing. Yeah. Yeah.
2:34
Yeah. Back in the days, I mean now some
2:37
of the uh band members changed, but
2:42
they're still great. Yeah. Yeah. They
2:44
are probably one of the the the three
2:46
greatest in the Yugoslavia with Diviago
2:49
wild strawberries and with and with
2:52
Gordi maybe I think. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
2:55
Uh great. You you have other projects as
2:58
well. I know you you did a lot of u a
3:00
lot of covers I mean on your channel
3:03
that you posted a lot of covers from Dio
3:05
and from Whit Snake and stuff like that.
3:08
Uh how did how did you get into that?
3:12
Uh it's it was basically a very
3:18
unexpected thing for me
3:21
uh because when we were doing the first
3:24
album of Venus 5
3:26
um back in Italy um our
3:31
producer sent me the message after it
3:33
and he was like you know what Carmen I
3:36
hear something in your voice that is
3:39
that has this deaf leopard
3:42
vibe, you know, and maybe you could do a
3:46
cover or two of De Leopard and because
3:50
I'm thinking about making a band that
3:53
would kind of sound like De Leopard and
3:56
I want to hear if you can do it. And I
3:59
was like, "Okay, let's do
4:01
it." Um, and then I sent it to him and
4:05
he was like really
4:07
uh really impressed. He really loved it.
4:11
But the band unfortunately never
4:13
happened.
4:15
So I was like I was thinking okay I have
4:18
those two covers now you know I should
4:21
do something with this you know. Yeah.
4:23
Uh and then I just posted it on YouTube
4:26
and it's how it happened. So you know
4:29
everything. So you started sub
4:32
subscribers to flow and to followers and
4:34
stuff. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And
4:36
then I started also other covers you
4:39
know u and for the do one I was actually
4:42
invited it was kind of a collaboration
4:44
for the 8th of March for um
4:48
international women's day and there was
4:51
this guy who's
4:53
um also um doing such interviews as you
4:57
do uh and he gathered together like the
5:02
the girls from different countries
5:04
different musicians And
5:07
um yeah, we made a made a collaboration.
5:10
Okay. Yeah. Uh yeah, I I know you did a
5:14
collaboration with Alexandra from
5:15
Serbia, Lioness.
5:18
Yes, that was another one. Uh we
5:22
actually collaborated when I was still
5:25
uh in the band called Hellcats. Uhhuh.
5:30
Yeah. It's a Slovenian all female Yeah.
5:33
Um Yeah. metal band. They're quite
5:36
They're quite known. I mean, you were
5:38
quite known back then also uh with with
5:41
with them. Yeah. And uh Alexandra
5:45
actually she played with us a few
5:48
times. Um, and that's how I got to know
5:52
her and I decided to do another cover
5:55
and invite, you know, some friends uh to
5:59
to do it with me um to play some
6:02
instruments and she was on a guitar and
6:05
bass guitar as well. So, yeah, I think
6:07
we did a great job together. Yeah, it
6:09
was a great cover. It was White Snake,
6:10
right? No, this No, this was
6:15
um from the movie Rockstar. Oh yeah.
6:19
Stand up and stand up and shout. Yeah.
6:21
Stand up and shout. Yeah, you did that
6:23
one. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I remember.
6:25
Yeah. Yeah. And for Whit Snake, um I
6:29
invited uh a Russian girl. Her name is
6:32
Daria and she was also really really
6:35
well. Oh yeah. I think I know. I've seen
6:38
videos of her playing. Yes. Yes. Yes. I
6:40
think I follow her. She plays great. Uh
6:43
yeah, by the way, I had I had as a guest
6:46
the the original singer uh Millie Millie
6:50
from Steelart that that that sang uh the
6:54
stand up and shout song, you know, the
6:56
original. Yeah. Yeah. He he he was a
6:58
guest uh in my show. He talked about
7:01
that song that he played from for the
7:03
Rockstar movie. Yeah. He sang it. Yeah.
