Latest / HEAVY Music Interviews / BATTLE BEAST's NOORA LOUHIMO On Courage, Empowerment And The Power Of Metal

Transcript

BATTLE BEAST's NOORA LOUHIMO On Courage, Empowerment And The Power Of Metal · HEAVY Music Interviews

0:00
Speaker 1: I'm not a Finnish rock and heavy metal singer and
0:06
Speaker 1: singer of Battle Beast Beautiful and also I have my
0:10
Speaker 1: own solo band, not.
0:12
Speaker 2: Experience Wonderful Wonderful. Still Bound is your seventh album. What
0:18
Speaker 2: was the driving inspiration behind this record compared to Circus
0:21
Speaker 2: of the.
0:25
Speaker 1: Well. I think the the themes are quite serious in
0:33
Speaker 1: this album, but also very important issues about life and
0:40
Speaker 1: death and about I think, for example, there are many
0:49
Speaker 1: many songs about The Last Goodbye is for example, about
0:52
Speaker 1: fighting fighting for your life against it, and it's like
1:01
Speaker 1: also the kind of it is supposed to be empowering
1:06
Speaker 1: song for people who are having any kind of big
1:10
Speaker 1: or small challenges in their lives and need some you know,
1:15
Speaker 1: strength to go on. So I think that song is
1:20
Speaker 1: for that also. But overall, the whole kind of spirit
1:26
Speaker 1: in this album is empowering people. It's empowering in all
1:32
Speaker 1: kind of aspects. Yeah, And for example, in steel Bound,
1:37
Speaker 1: it it's about you know, I think it's dedicated to
1:43
Speaker 1: everyone at this moment in this world. Everyone are who
1:48
Speaker 1: are being put down or you know. Also I want
1:52
Speaker 1: to encourage people to fight for their human rights. And yeah,
2:02
Speaker 1: there's a lot of a lot of important issues. But
2:07
Speaker 1: but the thing with battle based music is that we
2:10
Speaker 1: have always dealt with these kind of issues from a
2:15
Speaker 1: kind of positive perspective or kind of having some humor
2:20
Speaker 1: and ironic approach as well, because life is that way.
2:26
Speaker 1: It is more easier sometimes to you know, deal with
2:32
Speaker 1: painful things through happy tone and not you know, like
2:38
Speaker 1: always doom doom, And there is always the place for
2:41
Speaker 1: that also. But the thing in battle based has always
2:45
Speaker 1: been that is to bring the joy and remind people
2:50
Speaker 1: that you can always get through this, and we help
2:55
Speaker 1: you with our music and our shows.
2:58
Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely, well put, I think you guys are really
3:02
Speaker 2: good at that balance of talking or you know talking
3:05
Speaker 2: having some serious issues or themes in your songs, but
3:10
Speaker 2: then balancing it with you know, positive sort of you
3:12
Speaker 2: can get through it, You can do it.
3:15
Speaker 1: Hmm exactly.
3:16
Speaker 2: Yeah. And the album blends classic metal, synth, symphonic and
3:21
Speaker 2: even some adi style rock. How do you balance so
3:24
Speaker 2: many styles while keeping that distinct battlebas sound.
3:28
Speaker 1: Well, I think it's all about our songwriters, because it's
3:33
Speaker 1: we have three songwriters, like our keyboard player, Eero, our
3:37
Speaker 1: bass player, then you and the other guitar player. So
3:41
Speaker 1: they all have different styles, totally different styles in songwriting
3:46
Speaker 1: and and they have different influences and when you blend
3:51
Speaker 1: those together, it makes the kind of essence sound of
3:55
Speaker 1: battle based. And of course during the years this has
4:00
Speaker 1: just evolved and kind of found found their places in
4:06
Speaker 1: a better way. And and of course the production has
4:10
Speaker 1: has developed during the years as well. And well that's
4:14
Speaker 1: always the goal for an artist to develop and kind
4:18
Speaker 1: of for me as an artist, it's it has always
4:21
Speaker 1: been the creating my new skin, so to say, so
4:25
Speaker 1: that my character now that she had like this metamorphoses
4:32
Speaker 1: into mother Beasts, it's like, it's really I'm really happy
4:37
Speaker 1: with that.
4:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, And did you get to choose that yourself, the
4:42
Speaker 2: direction of your character.
4:45
Speaker 1: Yes, that's all me. It's there has always been like
4:49
Speaker 1: a the the guys have been doing the songs and
4:53
Speaker 1: then my my role has been being the storyteller. But
5:01
Speaker 1: it always has been also like for me, I'm like,
5:07
Speaker 1: it has been always really really important for me to
5:12
Speaker 1: create this my own character and keep keep to it.
5:18
Speaker 1: And kind of even though there has been also some
5:21
Speaker 1: arguments during the years, like like why so extravaganza and
5:27
Speaker 1: you know, horns and stuff like that, and like I
5:31
Speaker 1: can't help it. It's just you know, it's it's the metamorphosis,
5:35
Speaker 1: and it's what it should be. You know, I can't
5:38
Speaker 1: stop it, and I don't want to. It's like it's
5:42
Speaker 1: really like as you grow as a person, I kind
5:46
Speaker 1: of visualize just you know, life and the growth of
5:50
Speaker 1: of you know, like in a in a very extravaganza way.
5:55
Speaker 1: But the whole reason for all this out is that
6:01
Speaker 1: I really want to visualize people courage and bravery and
6:09
Speaker 1: how powerful women are. And also you know that all
6:14
Speaker 1: these kind of different aspects and the horns there, they
6:19
Speaker 1: are like when they got they were born or grown
6:24
Speaker 1: on me, like in twenty seventeen when we started to
6:32
Speaker 1: designed the new look with my new dressmaker back then
6:36
Speaker 1: with Gotarina, because I was like before that I was
6:40
Speaker 1: having another dressmaker who made the first horns for me.
6:44
Speaker 1: But that really happened like very naturally, because when we
6:48
Speaker 1: started to think like how is it going to be
6:52
Speaker 1: in the normal Hollywood endings, and then I kind of
6:56
Speaker 1: I just saw this vision of me that the the
7:01
Speaker 1: horns grew from my head, from my hair and you know,
7:04
Speaker 1: with the with a magical force and and and and
7:10
Speaker 1: what they are. They are not like devil horns. People
7:13
Speaker 1: have been asking about this, but they're actually symbolizing courage,
7:18
Speaker 1: the horns of courage. I want to realize to people
7:22
Speaker 1: that show your horns, you know like you should and
7:28
Speaker 1: and be the strange and different self you are, because
7:33
Speaker 1: we all are that. We all are that even though
7:38
Speaker 1: we are like many people in our lives try to
7:42
Speaker 1: put us in some boxes and kind of feel just
7:46
Speaker 1: the way we are, you are stupid, and you don't
7:49
Speaker 1: look right, and you blah blah blah blah blah. But
7:52
Speaker 1: the but the truth is that you are perfect just
7:56
Speaker 1: the way you are, and and you are enough just
8:00
Speaker 1: the way you are, and they this is what what
8:02
Speaker 1: is my message and what I want to show with
8:07
Speaker 1: this totally different look that I have. I just kind
8:13
Speaker 1: of if I would go on stage with only like
8:16
Speaker 1: looking like this or or with the leather jacket, then
8:21
Speaker 1: something like that wouldn't be the statement that I do.
8:27
Speaker 1: So yeah, through style, like I love fashion, and through
8:31
Speaker 1: style is is is the visual way to do the statement.
8:37
Speaker 1: And also I feel so empowered when I I usually
8:41
Speaker 1: even now I have my panther is on and it's
8:49
Speaker 1: like we all have these different styles that I really
8:53
Speaker 1: don't want to people just to put clothes onto to
8:58
Speaker 1: hide their bodies or what they But I want people to,
9:02
Speaker 1: you know, whether you are male, female or between that
9:10
Speaker 1: I want people to bravely express themselves and through fashion.
