XANDRIA - Neverworld's End Interview! 6/1/14
XANDRIA
Eclectic Arts Magazine
Greetings Manuela! Thank you for taking the time to talk
with me about yourself, Xandria, and everything inbetween. I read the Russian fansite interview
and a few others but please forgive me if a few of the topics I cover are
redundant to those earlier interviews.
EA: Wow - calfs, playing in the countryside, pubs on mountains -
it sounds like a world away from what most metal people would expect. But, it also sounds very picture-esque
and wonderful. Where are you based
out of these days? Do you prefer
the city life or country life?
Eclectic Arts Magazine
*Editor's Note:
This interview was conducted via email with then singer Manuela Kraller in 2012. The band parted ways with her and are now fronted by Ms. Dianne van Giersbergen. Their new album, "Sacrificium" was released in May 2014 on Napalm Records. The band is headed to the US for the first time as the opener on the Sonata Arctica tour with special guests Delain this Fall.
* * *
EA: Let's jump right in - how did you get involved with
Xandria? What was the process
like? Once you were selected - did
you come in to audition? If so,
how did that go - performing with the band?
MK: I saw already in February
2010 that Xandria are searching for a new singer, but at this time I didn´t
apply, ´cause at this moment I have been already involved in 2 metal bands
(Haggard, Forty Shades). In autumn 2011 I was talking with a friend and we
recognized that Xandria are still searching for a singer. My friend Mani
encouraged me to apply and kicked my ass, so I applied:) One of the reasons
was, next to the fact that I liked Xandria´s music, that I haven´t been that
happy in Haggard anymore and I was looking for new musical horizons. I sent
some videos and demos to them and they answered at the same day and invited me
to an audition. From the very beginning we understood perfectly well and were
on the same wavelength. The rehearsals have been very funny while I was very nervous
during singing. A few days later Marco called me and told me that I am the new
singer of Xandria. I was damn happy and couldn´t almost believe what has
happened...
EA: That's awesome!
I've been listening to "Neverworld's End" non stop since I
received it. A few of my personal
favorite songs are "A Prophecy of World's To Fall",
"Forevermore", "Euphoria","The Dream Is Still
Alive", and "A Thousand Letters". Do you have a favorite song or songs off the album? What in particular do you like about
them?
MK: Like you I love the opener
“A Prophecy of worlds to fall”, ´cause it is a real epic bombastic song, that
tunes you into the album: When I listen to it, I don´t have to force myself to
go to “Neverworld”, I am immediately in between it:) And of course I love “A
thousand letters” as it is a very personal song about my grandparents. But to
be honest, I fell in love with every single song of our album. It is one of the
rare albums that I can listen from beginning to end without skipping;)
EA: Are you in rehearsal for the upcoming tour?
MK: Yes, we are and we are
very looking forward to enter soon the stages:)
EA: What did your other bands/projects think of you joining
Xandria? Were they
understanding/supportive or were they upset about it?
MK: Well, I left Haggard
immediately when I knew I was the new Xandria singer, because I thought it is
time to make new experiences. But I have been still with my band from
Switzerland called “Forty Shades” (further “Nagor Mar”), because I have been
with them from the very beginning and I didn´t want to leave them. Well, we had
a short brake, because they didn´t want to divide me with another band. But as
me and the guys from Forty Shades feel like really close friends and are
passionate about the music we make, we decided to go on together. And now I try
to handle 2 bands at the same time, which is not always easy, but I love both
and I´ll go on with what I love;)
EA: How familiar were you with Xandria prior to
auditioning/joining the band?
MK: I had the Ravenheart CD of
them, that was everything. I didn´t know more about them to be honest.
EA: If I may, let's go back to the beginning. Where were you born? What was life like for your growing up
as a child, teenager, etc?
MK: I was born in a very small
village called “Sur” in the middle of nowhere, a village with 18 inhabitants
and 1000 calfs (I am NOT joking;). I had a wonderful childhood and grew up with
my little sister and my cousin and many animals in the middle of nature. We
lived next to the farm of my uncle. So I am a real “country girl”;) I remember
us playing outside while it was raining, our clothes full of mood and smiling
all over our faces (laughs). We built wooden houses, we climbed on trees and I
always used to paint a lot and went from house to house and sold my paintings
to my relations for a few pence:)
As a teenager it was not that
exciting anymore in the middle of nowhere, but at this time I started to go to
a metal pub that was near on a mountain (yes, a metal pub on a mountain, crazy
bavarian people;) and this became my second home every Friday:)
MK: I still prefer the countryside (I live on a farm right now),
´cause it gives me the calm and rest I need next to the concerts and tour life.