7:06
If if he thought um our cover, I hope he
7:10
liked it.
7:12
I'll I'll try to send it to him on on
7:14
the on the email. Please do. Yeah. Yeah,
7:15
I will. I will. Uh uh. How did Tell me
7:20
how did you start with making music or
7:23
or singing as a maybe little girl?
7:28
Yeah, actually uh I was raised by music,
7:35
by classic rock, I could say. Um,
7:40
and I wanted to go when I was 5 years
7:44
old. I wanted to go to the music
7:46
school and I wanted to play the piano. I
7:50
wasn't thinking about singing back then
7:53
actually. I just wanted to play the
7:54
piano and
7:57
um it was my father actually who played
8:00
a guitar and he was also always the one
8:03
who you know kept the party going with
8:06
his guitar and everyone was like singing
8:09
together with him and you know usually
8:12
when
8:14
um I I went to to bed in the evening
8:19
instead of like this good night lullaby
8:22
he was like let's sing something
8:24
together, you know, and he played the
8:26
guitar and I sang
8:27
along. And yeah, then when I was five, I
8:31
wanted to play the piano and they were
8:33
like, Carmen, you cannot, you have to
8:35
wait till you're seven because
8:38
uh I don't know, it's how it works here.
8:41
And I was, you know, so stubborn. So
8:45
they had to take me there and I needed
8:47
to do the
8:49
tests and they took me to the music
8:51
school when I was five even though it
8:53
was it was two years too early but uh
8:56
you know they said that like my fingers
8:58
are not strong enough yet. So I went to
9:02
music school for two years and just
9:04
singing these children songs and you
9:09
know doing
9:10
the like rhythmical exercises and stuff
9:15
and such stuff. So, um yeah, and then I
9:17
started to play the piano and uh I
9:21
basically started singing like
9:25
um in high school because I joined the
9:29
choir and um that's when I realized
9:34
that, you know, singing is actually what
9:36
I want to do.
9:38
Yeah. So you you started singing well
9:42
while while playing piano or I mean that
9:44
helped probably
9:47
it really helped. Um, I mean it always
9:51
helps if you play the instrument first I
9:54
think because you know I can easily do
9:57
the harmonies now and you know I know
10:00
how things go in music and um yeah it's
10:05
it's it's way easier to to also write
10:09
something or you know or whatever. So,
10:12
did you did you have some band when you
10:15
were high school or I mean you had bands
10:18
before?
10:20
Yeah.
10:21
Um, I had I had some bands. I mean,
10:25
nothing serious serious obviously, but
10:29
uh I also joined like an ABBA tribute
10:33
band. Oh, okay. Okay. So, I was I will
10:37
send you the picture.
10:40
how I looked like it was really funny
10:43
but at the same time I mean it's not
10:45
easy to sing ABBA songs you know
10:49
um so yeah I had quite a few and I also
10:53
collaborated a lot with other musicians
10:56
and I was singing backing vocals a lot
10:59
as well so yeah this is how it all
11:02
started actually so you so you have
11:04
released some music I mean as a backing
11:07
or as a guest musicians you you have
11:10
Your name is on the albums. Yeah. Yes.
11:13
Yes, it is. Okay. Okay. I mean in in
11:16
Slovenia probably, right? In Slovenia.
