Guitarist Jen Majura Is Still Pinching Herself After Landing A Dream Gig With Evanescence, Revealing Her Invitation To Join Amy Lee's Band Was A Whirlwind She Is Attempting To Make Sense Of.
Picture: Evanescence Rock in Rio Lisboa 2012 in Parque da Bela Vista - Day One Lisbon, Portugal - 24.05.12
The German musician was recently announced as Terry Balsamo's replacement in the rock band, and even she admits the transition from unknown guitarist to Lee's sidekick was unexpected and sudden.
Majura tells EMP Rock Invasion, "My name was somehow recommended by a sweet friend of mine... and all of a sudden, there was this email popping up: 'Are you interested in joining...?' And I was, like, 'What the f**k?'
"So I stopped breathing until my face turned kind of blue, and then afterwards, I was like, 'OK, I've gotta read it again'. Three days later, I found myself suddenly on an airplane, flying over to New York to meet Amy Lee. And we had some very, very cool talks. She's an awesome person... And so I found myself suddenly inside of this empire called Evanescence."
She did not even have to audition: "I told her (Lee), 'Do you want me to bring my guitar?' and, 'Would you like me to audition?' and she was totally, like, 'Nah, I know you can play. I've seen plenty of videos of you. And I know your live experience... Just come over and let's have some food and talk'.
"She actually had another guitar player on her list, and that was the guitar player of Alice Cooper (Nita Strauss). And she's now with Alice Cooper and I'm now with Evanescence... I still can't believe it."
Majura will never forget 7 August - the day Lee made the new signing official - admitting the day has become a second birthday.
The guitarist recalls, "I was in Sweden for a guitar camp. It was in the middle of nowhere; there was nothing but a lake and 30 guitar players, and suddenly my phone kept (lighting up). I was like, 'OK, maybe it's official now'. What happened is that I received tons of emails every day; it was insane. In the very first days, it was, like, between 1,200 and 1,500 emails every day... It was like having a birthday or something."
Majura will join Lee and her new bandmates onstage for a run of comeback shows in November (15), including a stop at Ozzfest in Japan.