I N T E R V I E W

A lot of people have discovered your music when you were supporting Within Temptation in France, and a lot of them, when you were in the Zénith. How do you live the fact that you were playing ahead five thousand people?

Good question ! It was really great of course. It was really awesome to see five thousand people. We had really a great experience. The best gig I ever did before, that was Lille, also in the Zénith in Lille, but now we had like similar experience with Zénith in Paris. So it was like the best show we did for me, in my entire life. The crowd was jumping in our music; there was really alchemy, actually not because of the number of people, but because of the chemistry, which was very good. That's very cool!

Tonight, you are THE band. People are there for you. How do you feel about that?

It's our first headline show. It's very exciting to see how many people are coming, I just heard that it's totally packed and very crowded. So it's really cool, because we just started, we are not even one year after the release. That's really, really great, and gives me a lot a feelings to see that a lot of people are coming. It's great!

You know, in France, your fans were very disappointing when they learn that you've cancelled two gigs in Lyon and Strasbourg. I've read a lot of things about that: first, it was because you were ill, then because you didn't sell a lot of places, that you didn't want to play in smaller town than Paris, and the fourth one, was that you are writing and recording your new album. Can you explain what were the real reasons?

The three things were : health problems. That's the most important one, so we really had to cancelled shows, as German shows and we didn't play a lot in Germany, so we have to choose. Except that, it was also money issue. Because we just beginning, so it's a lot of investing, so we have to have a lot of money, and it was also difficult to play. But we were really looking for to play so it was not because we didn't want to, because I'm not exaggerating when I say that if we had to choose a country to play, we really choose France as the first one, because the crowd is very energetic, more than in other countries. So it doesn't matter if we play in Lyon, or Bordeaux, or Toulouse or in Paris! It's just because a lot of things. So we were almost forced to cancel everything. So I'm glad that we can had, at least, do the French show...

Speaking about something happier now !!! (Little smiles and laughs) Zwolle. (ndla : special gig in Holland in November 2007) Some of the guests were there. (ndla : Liv Kristine, Sharon den Adel, George Ooshoek and Guus Eikens). And we can say that they gave an other life to the songs on stage, because normally it's only Charlotte and sometimes Ronald who sing it. How was it?

Special ! It was a special show. For us, it was like a closure of a period, of the beginning period of Lucidity. In Holland, we were released in November for one year, a little bit more, so that was really exciting to see how many people would come to see us. It was a really special atmosphere: it was in a Church. We had one thousand people and that's unbelievable for a beginner band. That's really special to see. It was very special to have almost everybody. Also Marco Hietala would be there if he would not have to play with Nightwish in the States. We had really everybody! So it was really special, it gave something additional to the show.

In this gig, you've played two covers. Why did you choose these two songs?

First of all, we didn't have enough material to make a really special show, and as we wanted to do something really special, we decided that we should have, at least, more than one hour fourteen to play, so we needed covers because we didn't have time to write a lot yet. And we also do something special by playing in acoustic. So we decided to cut the gigs in three parts, what is not really normal, very strange to do that, and to take some risks because it's a risk if you play covers. We were playing sometimes some songs, special for acoustic, also Cordel from the Cramberries. It worked very well, it sounded very well, so why don't play this in a church? It was an other song that we made in the show. I like sad songs sometimes when I'm in the mood, the Tim Hardin's song. And Charlotte came to me with it and I have always loved this song. She asked me if it would not be something to play. I said: Absolutely! So it worked and it also worked because we had a challenge player. It was perfectly so that's' why we played this two songs.

And do you want to work on covers in the future or only for special event?

It's only special. I really think that it's very important to write our staff ourselves, but you never know what will happen. So it could work but it could be very dangerous because some people say, "Don't touch that song", other people could totally love it when you did a cover like that so it's really hard!

Now we will speak about Lucidity and you're actuality. The Gathering is your third single. Why have you choose this song?

Well, First of all, we should have only two singles, and it was the deal when we recorded, but it was so successful last year, and we want to celebrate it a little bit. So we told to the record company about that, and decided that for media (radio, television) and for fans, to do our own video clip showed us. It's like a homemade one. And also to thank the fans a little bit for supporting us last year. The Gathering works so well in live, it's unbelievable! It's the same feelings I have when I was playing Ice Queen.

Yeah, when I listened to this song, I thank that you have your Ice Queen!

Yeah it's totally what I feel. It's a different song but the effect that gives is the same than in 1999 when I played Ice Queen with Within Temptation. So we thought that make the third single as a kind of promo bonus. We also didn't have the money for an expensive video clip, so somehow we managed to make one. It's strange single, but it's like a celebration.

In the other clips, we've see by a majority Charlotte. With this one, don't you want a show that you are a real band and how you are on stage?

No because it's already done with Frozen, in which we already see the band, that's the first single. In See Me In Shadow, we only see Charlotte, and in this third one, we wanted to show the effect of the audience and how it is when we play live: "if you didn't know us, perhaps you will take feelings by watching this video".