11:18
Yeah. In Slovenia. And also, you know, I
11:21
was back then, to be honest, I always
11:25
loved rock music. Like I said, I was
11:28
growing up with uh with rock music. Uh
11:32
but back then
11:34
um I was actually
11:37
searching for what I really wanted to do
11:40
and I um collaborated in all kinds of
11:45
genre you know. Yeah. Also with rappers
11:48
and you know all kinds of music not just
11:53
rock. Okay. That's uh I mean of course
11:56
you have the experience there. You build
11:58
the experience. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
12:01
So, how how did uh how did you guys
12:04
became uh you girls became a band from
12:07
Venus 5? Uh was it the Frontiers Records
12:10
project or or you you girls collected
12:13
yourselves together? Yeah. Um it was uh
12:18
the project of uh Frontiers
12:21
Records. Uh they reached out to us. Um
12:25
they found us probably I don't know
12:27
through social media and uh YouTube and
12:31
so on. They were searching for
12:34
rock/metal singers all over the Europe
12:38
and that's how it happened. They found
12:41
five of
12:42
us. Um and we're all from different
12:45
countries. Yeah. From Albania, Serbia,
12:49
Italy, Slovenia, and Sweden. So yeah,
12:53
but it was like really interesting
12:55
because to be honest, I was really
12:58
scared at the beginning. I didn't I
13:00
didn't know what to expect. I didn't
13:02
know if, you know, we would get along
13:05
together with
13:06
girls. Uh but in the end, it really
13:09
turned out great. And when we first met,
13:13
actually, it was like we knew each other
13:15
for forever. Yeah. So you you created
13:19
the album together. I mean, you had a
13:21
producer probably and a song maker and
13:23
stuff and you did the album, but did did
13:25
you did you have a time to tour to have
13:28
a band uh to tour around Europe or with
13:32
the band or No.
13:34
Uh, no, we didn't go on tour, but uh, we
13:38
had some shows together at the festivals
13:41
and yeah, I just uh, came from Italy
13:46
like 10 days ago because we recorded the
13:50
second second album. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
13:53
And I hope that this album brings us a
13:56
tour. That would be great. Oh, that
13:58
would be awesome. Uh so so uh after how
14:01
many years is this is the second album?
14:04
I think 3 years. Three. Yeah. Yeah.
14:07
Yeah. I think it's 3 years. So you you
14:09
are finished with recording the album?
14:11
Yeah. Yes. Yes. There are a few the
14:15
problem for me was that uh I came there
14:18
a bit uh sick with sore throat and Okay.
14:24
So um I was struggling a little bit but
14:28
I managed to record everything. There
14:30
are maybe few little corrections that I
14:32
need to do here. Uh but yeah overall
14:37
it's it's done. Awesome. So who who are
14:40
who are the other musicians in I mean
14:42
except the girls who are the other
14:44
musicians in the band or it's not like a
14:47
like a formal band members are the other
14:50
ones? I mean the the backup musicians uh
14:53
the backup musicians are Italian guys.
14:57
Okay.
14:58
Um the drummer and the bass player also
15:02
play uh in a band called Secret Sphere.
15:06
Aha. Okay. I know them. Uh so um and
15:10
then we have a guitarist um Gabriel
15:15
Roboti. Okay.
15:17
Um, yeah. And that's that's basically
15:21
it. Okay. So, the drummer is Marco
15:25
Latini. I hope I pronounced it right
15:28
because I'm not Italian. Yeah. Yeah.
15:30
Yeah. Um, and um the bass player is
15:37
Andy. Oh my god, I forgot the last name.
15:40
I'm sorry. Okay. Uh, but check it out.
15:44
Their band is called Secret Sphere. So
15:47
yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They are pretty pretty
15:49
I mean people know them. Yeah. Uh yeah.
15:52
Okay. And uh this this next album Bur I
15:55
think it's Burato. I remember now. Ah
15:58
okay. So this second album is uh is
16:02
preparing for I mean when it's going to
16:05
be released?
16:08
Uh I think by the end of the year. Yeah.
16:11
Okay. because we still need to do the
16:14
videos first and um the the photo
16:18
shooting and everything. So, we're going
16:20
to do that during the summer time and
16:22
Yeah. You know, it takes some time.
16:24
Yeah. And then and and then and then I
16:28
hope the next year you will do some
16:29
promotional stuff. I don't know like
16:32
Yeah. promotional tour or something
16:34
maybe. Yeah. Yeah. That would be great.