I need both in my life: wild music life
and silence. Both things
are part of my personality, as I can be a very extroverted person on stage, but
also introverted in other parts of my life...”devil and angel” at once:)
EA: Where did your love of metal music come from? What other genres do you enjoy?
MK: Well, it really started in
this metal pub called “Deifei” (means “devil”), where I used (and sometimes
still use) to go with my friends. They played all kinds of metal and rock, so I
heard a lot of different genres.
As my father always used to
listen to old rock stuff, I also got in touch with Eric Clapton, Dire Straits,
Bob Dylan or Pink Floyd. I love this music too. Also Elvis, Beatles or ABBA.
But of course there is nothing
that comes near to my love to metal music. I am a total symphonic metal freak
(laughs)
EA: Very cool.
Eclectic Arts Magazine supports all forms of art - different genres of
music, photography, film and television personalities, etc. Are there any types of music that
you're not much a fan of?
MK: Yes, definitely:) There´s
Hip Hop, Techno, Rave or Drum´n´Bass. Too much electronic music makes me
somehow nervous;) I need some real rocking instruments!!;)
EA: The official bio states that you didn’t get involved with
performing music until 23. Is that
right? You started in choirs and
then started taking classical voice lessons, correct? How did you make the eventual jump to rock/metal
music/performance?
MK: Yes, that´s right. I
started very late at the age of 23 in a choir in finland and after that I started
taking classical singing lessons. I never asked my singing teacher to give me
classical lessons, but she did and it felt natural from the very beginning,
even if I have never listened to classical music before. It was something
completely new for me, but at the same time so familiar. After a few months I
already knew that it was my deepest wish to become a singer, but I wasn´t brave
enough to tell anyone. When I told my singing teacher that I wanted to become a
singer she suggested me to apply at some conservatories and study singing. But
after one entrance examination I recognized that this wasn´t the right way for
me. I remember when I stood in front of all the music professors and didn´t
move. I just sang. And that was not enough for me. I really wanted to perform,
to move on stage, to jump around and also having an audience doing the same and
enjoying the show. I had the feeling something was missing. At this time a
friend of mine (Isabelle) gave me all her Nightwish CD´s. When I heard the
“Once” CD, I finally knew, what I really wanted to become: A symphonical metal
singer. Because this is the way, in which I have the possibility to combine my
classical and my metal influences. Together with my friend Mani I started a duo
project: We covered songs as well as we composed our own ones and had some
first small shows. Mani was the one who told me that Haggard are searching for
a classical singer. So I applied and here my metal life started. Mani was also
the person who encouraged me to apply for Xandria. I am very thankful for him,
without him, I would not be there where I am now...thanks for kickin´my ass
Mani:*
EA: I was fortunate enough to see Nightwish on their mini club
tour here in the US supporting the "Once" album (before Tarja
left). I waited outside with a
handful of other fans to meet the band and get my "Once" CD insert
signed. The CD wasn't even
released here in the US yet. I
remember a couple of the Nightwish guys were surprised by how many of us
already had the European version of the CD - heh. What is/was it about their music that drew you to them when
you first heard Nightwish?
MK: You saw Nightwish with
Tarja?? I am jealous, I became a fan very late in 2006, right after their last
concerts with Tarja. Damn!;) I have to be honest: I heard a CD of Nightwish for
the first time in the year 1997, it was “Angels fall first”: At this time I
wasn´t used to Metal with classical vocals and I couldn´t get used to it. The
opera voice was very strange for me, because I never listened to classical
vocals or music before. But when I started singing classical with 23 years
somehow my perception changed in the following years and in 2006 a friend of
mine (Isabelle) told me of the great Nightwish concert with Tarja and meant
that this music is perhaps something I could be interested in. So she lend me
the CD´s and when I listened to “Once” it was like a veil falling from my eyes:
I knew immediately: This is what I wanna do....becoming a classical Metal
singer...and now I am:)
EA: Who would you cite as vocal influences?
