
THE VILLAIN HEROINE tells a layered story about identity, power, and perception.
What drew you to the idea of creating two distinct sonic worlds and then merging them into one full album? How do you see these parts reflecting different sides of who you are?
THE VILLAIN HEROINE is my most personal project yet. I think it became clear during the songwriting camp for this LP that I was more than ready to release a project that fully embodied my artistic versatility. These sonic worlds live harmoniously within me, and I found a way to bring them symbolically into my music. Needless to say, I am super proud of what we have achieved.
This is me being true and unfiltered. THE VILLAIN explores my more villainous, raw, and dark side, while THE HEROINE embraces the more heroic, vulnerable yet fierce parts of me. When they come together, you get a full picture of who I truly am.
You’ve called this your most fearless album. What made you stop filtering yourself? Was there a moment when you felt done playing it safe?
It all began with Identity Crisis, my previous LP. As I evolved as an artist, I felt the need to present myself as authentically and unfiltered as possible. It was clear that to achieve that, I had to stop playing it safe and take creative risks.
THE VILLAIN HEROINE carries the feeling of a full-circle moment. It reaches back, but it also moves forward. How do you see this project in relation to your past work? What new direction are you building toward now?
This music project pushed me and challenged me to redefine my boundaries. It reaches back to my Georgian roots and made me look deep inside to discover who I really am. As artists, we are ever-changing. My past work has been steadily preparing me for this moment. This LP symbolizes a new music era for me, where I am not holding back—I am bringing my art to my audience in its most authentic form. One thing is certain for my future projects: I will keep fusing music genres and bringing distinct worlds together.
“KHORUMI” blends heavy electronic energy with the rhythm and spirit of Georgian war dance, symbolizing courage and unity. It feels ancient in its emotion and futuristic in its sound. What inspired you to reinterpret this part of your heritage? What does the original dance mean to you personally, and how did you translate its movement and message into music?
I always draw inspiration from my Georgian roots and try to pay homage to them through my work. The original dance has a peculiar, almost haunting rhythm, and I had the idea of creating something around it for a very long time. TEO.x3, my producer, had an amazing idea of how we could reinterpret it into a powerful new-age electronic track.
The original dance means a lot to me. It echoes resilience, power, and solidarity. We tried to keep this vibe in our track as much as possible with its aggressive production and raw Greek and Georgian lyrics. This is my way of expressing solidarity with those striving to create a better world for everyone. I clearly remember that the day “THE VILLAIN” was released, riots broke out in Tbilisi, and “KHORUMI” felt like my way of taking a stance and connecting with my home country.
The idea of being a villain changes depending on who is telling the story. How do you understand what it means to be the villain when the world sees you that way? How did you find strength or freedom in owning that role?
Being a villain for me means fighting passionately for your ideals and living unapologetically. I came to realize that this is my life and I won’t be confined by anyone’s opinion on how I should dress, sing, or look. If being free is seen as villainous in someone’s eyes, then so be it.
To me, “A TRUE HEROINE” feels like stepping into the light after walking a long road in the dark. Was there a moment that sparked it? What emotion were you trying to name or shed in that track?
We came out of the songwriting camp for this LP with so much material that narrowing it down for the final tracklist was a real challenge.
“Growth doesn’t mean losing yourself; it means expanding into more of who you really are.”
“A TRUE HEROINE” stood out immediately as the perfect transition from “THE VILLAIN” to “THE HEROINE.” It reflects serenity in loss and always finding your way home. That feeling makes it the perfect intro track and sets the mood for the rest of the “THE HEROINE” part of this project.
The ANTI-HERO photoshoot marks a fresh visual chapter for you. What story or feeling did you want to capture with those images? How do visuals shape your music and identity?
The ANTI-HERO shoot is about everything good and bad in a person, and most importantly, a battle of both simultaneously. An interplay of power, vulnerability, innocence, menace, lust, and austerity. It is very similar to the themes and narratives within the world of “THE VILLAIN HEROINE.” Visuals are really important because they complement my music and are a key element in my creative storytelling.
Those first images—lace clinging to skin as if protecting what’s underneath, bruises raw and visible, a bunny held quiet against you—feel like grief dressed in grace. What were you revealing in that moment? Does that bruised tenderness still live inside you?