9:16
Speaker 1: It's like I really get sometimes when I want to
9:20
Speaker 1: feel like really good or or empowered, I I dress
9:25
Speaker 1: up just for me and I'm at home. I know
9:29
Speaker 1: one's seeing me, but I'm that's you know, like you
9:33
Speaker 1: don't have to dress for other people. And but but
9:37
Speaker 1: when when Mother Beasts comes out, uh, it is it
9:44
Speaker 1: is of course for the people, but it is for
9:47
Speaker 1: me too because it's like I feel the goddess in
9:53
Speaker 1: me and that's something I really want. And it's not
9:59
Speaker 1: just the directed to female fans, but it's for everyone.
10:04
Speaker 1: I want everyone feel empowered and comfortable in their skin.
10:11
Speaker 1: And yeah, this is something that is really my life
10:15
Speaker 1: task to help people to be comfortable with themselves and
10:21
Speaker 1: love themselves and love each other and unite people. And yeah,
10:28
Speaker 1: this is something that is well, it's it has always
10:32
Speaker 1: been like that. I really want want people to get
10:34
Speaker 1: together and and and enjoy life and music with people together.
10:40
Speaker 1: But nowadays, nowadays, what the situation is in the world.
10:44
Speaker 1: We need this more than ever. And even though any
10:49
Speaker 1: government or whatever says whatever that culture is like the
10:54
Speaker 1: last thing that we should put money on, this is
10:57
Speaker 1: actually the thing that people should put the money first.
11:02
Speaker 1: Because if we don't have anything to escape to or
11:08
Speaker 1: to forget just for ninety minutes, for example, our problems
11:14
Speaker 1: in life or in the world, we don't have the
11:18
Speaker 1: strength to carry on and find solutions. So I think
11:22
Speaker 1: this is like, this is a matter of mental health
11:26
Speaker 1: and also the wellbeing of the whole society in the world. Yeah, definitely,
11:33
Speaker 1: that's kind of but anyways, this is exactly what I think.
11:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, no, I totally agree. You know, you're not stifling
11:41
Speaker 2: people's individual individuality as well, You're really wanting them to
11:45
Speaker 2: express it and show it. And like you said, music
11:48
Speaker 2: is a great escape for that and dressing up as well,
11:50
Speaker 2: if you can break your own character. Do you think
11:54
Speaker 2: Mother Goddess will just get bigger with every album.
12:00
Speaker 1: Well, the thing is that I can't tell you anything
12:06
Speaker 1: what happens in the future yet, so it's like you
12:11
Speaker 1: just have to wait and see see.
12:13
Speaker 2: Yeah, all good and the track last Goodbye is one
12:18
Speaker 2: of the heaviest on the album.
12:19
Speaker 1: Can You tell us the story behind it is that
12:23
Speaker 1: era our bass player a few years back, I think
12:27
Speaker 1: it was twenty twenty when he got diagnosed with a
12:31
Speaker 1: brain tumor and he went to the operation and then
12:36
Speaker 1: he met there in the hospital this person who had
12:41
Speaker 1: gone to who had been fighting against cancer for decades,
12:47
Speaker 1: and that was really inspirational for him to make this
12:53
Speaker 1: song about relentless hunger for life and not giving up.
13:00
Speaker 1: And and this is something that is really like because
13:07
Speaker 1: the people who know how painful, for example, cancer treatments are,
13:14
Speaker 1: this person still went there year after year for decades
13:19
Speaker 1: and wanted to be around for their family and for
13:25
Speaker 1: you know, loved ones. So it's it's something it's so
13:28
Speaker 1: powerful and and so I think that is something that
13:34
Speaker 1: people should take example of that even though you would
13:40
Speaker 1: would have something something else in your life that feels
13:43
Speaker 1: like I can't this is too painful to deal with.