16:37
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But we'll see. You
16:39
know, the thing is that
16:41
um everything is still opened
16:45
uh and yeah, let's just hope for the
16:47
best, but not everything is in our
16:50
hands. Yeah. So, is it the is it the
16:53
same five girls on the first album and
16:56
now on the second album? Yeah. The same
16:57
ones. Yeah. Yeah. The same five girls.
17:00
When you were recording, I saw some
17:02
videos and some photos and I saw four of
17:05
you. I I didn't see the last one. Yeah.
17:07
And the thing is that uh Gita the
17:10
Italian girl, she also has uh a band
17:13
called Sick and Beautiful and she was
17:16
touring around the Europe I think.
17:19
Uhhuh. Uh at the moment uh together with
17:23
Lordy. Uhhuh. Okay. Uh yeah. So
17:27
um she will send her um vocal tracks
17:32
separately. Okay. And I'm really sorry
17:34
that you know we didn't manage to do it
17:36
all together but you know that's how it
17:39
is like everyone has their own lives as
17:43
well. So yeah we need to respect that.
17:45
How many how many days did you did you
17:47
need to to record everything? I mean you
17:50
you I mean the vocals of all of the
17:52
girls
17:54
uh the vocals few days I I think it was
17:58
about 10 days. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Okay.
18:02
Yeah. Yeah. Your your your voices are
18:05
quite uh in a uh like go go blend
18:10
perfectly together, you know. It's not
18:12
uh it's Yeah. It's not pretty distinct,
18:15
you know. It's blending great. Yeah. I
18:18
mean, we if you listen to us separately,
18:22
maybe it's not, you know, you cannot
18:24
notice it so well. Yeah. Um while
18:28
listening to our music, but if you're
18:30
listening listening to us separately,
18:34
uh you can tell that we have very very
18:37
different vocals. Yeah. Yeah. But but it
18:41
somehows somehow goes together very
18:44
well. Yeah. Yeah. True, true, true. How
18:46
many songs are you going to have? Uh 11.
18:50
11 songs. Okay. Uh how many were on the
18:52
first album? 11.
18:55
Okay. Okay. Okay.
18:58
Okay. Uh do you do you have besides rock
19:01
partisan and besides Venus 5, you have
19:04
some other projects or bands working on?
19:08
Uh currently I don't have uh any other
19:12
band but
19:15
uh I am I definitely want to do
19:19
something uh as well. maybe a solo thing
19:24
or something or a new band
19:27
or you know I'm I'm really thinking
19:30
about it lately and uh I also have some
19:34
like you know materials prepared and
19:37
stuff so yeah it's just a matter of time
19:40
so you you you do songwriting yourself
19:43
yeah yes yes I also did uh some lyrics
19:47
for the Venus 5 now for the second album
19:50
and
19:51
um Yeah, it uh this time it was very
19:55
very different from the first time
19:57
because the first time we got there
19:59
everything was already prepared. So we
20:01
basically came there and we all sang our
20:04
parts and that was it. Um, and now I
20:08
felt like I was very much more included
20:11
into the songwriting and it also like
20:15
happened I was in Italy actually before
20:19
uh preparing the demos together with our
20:22
producer and you know we just
20:26
uh put some ideas together as well for
20:30
for for the things that were not yet
20:33
prepared. um and you know brainstorming
20:36
and stuff and it was really really fun
20:39
and also now when we were all together
20:42
you know when when we saw that I don't
20:45
know something didn't work right we just
20:48
uh tried
20:50
to work all together on it so yeah yeah
20:55
it's uh it's going to be great but you
20:58
you mentioned uh that you might be doing
21:00
some solo stuff so maybe you you will
21:02
have some solo album in the future,
21:05
right? I definitely will have some solo
21:08
albums.
21:10
I mean, that's my goal. Definitely.
21:13
Yeah, I want to do that. Yes. Yes. Okay.
21:16
Yeah. You can maybe have guests uh
21:20
guitarists and guests musicians and do
21:22
do the album. Yeah. Yeah. That would
21:24
that would be great. That is that is
21:27
great. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. By the way, I
21:28
saw that you you you girls are friends
21:31
with Katie Sher from uh from Austria.
