Hello Erika! You r name is probably unknown to most of the Slam! readers. Would you like to introduce the band and tell us how you got to know one another, how you decided to start the band, how Imma was born?
Jonas (the guitarist) and I started a metal band called, The Finger after meeting at an open mic night in Guildford. When the band ended we carried on writing more material and subsequently started a new band, iMMa in 06. Jonas met Doug, our drummer playing with Ben Earle and Giacomo is the new bass player. After meeting him at an Itchy Tits gig, I knew he was right for `iMMa but lost his email address… funny how things work out. One year, one drummer and three bass players later we got the perfect foursome.

Your music reminds me to one band above all: Skunk Anansie. How would you define your sound and what are your main sources of inspiration?
Wow!! What an honour…. Skunk Anansie what a fantastic band!! Our sound is heavy rock with the emphasis on strong grooves and soaring melodies. Our inspirations are so varied! We have a love for many different genres from Jazz to Metal to Classical, but rock is the music that just gets us. It’s what we live for.

A male band with female singer seems to be very trendy lately. Don’t you think this is becoming quite too common and the audience could get sick of such a line-up? I’m just trying to be provocative ?
Bring it on!! For so many years there have been just male bands out there, why would having a female singer be boring? It hasn’t been boring with just men. It’s about time there was more oestrogen amongst all that testosterone. The more women in rock the better. I love the variety of tones from husky dirty voices like Brody from The Distillers to the purer sounds of Amy Lee from Evanescence.

How does it feel to be the female lead singer in a male band? I mean, the attention of the public is mainly focused on the singer. Do you feel at ease with that? What are the pros and cons of being a female singer in a male band?
Whether you are male or female being the lead singer you’re going to get attention. If you don’t want it you shouldn’t be a singer! I’ve never really been a girly girl and I’m very comfortable with myself around men and women. People are always shocked after I sing cause although I’m fairly tall I’m quite a small character everyday – yet when I’m on stage I transform. Some people find that threatening and a little uncomfortable but no, I don’t mind being in a band full of guys. I don’t play on my femininity so I help carry the gear with the guys; I do the sweaty work too.

What are the female singers you love most?
Hmmm… Skin of course she has such a powerful sound with raw tones - But then I’m a huge fan of a lot of Motown voices – such as Chakha Khan and Aretha Franklin and big singers like Shirley Bassey.

You have Japanese origins. How much you actually know of the Japanese way of thinking and living music? How different they are from the European?
I try to go to Japan every year to see my grandma and when I’m there I hear the latest J-pop which is huge out there. I went to Fuji Rock festival a couple of yrs ago and was astonished. Everyone was SO polite and reserved then as soon as the music started they all went nuts – the atmosphere was electric. It is a dream of mine to play there.

Pretty foregone question: you played in Italy last summer. What kind of experience was it? What do you think of the Italian audience? And, above all, can you tell us any funny memory of the days spent here?
From my experience of last summer I found all the Italians so friendly, welcoming and encouraging of our music. I was really nervous at first – I didn’t know how we would be perceived – but we rocked up after Milan band, Virus2000 as soon as we started my fear evaporated and we just went and did what we did best. Perform and give it all we got. We got a great response from everyone and we are coming back next year in association with Underpressure Clothing. Funny stories – shit – probably seeing the rest of the band walking up and down the pool side with their white bodies alongside your tanned toned Italian men!! Ha ha!!

You have replaced the old bass player very recently, since once month ago if I’m not wrong, haven’t you? What about the new entry? Are you happy with your choice?
Absolutely. The band feels amazing, Giacomo (yup, we have one of your home-growns, from Tuscany) had his first show with us the other day and only after one rehearsal. The band was so tight and solid, it feels better than it ever has. We can’t wait for the new year when we start gigging all our new material.

Now tell me: why an Italian fan should come to one of your concerts? You’re free to advertise yourself as much as you can…?
We are very addictive. You will come away feeling elated, satisfied and in need of another hit. You never quite know what you’re going to get, because I never know what I’m going to give you, it’s very spontaneous… You will be seduced. Mwah!

What are your future plans?
This year we want to increase our profile by recording an album and releasing it digitally, on-line and at gigs. Touring as much as we can, UK and Europe and we are currently in talks about possibly Japan and America. We are shooting a promotion video in January and we are also linking together with Italian clothing label Underpressure and hopefully UK based JD Sports.

What do you expect Imma can achieve?
I think iMMa can achieve anything we truly want to achieve. Our skills as musicians are there and improving all the time, as performers we are as good as any seasoned band though we still have lessons to learn. We know our strengths and our weaknesses. We need that killer song, a whole lot of luck (though the harder I work the luckier I get!) and of course the support of the fans. I can’t tell you how encouraging it is for us to see more and more of the same faces at our gigs. It means that all our hard work is appreciated. Cause that’s why we’re in a band – to connect with you and to share our passion of music and life. We can’t do it without you. We need you. Without you it’s meaningless.