13:50
Speaker 1: Life is about pain and getting over it and learning
13:55
Speaker 1: from that. And if we never get disappointed, we never
14:00
Speaker 1: know what is winning in life or what is success
14:05
Speaker 1: in life. So this is very important to understand in
14:10
Speaker 1: life that life can't feel comfortable all the time because
14:18
Speaker 1: if we don't know what is uncomfortable feeling. You don't
14:23
Speaker 1: know what is comfortable. And this is something that people,
14:27
Speaker 1: I think in these days have forgotten people have. People
14:33
Speaker 1: don't have patience. They want everything now. And I blame
14:40
Speaker 1: social media and fast food culture in everything fast fast fashion,
14:50
Speaker 1: and it ruins us. We need to build up patients,
14:56
Speaker 1: we need to we need to feel pain a little
14:59
Speaker 1: bit it to develop and we need to be like
15:05
Speaker 1: we are not totally perfect. So life is that way.
15:12
Speaker 1: But the thing is that keeps you going is for me,
15:15
Speaker 1: for example, it's the hunger for learning and developing. And
15:21
Speaker 1: I'm excited about this adventure. I don't really want to.
15:27
Speaker 1: It would be terrible if if I if it one day,
15:31
Speaker 1: I would wake up and yeah, I've seen it all
15:35
Speaker 1: whatever you know, and everything's just comfortable, comfortable. No, there
15:41
Speaker 1: must be pain to be love and yeah, yeah, I agree.
15:50
Speaker 2: It can be hard to talk about that because you know,
15:54
Speaker 2: I no one wants to think that they're going to
15:56
Speaker 2: experience pain or loss and everything. But you're very right.
15:59
Speaker 2: When you experience that, I think it teaches you so
16:03
Speaker 2: much about what there is to be grateful for and
16:06
Speaker 2: slowing down, Like you said that fast the fast world,
16:10
Speaker 2: that we're living in now is so just fleeting and horrible,
16:15
Speaker 2: isn't it?
16:16
Speaker 1: Yes? And for example, thinking about like people want to
16:22
Speaker 1: for example, people who want to start being an artist
16:28
Speaker 1: as a singer, for example, they must when they get
16:33
Speaker 1: to know this that you must do years of work
16:38
Speaker 1: before you get to that point that you are out
16:41
Speaker 1: there on stage and doing your thing. They get scared
16:47
Speaker 1: about this like, oh my god, no, no, well that
16:50
Speaker 1: sounds really hard, and I need to practice uncomfortable. You
16:56
Speaker 1: need to be in there. You need to soak in
16:59
Speaker 1: the uncomfortable things and also find the fun side of
17:07
Speaker 1: learning and not just you know, thinking thinking like I
17:11
Speaker 1: just want the final like thinking about, yeah, the final
17:16
Speaker 1: product of the you know, the mean goal. But you really,
17:19
Speaker 1: I I really think that the saying that enjoy the
17:24
Speaker 1: ride and not the final destination is is totally spot on. Yeah,
17:32
Speaker 1: when you yeah, and when you when you learn to
17:36
Speaker 1: enjoy the moment you are at right now. Like for example,
17:39
Speaker 1: now I'm enjoying my interview with you and talking about
17:43
Speaker 1: this deep speed philosophy stuff. It's like, I really enjoyed this,
17:49
Speaker 1: and I don't even think about the next interview or whatever.
17:52
Speaker 1: I'm just kind of have to look at the for it, okay,
17:58
Speaker 1: because yeah, I know I talk a lot, and these
18:05
Speaker 1: are really important things. And so the music is not
18:10
Speaker 1: just music. It's about life and it's about being a
18:13
Speaker 1: human being, and and like talking about last Goodbye, it's
18:17
Speaker 1: really like about this getting comfortable with being uncomfortable and
18:27
Speaker 1: being empowered through this song like this ain't the last goodbye,
18:31
Speaker 1: like like it says saying to the death like this
18:35
Speaker 1: eighth the last goodbye.
18:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's it. That's it. And what were some of
18:40
Speaker 2: the challenges when creating this record for you guys?
