We Have A Chat With Romina, One Quarter of YChange Band
If you haven’t yet watched Little Mix The Search, then you’ll have missed out on some pretty great TV. To quickly summarise the show, the four members of Little Mix host auditions for solo singers with the intention of creating six different genres of bands - a rap and R&B group, an all girls vocal group, an all girls dance group, a boy band, a vocal and instrumental group and a mixed group. The six groups then battle it out in a live show each week to crown a winner to go on tour with Little Mix (that is, when they’re able to tour again).
Whilst YChange band (the rap and R&B group) didn’t end up winning (I probably should have said spoiler alert there), they were undoubtedly in the top tier - especially as they wrote and re-arranged every single performance to make it their own. As a fan of YChange since the show, I was BEYOND excited that Romina, the self-professed Persian queen and one quarter of YChange wanted to have a chat with me about how her life has changed since the show, what music means to her and what we can expect from YChange in 2021. Also, those incredible faux-fur coats!
How did you first get into music?
My parents literally sent me to piano lessons when I was only 6 years old, I really like playing the piano and it’s definitely where my passion started. When I was in school, in my school book I’d write poems and put them to a rhythm, and at about 8 or 9, I started singing my poems instead of rapping my poems. From then on, everything just changed for me: that was the thing that kept me going and I’m still passionate to this day.
I totally know what you mean, I play the piano and when I’m stressed out I love tinkling the ivories. Is it important to you to always write your own bars and lyrics?
I personally think that writing your own raps or songs is so important for an artist, as musicians we want to express ourselves in the best way possible. If we write what we’re singing and what we’re feeling, it’s just better because people when they’re listening connect to your lyrics more and know the words reflect your experiences and how you look at things in life. It builds an amazing connection with your listeners. In the band, I write, I sing, I play piano, the guys write and Eden sings and we come up with melodies. Every song on the show was always performed with our spin and style to it, and I think that’s what made us unique in the show which is beautiful .
So let’s talk about Little Mix The Search. When you were chosen to join the TV show and went through the audition process and got through - how did that feel? What was the experience like?
You know what, I’ll tell you now Emily, this was probably one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life. This was the moment I’d been waiting for. I’ve been doing music for so long now and to have the opportunity to do that on prime time TV with Little Mix is mind-blowing. That audition I did, I just went in and was myself and just thought let’s see where it goes. Then I got put into an amazing band and we’re so like-minded and we can share our common passion in that band.
Obviously we care about music so much and at times it was a bit stressful. We had to write our bars, melody, lyrics and remix a whole song in just a week and remember it all as well! But I love process and I like that stress, because we are working towards something we want to achieve, and we did. I would not change it for the world.
That’s so good to hear - I think it definitely translated on TV that you all enjoyed it so much. What’s your absolute favourite song? Gun to your head, you have to pick one.
That is really hard. At the moment, right now it would have to be Anyone by Justin Bieber - I love Justin Bieber, I was a fangirl before, but now I really admire his work rate and I admire him being himself and having a new sound - and he’s authentic and he writes everything, which kind of reminds me of myself in a way. I love that song.
How do you feel as woman in the music industry both before the show and after the show? Are there any pressures you’ve already faced? Or are there no pressures at all?
I mean, women get a lot of shit in this industry because it’s a male dominated industry for a fact, and women have to work ten times harder just to get where the males are which is wrong - I think it should be equal. I admire so many women in this industry and there are a lot of pressures. I have my personal pressures, but I don’t feel like they are pressures as such - I am a bigger girl and I’m putting myself out there, but to be honest I really don’t care how I look physically. It’s all about the music in my opinion, it’s about how you portray yourself as a person and how you portray your music. But sometimes this industry has made women or female artists think they have to sexualise themselves to be noticed and I’m like if you want to do that great you do that,, but you don’t HAVE to do it to get noticed. I don’t do that. We should focus more on the music.
How was the process in forming YChange the band, and how have you guys evolved and got on since the show ended?
We have a group chat and we talk every single day! Our bond has grown one hundred times more since the show. We are staying as a band with new content coming out, this year is going to be mad for us but with the lockdown situation we are trying to do stuff online - we’ve just released a cover literally just now! The process of creating and staying as a band made us want to carry on after the show. That’s what people saw in us, our family bond, how well Eden and I blend, how well Ashley and Versay connect as rappers - it just works and that’s what we want to hopefully bring to the music industry. I’m manifesting it! I’ve got a manifestation journal where I’ve literally written down our Grammys speech - but I wrote one when I was about 12, so if we ever win a Grammy I’m ready to bring it out.
I’ve never heard of a manifestation journal! What is that?
Get a notepad and every single day write one goal about 10 or 15 times.
