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| (C) Arild Juul |
After a long tour in the company of
"The Sirens", the siren of Trondheim, Kari Rueslåtten, is finally
ready to release his new solo album entitled "To the North", out on
October 23 for Despotz Records. (HERE our review)
Les Fleurs du Mal had the fantastic
opportunity to interview the singer about the project, but not only.
LFdM: Hi Kari and thank you for giving a bit
of your time to us. I imagine that a month after the album release there are
many commitments and things to do. Am I right?
Kari: Thank you
– yes, releasing music is wonderful but also hectic! :-)
LFdM: Just to get into the interview I would
like to talk a little about "To the North", an album in my opinion
very mature, felt, perhaps even more intimate than "Time to Tell”. It
hides different colors sometimes dark and melancholic... many ingredients for
nine dense and rich songs. What has changed between "Time to Tell"
and "To the North"?
K: Time to Tell was an acoustic album, more quiet and earthy, but still folky and atmospheric. I wanted To The North to be a follow-up album, but also to go further, pushing the musical expression, the singing and the overall vibe more towards its limits. Together with producer Jostein Ansnes and the musicians we aimed for the musical expression to be darker and heavier than Time To Tell. To me, it felt as if that was what the songs and the lyrics craved for this time.
LFdM: Yours is a style that owes much to the
Norwegian folk tradition and has a strong bond with the land you came from. How
all this affects the final result of a disc and how much is important for you
to bring out your being Norwegian?
K: I have always been inspired by Norwegian
folk-music and Nature, the darkness and melancholy of the dark, deep woods, but
also the beauty that surrounds it all – I find melancholy to be very beautiful.
This has always been a part of my inspiration when writing songs, it is in the
core of my song writing. For To The North it has been a major element.
LFdM: Talking about style: to listen to your
songs sometimes is like to listen to poems put in music: all lyrics are
evocative, able to recall powerful images, to make you travel to another world.
Now, I have to ask: how do you do that? Not everyone can do this, but you are a
true master ...
K: Thank you
so much :-) First and foremost, I think of it as storytelling. I try to create
words that unite itself with the melodies and become one wholehearted
expression. I am also very fascinated and driven by what is on the inside of the
human mind, how the human mind works. Why we make the choices that we make, how
we think, the reflections that we make how we reason and behave.
LFdM: I know that maybe it should not be
said, but I have a favorite song on this album and it's "Dance with the
King”. In my opinion is a lyric that sums up very well the essence of your
music. I'm curious to know if there is a song for you which you are more
connected to and why, or if all the songs are special for those who composed
them.
K: Thank you, Dance with the King is one of my favorites too! Hmm, to chose one - I would like to say all of them of course, because as you say - all of the songs are special for those who composed them. But, I think if I should choose one, then the title track, To The North, is a special song to me in many ways. Title tracks should tell something more overall of the theme of the album, and in this case I find that the title-song embraces the other songs in a good way.
LFdM: Even in terms of image and graphics,
"To the North" seems to speak of strength, a certain part of the soul
that is hidden where the sun does not seem to be able to set in. What are the
issues you want to address in this album and how the visual aspect go within
this process?
K: That is
very nicely said, thank you. I like to see To The North as a soundtrack to the north, to the images
and landscapes that I see as home. But, my home in the north can also be a state of mind as you say, a safe
haven, a place unknown but yet familiar.
LFdM: Your songs dig into the depths of a
melancholy, atmospheric music. How did you come to master this? Was it a
natural approach, perhaps because your voice is well suited for this kind, or
was something more rational?
K: As a
writer, and as person, I have always been drawn towards the dark and mysterious
sides to things. I find melancholy to contain much beauty and tranquility, and
that reflects itself in my composing. So I am not sure if it is rational, more
that it comes natural.
LFdM: There has been a long break in your
career. You took time for yourself and for your private life, but who’s born to
make music does not seem to be able to stay away from her: how did you live
this period of "silence" and what has influenced the singer Kari of
today?
K: I was
concentrating on other things in my life – spending time with my children and
family, I took up studying psychology and then I started working within that
field, and didn’t think that I would do music again. Then, when the silent
years were over and I decided to go back to music, to sing and make songs
again, it felt as if a piece of my life that had been missing had returned. I
felt more complete as a person, more energetic and more at ease so I was almost
angry with myself for being away for so long. The silence it seems has made my
head filled with melodies, because there is a lot of music in there waiting to
come out :-)
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| (C) Arild Juul |
LFdM: How did music step into your life? When
was taken the proverbial spark that made you realize you wanted to be a singer?
K: I think
it was from when I was very young, I almost would say that I cannot remember
when, that I have always wanted to be a singer. My Father was the one who
introduced me to folk music and singing in a traditional way, he was always
telling stories from the mountains and singing folk songs when I was growing
up.