18:44
Speaker 1: Well, of course, scheduling was our biggest, I think because
18:49
Speaker 1: we all have so many things going on in our lives,
18:53
Speaker 1: like we have families and and things like that, so
18:57
Speaker 1: so that was the most biggest challenge. And but yeah,
19:03
Speaker 1: it's always like in making an album is not something
19:08
Speaker 1: that well, there are different ways to do it, but
19:13
Speaker 1: usually our method has been the last thirteen years, in
19:18
Speaker 1: my perspective, it has been like a chaos that just
19:25
Speaker 1: chaos and a storm that gets into its place at
19:30
Speaker 1: the end. So it's like there are so many processes
19:35
Speaker 1: in this project. So it's like there are so many
19:40
Speaker 1: things maybe that I don't even know, but it's like
19:43
Speaker 1: so many things and so many hours and and for example,
19:49
Speaker 1: my vocal recordings, we did it like I gave a
19:53
Speaker 1: deadline that I am leaving to Bully that day and
19:58
Speaker 1: I need to be done that day, so we are
20:01
Speaker 1: going to do this that I'm not coming back after
20:04
Speaker 1: this vacation. Yeah, so that was good because then we
20:09
Speaker 1: really did the vocals until the last second, and it
20:15
Speaker 1: was like we really squeezed everything and you but the result,
20:22
Speaker 1: I'm happy with the results. Sometimes you need the pressure
20:27
Speaker 1: to make diamonds, you.
20:28
Speaker 2: Know, exactly exactly. Now you should be very impressed. Once again,
20:33
Speaker 2: your vocals on the record are just nothing short of amazing. Quickly,
20:39
Speaker 2: how did your journey start? When did you realize you
20:43
Speaker 2: could sing? Basically?
20:45
Speaker 1: But this is a really long story, but I've decided
20:50
Speaker 1: I really need to start writing a book now because
20:53
Speaker 1: so many people have asking about this whole journey. But yeah,
20:59
Speaker 1: trying to explain really shortly, I was I think I
21:04
Speaker 1: was four years old when I kind of started to
21:09
Speaker 1: when I saw this singing competition on television. Yeah, in
21:14
Speaker 1: like Finish Kids kids singing competition, and I remember this
21:23
Speaker 1: kind of fire starting in me that I want to
21:30
Speaker 1: be there. I want to be I want that, I
21:34
Speaker 1: want that. I didn't realize anything else, but I remember
21:38
Speaker 1: this fire starting in me when I was four years
21:42
Speaker 1: old when I saw that. And also my big brother
21:46
Speaker 1: is just about two years older than me, and we
21:50
Speaker 1: always used to have like our favorite games as the
21:56
Speaker 1: kids were that we were playing being in our so
22:00
Speaker 1: we we had this coffee table in the living room
22:03
Speaker 1: and then we were kind of sometimes also like kind
22:06
Speaker 1: of fighting also which one of us is going on
22:09
Speaker 1: stage on this coffee table and having these shows to
22:16
Speaker 1: our parents and family and things like that, and and
22:20
Speaker 1: we were creating. We were listening a lot of like
22:23
Speaker 1: Michael Jackson and and and artists like that. And then
22:27
Speaker 1: we did choreographs and danced together and and singing together,
22:32
Speaker 1: so and and also making Like my brother is becoming
22:37
Speaker 1: a movie director at the moment and he's studying, but
22:41
Speaker 1: he's like he's as he's like, he's so good singer
22:46
Speaker 1: and artist. He's like he sings the as high as
22:50
Speaker 1: I do. He's like a male male version of me.
22:54
Speaker 1: So it's like, but now he's concentrating on making movies.
22:57
Speaker 1: But when we were kids, he did that. Also, we
23:00
Speaker 1: did movies. Our father always rented this camera, and we
23:06
Speaker 1: we should these little movies and things like that. And
23:11
Speaker 1: you know, so art has always been like there in
23:16
Speaker 1: our lives and and yeah, then fast forward, I'm still
23:27
Speaker 1: kind of playing the same games as I did as
23:30
Speaker 1: a kid, but in adults.
23:34
Speaker 2: Expressively, it sounded really young for you obviously, that's and
23:39
Speaker 2: it's deepinch yourself that like your dreams have come true.