The same thing on every line?
Yeah, right. For example, write down The C Word Mag will be the best magazine in the world ten times. The C Word Mag will be the best magazine in the world. Then the next day, write a new goal.
Ahh, so the repetition sticks!
Exactly. I watched the Shawn Mendes documentary and he even does it, so I must be on to something!
I love that! This one is another hard one - what does music mean to you?
Music is what keeps me going. Music is my therapy. Ever since my mum passed away when I was 13, that passion for music is always there. She was the one who was always supporting my career and passion with my dad, so you know that thing has always pushed me and made me want it even more. Music is the only thing I think about! I’m speechless just talking about it. I think that if you don’t have passion for something, I just suggest you move away to find something you are passionate about and want to strive in. A lot of people forget their passions, and forget what really pushes them. Everyday I do an hour music therapy session, let’s call it, I put my headphones in and listen to different genres to open my mind to different types of music. I’m listening every single day, I’m writing every single day, and I couldn’t do that if I wasn’t passionate about it. Hopefully it will just go well for me and YChange in general it means a lot. That would be a dream.
I can tell it means a lot to you.
Yeah absolutely. Have you watched the movie Soul?
It’s the cartoon one with Jamie Foxx isn’t it, I’ve watched half of it and it’s so good!
It’s the most relatable film I’ve ever seen - I was watching with my dad and just balling tears. The meaning of that film is what I feel. I didn’t know that it would affect me that much, but it did and watching that reignites the passion. It made me emotional when I was watching that, as it was absolutely beautiful to see that to be made into a movie.
I really want to watch the rest of that now. I need to source Disney+! What other women do you admire? Can be music related or not.
My main inspiration was my mum. I admire her so much and she was the reason why I’m so passionate and so driven to do music. Musically, I personally love Cardi B, I love Nikki Minaj, I love Ariana Grande - I love artists that are just being themselves and women that are so confident in themselves. OMG I LOVE LIZZO SO MUCH. She just makes me happy and she’s so confident and beautiful. I love Rihanna I love Beyonce, women that are confident in themselves and it shows in their music. Jessie J, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey - they all have different sounds. I really aspire to be and have a successful career like them.
Band wise, I love Little Mix, Spice Girls, Girls Aloud.
I love Nikki Minaj as well, ever time I hear Superbass it’s ingrained in me to attempt to rap the lyrics. Obviously, you’re Persian - is it important to you to include elements of your Persian heritage into your lyrics and bars as you write?
Oh 100% - I’m called the Persian Queen for a reason on Instagram. I absolutely ADORE my heritage and I adore my culture. I don’t think there is a UK female rapper/singer who’s Iranian in the industry and I really want to be the first one. First of all, Iranian music is absolutely beautiful, I suggest you listen to it. I bring out Farsi lyrics (the language) and iconic Persian and Middle Eastern melodies, as a solo artist and in the band I’m still going to do it because it’s part of me but I want to be different and authentic. I don’t want to be the same as everyone else, when artists emulate other artists, they’re not being themselves they’re being another artist which is pointless. They don’t have to show their culture or heritage, just be yourself, be who you are and who God made you to be.
If you could collaborate with any artist in the world right now, who would it be?
Ahhh so hard! I’m going to say… either Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber or Cardi B…or Ariana Grande, I can’t choose! You’ll have to take the four. OMG and Drake. I forgot about Drake! That’s five.
I’ll move on swiftly before we go past five! What does the future hold for YChange?
Surprises!
Mysterious! Does that mean any of the five will collborate with you?!
Not yet.. but we’ll manifest it out!
Last question, I’ve just got to ask, did you get to keep all those amazing fur coats you wore on Little Mix The Search?! Also, did you not get really hot on stage in them?
YES. My make up artist, Flo, made my face just stick on and you didn’t see the sweat but you have to do it for the fashion. And I got to keep them. Fur is my thing! I wore fur every single time I was on stage, except for one performance (week 2, I think). Wow! Thinking about it, I have a bag that’s fur, I have a hat that’s fur, shoes that are fur - obviously SYNTHETIC, not real fur by the way. I definitely got hot in them on stage though. Not going to lie though, it made me feel like a bad bitch, I didn’t want to take them off. So cosy.
I wouldn’t either! Can’t believe you got to keep them - so good now it’s winter.
OMG I know, and now I have like four extra coats.
Well if you need anyone to take one off your hands…
Haha, I’ll give you a call.
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Not only was it a pleasure speaking to Romina who by the way is super down to Earth, but it’s abundantly clear that she is unbelievably passionate about music and has the self-drive and motivation to get to where she wants to be. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see more of YChange and Romina later this year!