LFdM: Your career began with "The 3rd
and the Mortal". The band anticipated a tendency of making music through
the female voice that still has an impact on the style of many other bands. You
have been the pioneers, isn’t it?
K: Yes, so
it seems, but we didn’t think about that as much, we just did our thing. It is
very nice to think about though, that what we did back then made an impact.
LFdM: Can you tell us something about your
early days with the band?
K: I
remember that we were all really good friends enjoying music, playing together
and hanging out together. We started out rehearsing in an old, really shabby,
closed down factory and there were many bands rehearsing there, and there was
always a party going on.
LFdM: How much the experience with "The
3rd and the Mortal" is still with you in your solo album and what,
instead, you left behind?
K: The main
difference is of course that it is not metal, but I would say that the
atmosphere of the music, the folky, floating melodic, dark emotions and some
prog-elements are with me on To The North.
LFdM: Tuomas Holopainen said that thanks to
you and to the music of "The 3rd and the Mortal" he decided to create
Nightwish... somehow you're the fairy godmother of the band. How does it feel
to know to be an inspiration to others?
K: It feels
fantastic, and it is a very special feeling to know that what you have done
means something to other people and inspire others.
LFdM: Tuomas have also recorded "Why so
Lonely" present in your previous album "Time to Tell". It was as
if two musical paths had finally crossed, or not? How was it to work with him?
K: Yes, it
was a very good moment. Tuomas was great to work with, generous and warm, musically
he really lifted the song, both in an overall manner, but also in the fine melodic
details. He was really an inspiration for me to return to the music scene. When
we first met three years ago, I was on my long break, and I wasn’t even
thinking about doing music again.
LFdM: You and Nightwish have also shared the
stage of your city during the long tour you have undertaken with Liv and
Anneke, the wonderful trio of "The Sirens". It almost seems that the
ranks of your destiny are inextricably intertwined...
LFdM: As I just mentioned, you're not just a
singer of fame and talent, but you’re also part of a trio of voices that
everyone envies. When and how did you projected of "The Sirens"?
K: Thank you :-) The Sirens began with Anneke
and Liv wanting to do a project together. At the same time, Anneke and I spoke
along the same lines, and we decided we should do something together all three
of us, our common platform being that we were all forerunners with our former
bands, The 3rd and the Mortal, The Gathering and Theatre of Tragedy.
LFdM: I have had the pleasure to hear live
at Summer Breeze this year and I must say I was enchanted by your skill. What
are the strengths and weaknesses of a performance within the context of a
summer festival than a concert classic? If there are, of course!
K: Thank
you, great that you were there! Well, it gives a different perspective in terms
of intimacy – playing those big scenes at festivals is awesome and a lot of
fun, but also then you miss being closer to the audience, creating a more
intimate atmosphere. But, for me now I will do small clubs on my solo-tour this
autumn and I consider myself to be very lucky to be able to do both.
LFdM: Now that "To the North" is
ready to be heard by the public how your life will be in the near future?
K: I have
planned a tour this autumn and also I am planning some concerts also next year.
Right now we are in the rehearsing phase of the new set. I am very much looking
forward to playing To The North material live for the first time.
LFdM: For an album always follows the
promotional tour. What is your relationship with your fans?
K: It is
amazing I would say :-) The warm welcome I received when I returned to the
music scene was overwhelming, I am so lucky to have such warm-hearted people
liking my music! It is the people who like what I do that gives me the energy
to do what I do. I create music for myself, it is like a place where I give my
thoughts and stories a place to come out, but when the songs are finished, they
need to find other ears, other minds than mine to live and linger in.
LFdM: I have seen that you are also very
active in the fields of social media: how much is important today to be always
connected with fans from all over the world?
K: Social
media offers an unique chance to talk to people all over the world at the same
time, and being closer to each other than what was possible before, when I
started out in the nineties. Now, you can create communities and families
across boarders – to me this is vital as a musician and artist, and very
inspirational.
LFdM: A question that interests me
personally, but also involves all your Italian fans: will you come on tour in
Italy? And, if so, when?
K: I would
very much love to come to beautiful Italy, it would be wonderful to see you
guys there! Hopefully we could make it happen some day!
LFdM: And now I leave the word to you, after
the flood of questions that I have made! Have you something to say to those who
follow our webzine and generally to your Italian fans?
K: Thank you
so much for excellent questions Dora, I really enjoyed the interview! Thank you
so much to all who read this – hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you will like my
new songs and hopefully see you soon on tour!
LFdM: I thank you again very much for your
kindness. We wait for you to visit us soon in our beautiful country!
Thank you
so much and all the best from me!
Good luck for "To the North"!
Interview by Dora
Editing by Alessandra
Label: Napalm Records 