23:44
Speaker 1: I'm very grateful every day and I never take it
23:47
Speaker 1: as a granted because there are so so many, like
23:51
Speaker 1: millions and millions of people who are so talented and
23:55
Speaker 1: should be notified, but they are not. And it's like
24:02
Speaker 1: I want to say this because I I recognize them,
24:06
Speaker 1: and I'm like, I wish I could help everyone who
24:12
Speaker 1: are so tired and deserves to be there. But what
24:18
Speaker 1: I can do is encourage people to just you know,
24:23
Speaker 1: do a lot of work and also enjoy your art
24:30
Speaker 1: and enjoy the the ability to make music and make
24:35
Speaker 1: art and and have this imagine imaginarium in your head
24:40
Speaker 1: and and and yeah, I think the biggest lesson that
24:47
Speaker 1: I have learned till now is that the success is
24:53
Speaker 1: not it doesn't come from outside, it comes from inside.
25:00
Speaker 1: If you are fulfilled from within. When you are expressing yourself,
25:08
Speaker 1: then you can feel the success, Like that's success for
25:11
Speaker 1: me and it's not money or how big stadiums or whatever,
25:17
Speaker 1: but it's actually that fulfillment as an artist and that
25:21
Speaker 1: I can express myself freely. And as we know, it
25:30
Speaker 1: starts to get really difficult for women and minorities to
25:39
Speaker 1: express themselves freely and be free. So this is something
25:44
Speaker 1: that I'm really passionate about fighting against, is that we
25:51
Speaker 1: have to have equal human rights in this world. And
25:56
Speaker 1: what I can do is do my rebellion in the
26:04
Speaker 1: art and encourage people to unify.
26:09
Speaker 2: Definitely. Have you thought about having your own podcast or show?
26:13
Speaker 2: You're such a good advocate for women and being a
26:17
Speaker 2: woman in amazing industry and heavy metal space as it is,
26:21
Speaker 2: alone is someone to look up to.
26:25
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I've been actually I've been actually thinking about
26:28
Speaker 1: doing my own podcast, and because I have a lot
26:32
Speaker 1: to talk about and also I really want to kind
26:37
Speaker 1: of talk about these different issues but also about music
26:42
Speaker 1: and feminism and things like that. So yes, now that
26:48
Speaker 1: you said it out loud, maybe I should just start working.
26:52
Speaker 2: Definitely, Definitely, it's very empowering to hear. Yeah, it's been lovely.
26:58
Speaker 2: I really think you should do it. I hope to
27:00
Speaker 2: see it someday.
27:02
Speaker 1: All right, thank you for the encouragement.
27:05
Speaker 2: Yeah, oh, lovely and quickly. Last question on still Bound.
27:12
Speaker 2: Your vocals range from soaring anthemic heights to more subtle
27:15
Speaker 2: emotional tones. Was there a particular track that really challenged
27:18
Speaker 2: you vocally this time around?
27:23
Speaker 1: Ah? For me, I really loved doing Twilight Cabaret because
27:29
Speaker 1: I think in this particular track, I got to show
27:34
Speaker 1: my abilities as a singer and all the kind of
27:38
Speaker 1: what all the influences that I've had since I was kid,
27:43
Speaker 1: And so I'm maybe I think I'm the most happy
27:48
Speaker 1: with that track because.
27:50
Speaker 2: It's like.
27:52
Speaker 1: You can hear all the different colors and nuances and
27:57
Speaker 1: shades and yeah, the whole kind of spectrum of my voice,
28:03
Speaker 1: and I really hope people can hear that.
28:06
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, lovely. Oh, we're so excited. I can't wait
28:09
Speaker 2: till everyone else because I've heard it, but I can't
28:11
Speaker 2: wait till everyone else can hear it and just love it.
28:14
Speaker 2: It is so good, well done. It's been a pleasure
28:18
Speaker 2: to talk to you today. I wish I had more time.
28:20
Speaker 2: I could talk to you for ages thank you so much,
28:23
Speaker 2: thank you