biography

Hailing from the vibrant heart of Milan, Italy, EXILIA’s story began at the dawn of a new millennium.Emerging during one of the most transformative periods in heavy music, the band became one of the pioneers of the European nu-metal movement and one of its earliest female-fronted voices. In 2000, EXILIA introduced themselves to the world with Rightside Up, a raw and still-unpolished debut album that captured the first instinctive spark of a sound still searching for its definitive form.

At the core of EXILIA stands founder, vocalist and songwriter Masha Mysmane—a striking and multifaceted artist distinguished by a natural soprano voice capable of reaching soaring high notes while shifting into raw distortion and explosive intensity. Her unmistakable blonde-and-blue dreadlocks became a visual signature in an era when women were still rarely granted space at the forefront of heavy music. Yet her identity was never built on image alone. Voice, songwriting and a magnetic stage presence became inseparable, allowing her to transmit emotion with an honesty and intensity that proved impossible to ignore.

Long before “female-fronted” became an industry label and developed into the recognisable scene we know today, EXILIA were already breaking down barriers and carving out a territory of their own. Through a visceral collision of nu-metal, alt-rock and industrial energy, powerful melodies and lyrics drawn from real lives, the band created its own identity and unmistakable sound—one that would soon carry EXILIA far beyond the city  of Milan…

 

2000
Testament to the spiky success of this record was paid by MTV, when the channel presented them its Best European Newcomer Award.

Appearances alongside H.I.M, Therapy? and The Rollins Band provided inspiration and experience, which the band channelled into to the brief but muscular Underdog EP (2003). Glowing reviews and distribution from BMG led to several high profile European tours with In Extremo and Paradise Lost.

From the sonic assault of their album’s opener UNLEASHED (Gun/SonyBmg) that fought its way up to #38 in the German Charts, they raised up with their legendary Hits: “Stop Playing God“, “Coincidence“, “Can’t Break Me Down“.

An immensely successful tour with Rammstein inspired the band to expand their tonal repertoire in all directions. With new album Nobody Excluded (2006) providing a track for the soundtrack of hugely popular US T.V series Grey’s Anatomy and big collaboration with Amnesty International with the hit “Kill Me” shooting a video for Guantanamo considered to be a major breach of human rights.

The release of Grey’s is followed by 2 years of touring in addition to band members diversifying their interests with projects in television and music production. But this spreading of the collective wings did not distract from the development of the next album. Bearing the title My Own Army (2008) and produced by Dave Chavarri (Sepultura), it showcased an increasingly mature and nuanced sound, without losing any of the riff vitality that is very much their calling card.

Several more productive years follow, which sees the release of acoustic/oddities collection Naked (2010). This period of hard work and reflection culminated with the release of their 5th album, the mesmeric Decode (2012). This led to a USA-wide tour, featuring a performance at the world renowned SXSW festival in Austin, Texas and a well received stint supporting Drowning Pool, Otep on their East Coast tour.

Since returning home from this excursion, EXILIA have been preparing their latest release. The only diversion from this mission being another trip to America supporting global stars Buckcherry, on a 5 week tour.

Last record named “Purity” was released late in October 2015. This time around this attitude is filtered through self-awareness and compassion, creating songs filled with momentum and intelligence.

The guitars are both sinuous and delicate, combining the addictive melody of fractured pop with the whispered edges of brutality. Brazen riffs weave seamlessly into the foundation created by a highly adept rhythm section.

This musical alchemy extends to the vocal dexterity of front-woman Masha. Her voice seduces and soars in equal measure. Filling delicate moments with a distinct and robust truth, as well as crafting highly addictive sing-a-long choruses. All the while her voice reverberating with mature sensuality.

The singles Bliss, She’s Not Me and One Minute are ideal examples of this rousing skill and the band was showing a new side live on their european tour with “Mustasch” from Sweden.

In January 2018 EXILIA announced the writing session and pre-production of their seventh album as well as the collaboration with producer Joerg Umbreit from Principal Studios Germany.
“The new record gets back to our roots and it’s captured a feeling that we haven’t gone after in many years.” says Masha in her last interview.
In October 2018 was released a first single titled “Feel The Fire” while the band was recording the new album, this amazing new hit created a lot of engagement from the old and new fans and right before the pandemic covid situation EXILIA released a new song + video “I AM GOD” to prepare the launch of the new album. Unfortunately after what happened with Covid 19 all the EXILIA team decided to reschedule the new album’s release in 2022.

January 2022 the band announced the release of a new single and video in March 2022 and a return to the stage with a European tour in April 2022.

The new track is “Not The End of The World” a song produced by Joerg Umbreit, with melodic hooks that stick in your head forever, lyrically exploring the concept of “Time” that plays a significant role in our lives.

The long-anticipated album “Heroes And Dust” was unleashed upon the world on April 21, 2023, accompanied by the release of the compelling single and video “In The Afterglow.”