MK: My singing teacher Barbara
Knetsch-Mainardy, because she taught me how to sing, so I think there´s also
something of her in me. And of course Tarja Turunen, she has been an idol for
me when I began singing and also Amy Lee from Evanescence. I also love the
voice of Anneke van Giersbergen, it´s so emotional. I think all of them had
some influences on me, but finding my very own unique voice takes time and I am
still developing, hopefully every single day ;)
EA: I'm also a fan of Anneke van Giersebergen. I saw her with The Gathering here in
Seattle, WA in 2007 - a few weeks later she left the band to go solo. Gee - Tarja left Nightwish after I saw
them, Anneke left The Gathering after I saw them - maybe I'm bad luck or
something haha. Do you have
favorite songs that Anneke sang either with The Gathering or solo?
MK: haha, I hope you´re not;)
No, don´t worry, I will stay with Xandria “Now and Forever”:) I don´t have
special Gathering or Anneke songs that I love more than others, I think every
single song has its own magic...
EA: You have a beautiful voice of your own. Being a musician myself, I'm always
picking apart the vocals and instrumentation on every piece of music I listen
to. Your voice is what initially
drew me to the new record. Don't
get me wrong, the band and the music are awesome, too - but your voice has
elevated the band to a whole new level.
I know fans who loved Lisa's voice may be skeptical but to me it's
apples and oranges. Lisa's style
was completely different from your's.
With all due respect to Lisa, I like your voice a lot more! Do you play any instruments (guitar,
piano, etc)?
MK: Thank you for this compliment:) I play guitar and piano, but
I am not as good in playing instruments as in singing. I always say: “It´s
enough for playing guitar at a campfire but not for more” :)
EA: How much input did you have into the new Xandria album
"Neverworld's End"?
For example, did you come up with the vocal melodies? Did you write any of the lyrics?
MK: Well, most of the material
already has been written,when I joined the band, but I could still give in some
ideas. I did the whole lyrics for “A thousand letters”, a song about my
grandparents Maria and Sebastian and their love through the 2nd
World War. It is a very personal and emotional song for me and it makes me
happy that I had the possibility to write my feelings down in it. I also did
parts of the lyrics for the song “Call of the wind” together with Marco. Marco
and me talked a lot about vocal lines and vocal arrangements and also about
song structures in general. I think we are working together very well and I
think for the next album I could bring in my own creative ideas more than I was
able to do with “Neverworld´s End”.
EA: Are there any plans for the band to tour the US? Perhaps get on the upcoming Nightwish
tour as special guests (my dream)?
MK: There are no plans for a
tour in the US yet, but hopefully as soon as possible, I´d love to go there!
And also not with Nightwish, I am sorry;)
EA: Aww, that's too bad.
But I do hope the band gets to tour here sooner rather than later. It seems more and more European based
bands are making the trek over to the US.
There are a lot of Xandria fans here - trust me! If Nightwish, The Gathering, Within Temptation,
etc can play Seattle, WA - Xandria can too! The fans will come out! ^_^
MK: ahhhh, I´d fly immediately to the US if I could:) I hope
really we can come very soon and if we are coming I´d sing: “Come out, come out
whereever you are...”;))
EA: When you're not doing something related to one of your
bands, what do you like to do with your time?
MK: mmmhhh, I have to
think...(laughs). Well, I love reading fantasy books, going to the cinema,
hiking, painting or just sitting together with good friends and having a good
meal and a good talk.
EA: This is something I ask most of the musicians I interview -
does the band (or bands in your case) pay the bills? Are you making a living from it or do you have another job?
MK: We don´t make a living from
it yet, but we all hope we can do it in future. Most of us have daily jobs. I
just quit mine to focus more on singing and hopefully it´ll all work out well;)
EA: What suggestions would you make for someone that wants to
become a vocalist?
MK: You should be passionate
and stay on your path no matter what others tell you. You have to believe in
you and your talent. You should not sing just to get money. You should sing,
because you love it and you want to give that love also to others. It´s a way
to express yourself, it´s an art and you are the artist. Of course you also
have to train your voice every day, live healthy and make the best out of your
talent. But your personality and authenticity are as important as your voice
is. Sometimes it´ll be not easy, but you have to stand up even if you fall
down. Just never give up:) It helps if you ask people, who are already
professional singers and who can give you advice, how to become a vocalist. And
it helps to get in contact with many people. Sometimes people are at the right
time at the right place, and hopefully so are you:)
EA: Thank you so much for taking the time. The parting words are for you:
MK: Thank you very much, it
was a pleasure for me:) I hope we can play concerts in the states as soon as possible!
And don´t miss to get “Neverworld´s end”;)
Xandria.de
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