21:34
Yeah. Yeah. She she she was like one
21:36
year ago she was a guest at my show at
21:39
my Yeah. Yeah. Amazing. Yeah. About a
21:41
year ago. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And she
21:44
she's a great girl. Yeah. She's tour
21:46
touring now with the Rock Meets Classic.
21:50
Yeah. Yeah. And I'm very very happy for
21:52
her. I'm really glad that she got that
21:55
opportunity. I mean it's it's a great
21:59
great opportunity. Yeah. That's
22:01
opportunity of a lifetime. Yeah. Yeah.
22:03
Yes. Yes. Yeah. Dream of every singer, I
22:06
think. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Probably. Yes.
22:09
I mean, it's incredible.
22:11
By the way, you you still have the
22:13
lights from New Year's behind you. I
22:16
have New Year all year.
22:21
No, I just love the I just love uh the
22:25
lights and candles and such stuff, you
22:27
know. For me, it's like I don't know.
22:30
I'm a I'm a weird person. Of course,
22:33
rock rock or metal heads are weird.
22:36
Yeah.
22:37
Uh what what are your uh what are your
22:42
shortterm or long-term plans in in the
22:45
music business now?
22:48
Oo. Uh, well, shortterm definitely now
22:53
with uh everything that's going on with
22:55
Venus 5 and um, like I said, long term.
23:00
I mean, there are some things going on,
23:02
but I don't want to talk about it yet
23:04
because, you know, it's uh, but yeah,
23:06
like I said, I definitely uh, want to
23:10
work on some solo stuff. I'm I'm not
23:14
quite sure yet if it will be solo solo
23:17
or with
23:18
someone. Um but yeah, it's all in the
23:23
uh how do you say
23:26
um it's not there yet. So just like I
23:30
said, I I I will tell you about it when
23:34
I when I have more information. Of
23:37
course. Okay. Okay. Uh do you plan on
23:40
doing or maybe you're doing some other
23:42
covers uh lately? Yes, definitely. The
23:46
thing with the covers is that I work it
23:49
together with my very good friend of
23:52
mine. Um and he's also an amazing
23:57
musician and an amazing producer as
24:00
well. And uh he really helps me with my
24:04
covers. Uh but he just uh he was also
24:09
touring so he just came home I think two
24:13
days ago. Um and yes we will definitely
24:17
continue with our work and I'm really
24:19
really grateful and thankful to him that
24:22
you know he's uh he's working with me on
24:24
that stuff because
24:27
um you know we all have our own things
24:30
going on and he has his own band. Check
24:33
it out. The band is called Bad
24:36
Notion. Uh, and they're also going to do
24:40
the uh album release in the near future.
24:44
And I also am going to be on that album
24:48
uh where I'm singing a song with him.
24:50
It's it's a bit different genre. It's
24:52
more like blues rock, but uh it's
24:55
amazing and um I cannot wait uh to to
24:59
hear the whole album and to people for
25:02
people to hear to hear it. Great. Great.
25:05
So yeah, uh I definitely intend to to to
25:08
work on that covers with him in the
25:11
future as well. Great. Great. And other
25:14
stuff, of course. Yeah, of course.
25:18
Great. Uh Carmen, thank you. Thank you
25:20
for uh this uh for this episode uh and
25:24
thank you for for all the information
25:27
about all the bands that you and all the
25:29
projects that you're working on and uh
25:31
when you have some other things or maybe
25:33
next year when you're doing the tour you
25:36
can come be a guest again.
25:39
Thank you so much and thank you for the
25:41
invitation. It was really a pleasure. Of
25:43
course. Thank thanks to you. We were
25:45
planning a long time so it was great.
25:48
Yeah. Sorry for that. Of course. I mean,
25:52
but life happens, you know. Yeah. Yeah.
25:54
Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Thank
25:57
you. Have a great evening. Bye. Bye. So,
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