Evanescence announce departure of guitarist Jen Majura

Evanescence have announced the departure of guitarist Jen Majura, who has been with the band since 2015.

“It has been a very special chapter in the band with our dear friend Jen Majura, but we have decided it’s time to go our separate ways,” the band write in a new social media statement. 

“We will always love her and support her, and can’t wait to see what she does next! We are so grateful for the good times and great music we made all around the world together.

The Amy Lee-led outfit add that they’re currently rehearsing for their upcoming European tour – which kicks off June 5 in Athens, Greece – and will provide info on Majura’s replacement in the “next few days”.

Jen Majura joined Evanescence in 2015 following the departure of longtime guitarist Terry Balsamo. She appears on two of the band’s five studio albums: Synthesis (2017) and The Bitter Truth (2021).

Back in January last year – two months prior to the release of The Bitter Truth – Majura recalled how she ended up landing the gig with Evanescence back in 2015.

“I was playing bass in another band, not really being happy as I’m a guitar player,” she told Guitar World. “We happened to play two festivals, one in Germany and one in the Czech Republic. And it [turned] out Testament were playing the same days as us.

“I’m a huge Alex Skolnick fan, so we ended up talking and keeping in touch. A couple of days later, I got this very mysterious email from him saying, ‘Jen! Some friends of mine are going to contact you and I can’t reveal too much but I think it’s something you should say yes to!’ I was wondering what the hell he was talking about…

“And then a day later, I got this email from Evanescence’s management asking if I would be interested in… and I didn’t even finish reading the email. I just immediately replied ‘Yes!’ and sent it. That was a total no-brainer.

“This was around July 2015 and the next evening I was on the phone with Amy talking. She invited me to come visit her in New York and hang out. I thought, ‘Okay… cool!’ And three days later I was on a plane flying to fuckin’ New York wondering if this was really happening. It was insane.”

In the same interview, Majura’s Evanescence co-guitarist Troy McLawhorn spoke about how the pair divvied up six-string parts for the band’s latest album, The Bitter Truth.

“Whenever we’re jamming, if someone comes up with something cool, they play it,” McLawhorn said. “There’s no set thing. So far I’ve probably played the majority of the lead guitar – if Jen comes up with something she is always welcome to play whatever it is. It’s a good working relationship.”

Evanescence’s imminent European tour will comprise 9 dates, with stops in Romania, Germany, Norway and more. After it wraps in Tampere, Finland on June 19, the band will take a month's break, before hitting the road again in the US from July 15. For a full list of upcoming dates, head to the band’s website.