They say it’s always difficult to present new music after a
successful album or single and I can definitely agree on that, once
again. I remember after “Fairytale Gone Bad” back in 2009 how hard it
was for us band members and also for the music industry around us to
chose one song from the new album as the 1st single. Everyone is just comparing everything with the past hit you had.
Lifesaver
I
guess all mothers know how hard it is to deliver new babies into the
world and we got pretty close to that painful feeling with this one.
There was something very magical in the track from the very beginning,
but for some reason finding the right melody, production and lyrics was
very, very difficult. There have been at least fifteen different
versions of the lyrics and also the song and the production have changed
many times until the track was finished. Actually the last sound
changes were made on the very last day right before we sent the song to
the radios. Thanx Universal guys for being tough and honest until the
very end. Before the track was done, we needed help from some outsider
writers /lyricists and usually that is a sign that there’s something
wrong with the track. But we still felt like fighting for this one and I
am very glad we did.
At some point we spotted some
similarities in “lifesaver” with this song of our fellow band, The
Pusher from Sweden. So we sent it to the Swedish guys too and luckily we
were able to figure out a way to make it work. So there are many
writers from different countries behind the song this time, but this
time more chefs in the kitchen made a better song. Actually I see no
reason why we wouldn’t work with the Swedish Pop Mafia boys even more in
the future.
The song was called “O My Saint” for a
long time. The story is like an anthem that two friends could sing to
each other in a bar after a victorious football game in a bar. And of
course hugging each other after a few beers. Two hairy men sweating and
hugging drunk. Sweet ;)
We almost ended up keeping the
title, but then we got the brilliant “Lifesaver” idea from a Finnish
songwriter Teemu Brunila (You might remember his band, The Crash), who
solved the chorus. It all goes very technical, I know, but when you’re
just not satisfied with something in the song, it’s better to turn all
the rocks for the prefect solution. We think it just sounds and rocks
better now.
So “Lifesaver” is out now and I guess the
official radio date for Finland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland is
today. Have no clue about the rest and who will play it and won’t…
Sorry. We really hope you like it as much as we do. And I have no clue
when the track will be released, soon I guess. Honestly, I’ve been so
deep in the album production and The Voice Of Germany planning and
German language school that I didn’t even know it was my name day today.
They told me in the morning at the radio interview. Thanx for the
cookie ;) I’ll share the dates as soon as I know.
As I
wrote earlier, usually it’s very hard to choose the first single from
the potential album tracks. A record company guy might like one and the
publisher another one. And the band’s favorite might be the third and
actually the opinions change usually very much as long as the production
process is on. After the first recording you might feel that some song
is not good enough for the album, but when you produce it to the final
form, it sounds like a killer to everyone.
For the
first time in Sunrise Avenue history our management, live agent,
publisher and record company guys were all convinced that “Lifesaver” is
the first song to go with. We played it to everyone involved in our
little family a thousand times. If everyone picks it including us, it
can’tbe wrong.
Unholy Ground – The album #4
For
the whole spring it seemed as if it’s not going anywhere. And I must
admit we had the thought of delaying the release to spring 2014 in the
early summer. I don’t know if the problem was that we had too much time
with the guys and we were able to try too many things and record too
many songs. Obviously you need to have a hundred sleepless nights for
every album no matter how much time you have. And there’s always a panic
in the end. I guess that is what makes you squeeze the best out of
everyone. Then they asked me late June if I wanna do the Voice Of
Germany this autumn and I felt like I’d explode if we’d also have to
make the album ready until the end of September. All this in just three
months…
Now, it seems as if the VOG brought in some new
energy into the recording studio too and now we’re in a very good
situation with the complete album. If nothing bad happens and we all
stay more or less healthy, the album will be out in October. I hate
describing music too much but it’s, for me, the best Sunrise Avenue
Album ever. Not just saying this because Universal guys told me to ;)
Some of the songs are rockier than ever, with cooler and longer guitar
solos and the band is big and tight. I know guitar solos are out of
style, but so are we ;) The way Riku plays his solo in “I CanBreak Your
Heart” makes my balls shake! All of them ;)
We decided
to record most of the stuff playing live together in a huge studio with
the guys and that you can hear on the album too. It brings in this
special kind of band mood. Of course there are also some surprises and
different vibes on the album too, as we always had. And actually there
are still, even for us, some question marks about how some songs will be
in the end. But anyway, we can’t wait to play the new stuff live with
the boys as soon as the album is out.
So….
I
just came back from my German lessons after the radio visit in the
morning and I must sink deep into the homework my teacher Dirk gave me
again. Imagine that they fly this private teacher in for me in Helsinki
and we chat in German and drive around our beautiful city with my German
car. Top down in the sunshine, of course. He knows a lot about Finnish
history and Icehockey now ;)
German is not the easiest
language and the word order gives me nightmares. But luckily everyone
understands that you can’t get the language perfect in a few months. I
just do my best and just go with the flow. And it’s not me giving a
speech to the German parliament, it’s f***ing music show!!
The
whole Voice Of Germany has been super fun all the way. Can’t tell you
much about it or they’ll send me a HUGE invoice ;) I guess it starts in
late October and you can all laugh at me pronouncing the language of
love a bit wrong
Hugs everyone and keep your fingers and toes crossed for us!
Samu and his boys
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