To my mind lyrics on Lucidity are dark as in See Me in Shadow or A Day For Ghost. Can you explain why and if you will work on this atmosphere later?

That's a difficult one because it's actually Charlotte's part. She wrote the lyrics. For me, it's more like helping her, giving to her a direction. Most of the time, I write music first, and then Charlotte comes. The atmosphere that I write is already like that, so for her, it's logical to put this kind of atmosphere in her lyrics as well. But in the new album, it's also a different experience because we've already write lyrics. This time it will have nothing with this kind of atmosphere in the music and it will have an effect on the lyrics. But I can't really explain why, you have to ask Charlotte, because it's like her moods, and her experience and she can write about that.

In Sever, there is choir who are singing, but I don't understand what they are singing. Can you tell me?

It's Latin ( laugh) ! And actually, Guus Eikens write it (guitar guy for the album) and to be honest, I don't have fucking clue either! (Laugh) I don't know but it's something like classic lyrics just to get this atmosphere. But it's not totally telling something, not this one!

You are writing the new album and, in October, you said that you didn't really have songs, so what about now?

Yes. It's very difficult for me to write because I'm managing everything: questions of gigs, finding staff... So I don't have a lot of chance to write, but I have some chance of course. I was looking for time to write in October and it succeed: we have of course Stay Forever! I've also busy with my producer, it's my co-producer because I'm the principal producer, we're going to work in Spain in March, we're going to work on stuff detail. But we have, I think, something like forty or fifty percent of the album so we have to do a little bit more! But forgetting this, it's really a cool experience because for me it's like a kind of luxury because a lot of people want to write for us, actually to much people! I really have to say: "I'm sorry, but there is not a lot of space." I want to write a lot of stuff myself. Also even Sharon (den Adel) gives opportunity to contribute to that but yet it's going to be good enough of course. That's very important but, that's also a lot of external people who want to help us as well, and I have to stay "stop". So that's very different than the last time, cause the last time, I had nobody. So now I have fresh input on people in the writing and also in the recording. So this time, it's easier in that way! It's cool. I have more possibilities!

We've seen that Ronald is singing during the gigs. Do you think he will have a real place of male singer in the band future?

(hesitation) That's difficult. Because he has a really good voice, but it's very soft. It's a coincidence if he can sing. I'm not sure yet if it would fit with the music. So I don't know that yet, we have to try if it works. If I made guest, I think so, but not like Charlotte because the character of his voice doesn't fit with her. But I'm not sure yet. Let's find it out!

I have a hard question for you because; I know that you love Nightwish. So what do you think about the new signer, Anette Olzon ?

I always say what I think, I totally love it ! He realised to camp as the old one and the new one. I totally love it, because I'm not really opera kind of fan. I totally think that Tarja (Turunen) is perfect, a really good singer, but to my own taste, because it's a taste matter, I like clean singing one; otherwise it would have opera on Delain. And I like opera for one song or two, but then I want everything to be normal again. So for my personal taste it's really an improvement but I have to say that I didn't have any problems with Tarja and we also play with Tarja in Cologne and it was really good. I hope to do that in the future again. But if he wants so go back, I say no, I like her very much. And you, what do you think about her ?

I was very surprised! But I think it's a really good singer. According to me, on stage she has a real personality, and for me, it's very important!

I didn't see her on live and I'm really curious! I'm going to see her with Sharon (den Adel) in gig on March.

For me, she gives a lot of feelings when she sings, and it's primary in music, so I'm very glad about this choice! Do you think it will be possible that one day you will work with her?

Perhaps! It will be very cool! Personally, for me it will be really cool to work with Nightwish, because I really love the music! So I don't know, let's see what happened! I think there will chance, but we never know!

Now, can you make up the last year?

It was a really nice surprise! What was good was seeing why I get my energy. The band grown. Also, people have discovered our music and it's the biggest compliment you can get. So it was really, really cool! But I also think that what was less cool were the circumstances when you don't get a lot of money, when you need to build up your band, for equipment, for shows. It's a lot of stuff! It's getting better! I was not needed money to buy beautiful staff, but to build up the band! And it was for me a sad back to see how difficult that goes. It goes better and better, it grows because of the success, but it was more difficult. But I was very surprised to have so success in Holland, for this kind of music, it's difficult to get noticed, it was a really big surprise to enter the top 4 as we had air play, so it was very special. I didn't expect that! And I was opened to tour abroad. We should have play more in other countries. We didn't have this chance. So I hope it's going to be better. But in general I'm really satisfied, not everything is perfect: we have also staff difficulties and we have to fight for that! That's it!

And what can we hope for 2008?

2008 is like the building up of the new album. So for outsiders it's gonna look sort of a quiet period, but for us it's gonna be like taking a breath to go to 2009! So let's see what happens!

I have a stupid question, a really stupid question: Have you a message for your French fans?

That I'm very grateful as they respond to our music. That I honestly think it's the best crown we ever had. It is not because I say it in other countries, I don't! And I really hope that a lot of French people will discover our music, and I hope they will enjoy it. To the fans, I want to say thank you.