In that moment, together with Petros Aronis — the mind behind the ANTI-HERO concept — I was revealing the internal conflict at its core: the simultaneous presence of both light and shadow within a person. The bruised tenderness you see isn’t just aesthetic; it symbolizes that duality: vulnerability wrapped in strength, pain softened by grace. Yes, that tenderness still lives in me. It’s part of the narrative I’m exploring, where innocence and menace, lust and restraint, constantly battle and coexist. The visuals are my way of extending that story beyond sound into something you can feel and see.
Hair has always carried weight. It speaks to identity, gender, power, or rebellion. In this shoot, some styles feel sculptural, others untamed and provocative. How do you use hair as part of your storytelling?
Hair has always played a significant role in my art. It’s a form of storytelling and self-expression. From the color and shape to the texture of the hair, everything matters in making a statement appearance. If my 20 years of visual experimentation have taught me something, it’s that a bold change often begins with hair.
Stepping on the cake. Tasting it. It brings up something between indulgence and defiance, femininity and mess, ritual and ruin. Was it about hunger, performance, rejection, celebration, or something deeper?
Stepping on the cake, tasting it— that moment lives in the tension between indulgence and defiance. It was deliberate and raw, echoing the core of ANTI-HERO: a clash between control and chaos, femininity and revolt. It wasn’t just about hunger or performance, though those are layers in it. It was about claiming space in contradiction: ritual turned ruin, celebration turned rebellion. That mess is meaningful; it tells the story of someone who dares to hold power and vulnerability at once.
Power and vulnerability run through your work like fire. How do you keep those two alive without one swallowing the other?
I do not necessarily see these two as separate. There is power in vulnerability and vice versa. Over the years, I have been cultivating self-awareness one step at a time. There are moments where I have to set boundaries and show my vulnerability, while in others I must be strong and express my opinion without hesitation. When I give both feelings room, they can exist side by side without clashing.
Now that you run your own label, Kiki Music Group, I assume you can control everything. What doors does that open for you creatively and professionally? What can you do now that wasn’t possible before?
Kiki is our newborn baby. It creates space for artists with restless ideas and sounds that challenge the norm. Kiki allows us to create something free from commercial constraints, driven purely by vision and intention. In my case, MINOS EMI | Universal is still distributing my music—an important 20-year partnership that plays a key role in my new adventures with Kiki Music Group.
Finally, for anyone reading, as you reflect on your journey of growth and transformation, what guiding principle or mindset do you embrace to remain true to yourself through life’s ever-changing seasons?
I try to stay anchored in honesty with myself, my art, and the people around me. I always try to create from a place of truth, not fear. I’ve learned that growth doesn’t mean losing yourself; it means expanding into more of who you really are. So I embrace change, but I move through it with intention.

bodysuit VAQUERA, skirt YUHAN WANG, shoes GEORGE KEBURIA, tights WALFORD
total look LADO BOKUCHAVA, bag CHOPOVA LOWENA
bodysuit GEORGE KEBURIA, necklace VETEMENTS, shoes CURRENT MOOD
total look LADO BOKUCHAVA
top GEORGE KEBURIA, skirt SIMONE ROCHA, boots GEORGE KEBURIA, belts VINTAGE
corset GEORGE KEBURIA, collar & apron COMME DES GARÇONS, shoes MAISON MARGIELA, earrings YVMIN
dress NICKLAS SKOVGAARD, gloves & balaclava BUSTED BRAND, shoes MARTINE ROSEThe Antihero / Tamta
Credits:
Talent: Tamta / @officialtamta
Photography: Petros Aronis / @petraronis
Creative Direction: Petros Aronis, Elizabeth Karatsoki / @petraronis, @elizabeth_karatsoki
Styling: Elizabeth Karatsoki, Elena Karatsoki / @elizabeth_karatsoki, @elena_karatsoki
Makeup: Joanna Domazaki / @joanna.domazaki
Hair: Tom Zois / @tom_zois
Nails: Viktoria Anthopoulou, Supernova Nails / @viktoria_anthopoulou, @supernova_nails_
Production: Costis Coco Papadopoulos / @kwstie
Press: Kreative PR / @kreativepr_
Interview: Irina Klisarova / @its.irka.bitch
Editor: Marco Giuliano / @marcogiulianoph




