Интервю с Noora Louhimo (BATTLE BEAST)

MH18: It’s nice to talk to you again after our first interview in 2016. During these years you had quite intense schedule been in the biggest scenes for extreme music, you’ve met living legends, released one album, toured around the world. How do you feel about this? What is your impression from the big tours and world biggest festivals?

Noora: Of course, we enjoy it. The best thing to be on the scene is to make your own music and then to go around the world and show what you’ve got and we are very glad that we are still going around some festivals, because last year we have released Bringer of Pain and this year we are doing our new album. It is a very hectic year going on. Just between April and May we’ve been in the US with Kamelot and Delain. We’ve been touring there. Then we came back and started working on our new album and in the same time we started touring around festivals which we had over 20 this summer. Yes, it is very hectic.

MH18: Did you enjoy that?

Noora: Yes. It is nice to have a lot of work and in couple of weeks we will be there in Bulgaria.

MH18: You are coming again in BG, this time in Plovdiv for Hills of Rock with some big names like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Sabaton.  You will share stage on 21st of July with Judas Priest I believe. What you expect to happen on the stage on 21st? Do you keep some surprises for us?

Noora: For me there is no big expectations, but just having a lots of fun and possibly to meet some of the bands we admire since we were kids, but of course, as a band, we always will try to make the people to enjoy our gig as much as possible and make the best show when we get on the stage, so what the people can expect is full course of BATTLE BEAST and lot of other good music.

MH18: Since your last performance here, you have released your most recent record Bringer of Pain. It has moved even more towards pop combined with classical heavy sound which is your hallmark; however there are some other elements and orchestrations that extend the sound beyond the standard heavy metal. Was it your goal?

Noora: Of course, we want our music to reach as much people, listeners as possible, but the main thing is just to do good music, to do music that we like to listen, because, when we release our album, we can’t really know if anyone would gone like it. We are like – ok, we like this, but let’s hope that everybody else will like it too. So, the publicity is the most important thing but we continue doing our music and our shows around the world and all we can do is to do our best when we are doing music and deciding the production of our line shows.

MH18: Was the album accepted as expected by the audience? In Finland you have been in top positions of the charts, but it was differently accepted in different countries, and charts.

Noora: Yes, it is totally acceptable that different people like different music. Some people may be like more traditional type of heavy metal, some people like to twist it with the moderns styles, mix it with pop elements, but when I am watching aside, watching other bands, also very well liked, they are combining pop in their music, but the thing is that if you want to do heavy metal you have to have also the heavy metal element in your music. I think that it is not a bad thing to combine the different influences you get musically during your lifetime and that is it what we are doing. Of course, you always have to be prepared that some people like your music and some hate it, but it does not matter as long as the people have opinion about you.

MH18: No doubt, your emblematic voice is definitely contributing to the identity of BATTLE BEAST. I also would say that it is remarkable at the same extent in both in studio and on the stage performances. Would you share how do you maintain it? Do you warm it up, have you some specific drinks, anything else?

Noora: One of the most important things I do is actually just sing and do a lot of work and do it with the right technique. Of course, I will do warming up, worming down, before the show and after the show, try to keep myself healthy. One thing that is very important is not to be stressed out too much.  I mean that of course, when you are having a lot of work, you are stressed out, but there is a huge difference between the good stress and the bad stress. Maintaining the voice and the pitch and the health is actually just “do” thing and with the right technique and drinking a lot of water, because we are mostly made of water. These are the best hints I can give to anyone who want maintain singing in a long term. If you have lots of breaks, between rehearsing, weeks, you will get rusty, so always maintain rehearsing different type of technical stuff and also – improvising. Always do something else, as a singer, not just your own band’s music, because that will keep your mind fresh that will keep your mind sharp to do the things in your own band.

MH18: You’ve told me that it is a great experience to be a front lady of a heavy metal band. Actually, there are many strong images of female icons in the history of both extreme and pop scenes. How do you escape being in their shadow? How do you manage to create your own image? What is the best part of being a front lady in a metal band?

Noora: During the years we had with the guys, we just grow more together and the atmosphere is getting better and better, year after year and we are learning so much about each other this is where I want to bring up more and it is not just about the years in the bands, it is about working atmosphere and people around you, it is a family, not just workmates. So, it is very important to get along with your bandmates. Besides that, I think I told you last time, that I can do the things as a singer and as an artist, as a performer, the way I want to in the band. It is like a dream come true because I can bring everything I want as an artist like the theatrical stuff, the costumes, singing in different styles. It is like I can have everything I want in the band. It is a dream comes true.

About the image, it is developing during the years. I always wanted to be something else than just the normal person on the stage. May be that was the ground thought about the image. When I do the make-up and decide the costumes, I really want that they are not so normal like “ that is some girl coming from the street”, more to the idea that I am kind of fantasy creature more than a rock chick. I am still developing it, but I think I found the style I really want to use. I always want to develop and create different type of costumes and also freshen up. Now as we have new album, I want to have new outfit, something cool, something new that people can see on the stage.

MH18: In your most recent album (Bringer of Pain), beside music experiments, you also have quite successful experiment with male vocals in your beautiful collaboration with Tomi Joutsen from Amorphis for “Lost in Wars”. Do you plan to continue to invite guest musicians? Who would like you to make a song with?

Noora: Of course, we plan to invite in the future different guests, but it also must be serving the songs. We can’t just say – ok, there is going to be someone – but when we have an idea or when we listen of song and we think – ok, this could be so cool with this other certain kind of singer, for example, or guitar, or whatever, then we will go and ask that person, but definitely, yes, we will have guest stars in the future.

MH18: Bringer of Pain was released with your most recent line-up. Was it also created by the members in this line-up? How the songwriting and the whole music and texts writing process are working now? Previously, it was owned by only one person, as far as I remember.

Noora: We can all bring our songwriting on the table, but the thing is that in this moment, our strongest songwriters are our new guitar player Joona (Björkroth) and our keyboardist Janne (Björkroth) and I think we should use that because it is very important to understand in a band what is your own strength and use that as a power in the best way as you can

MH18: And finally, may you tell Metal Hangar 18 audience few words:

Noora: Hi, it is Noora from BATTLE BEAST and I just want to tell you that I thank you so much for your support, for BATTLE BEAST, for our music and coming to our shows, and I can’t wait to be there. So, yeah, keep rocking, come to our shows and rock hard!

MH18: Thank you