Hello Symphonic fans.
We bring our first interview. And with great honor we present a beautiful conversation with the incredible singer Liv Kristine.
Stay tuned with the interview:
Playfonic: It’s a great pleasure to interview you on our Playfonic blog.
We’re a Brazilian blog, from the state of São Paulo and we’ve been premiering for a month. Our main goal is to promote and at the same time, bring to people’s knowledge the symphonic metal scene, its main reflections, influences, references, news and curiosities.
We are very excited with this page and with the reach that it has reached in such a short time. And of course, we are very happy with your participation, since you are a great source of inspiration for all of us. We hope it will be a great interview!
Liv Kristine: Thank you! The pleasure is mine!
1. How did your interest in music begin? And how did you develop this?
Liv: I started singing before I could talk, and I guess I already heard Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and ABBA in my mother’s belly. Somehow I consider myself to be blessed with this ability to sing in whatever style or manner I want, to compose, write lyrics and perform without any musical studies. It’s an outstanding competence which made my dream come true. I have always known that being a singer and an artist is an inner call. I follow my passion, I work with passion and I sing passionately every day, sometimes classical, sometimes pop, sometimes jazz, everything. I am filled with gratitude every time I share location with my audiences. Being 43 years old it feels like having studied singing for half a lifetime. That’s a privilege. I thank my audiences for all their support and loving energy.
2. What were your main references in music, in literature? And currently what are they?
Liv: I‘d say Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Edvard Grieg, Monserrat Caballe, Madonna, Kate Bush and Maite Itoiz. In literature it was Poe and Shakespeare. Actually nothing has changed. I often listen to Anathema,Susanne Sundfør, Melody Gardot, Type O’ Negative, Amorphis and Katatonia.
3. We know that you had and have a great contribution in the music world: mainly in Heavy Metal/Symphonic Metal/Gothic Metal styles and even other styles. You composed and sang in different bands, even started the vocal style called Beauty and Beast in Theatre of Tragedy, and then did a beautiful job in Leaves Eyes. What have you learned from all this experience?
Liv: Experience has made me the artist I am today. For me it’s been quite a challenge closing the chapters of my two bands. I never wanted to leave any of them, it was not my plan, but the plans constructed by others. I am so happy to have my own solo band, Liv Kristine, with which I’ve been releasing music since 1998. This is my future and I am just about to sign a record deal. I have grown a lot more self-confident during the last years. It feels so good to be where I am today. I’ve actually never felt more relieved and confident in creating my own artistic life.
4. Many were your participations and collaborations in different bands, with different musicians (The Sirens, Tanszut, Doro Pesch, etc) and now you recorded the song “Queen of Nite” with the German musician Ben Blutzukker. Tell us about this collaboration.
Liv: Ben just reached out to me during Summer 2018. A very friendly email with a brilliant idea reached me one sunny morning over my early morning coffee cup. I just knew that this song would be perfect for me to sing on. It reminds me of my earlier times with Theatre of Tragedy, for example “Tanz der Schatten”. I recorded my vocals and sent the results over to Ben and then we finally met to have a listen to the final result. Ben is a great artist and a lovely person. I’d love to cooperate more with him in the future.
5. Currently you are part of the band Midnattsol as vocalist along with your sister Carmen. How is this new phase going?
Liv: It’s a lot of fun! Midnattsol embodies a lot of the Nordic elements I loved so much in the compositions of Leaves’ Eyes. This is sister power!
6. The Rock/Heavy Metal environment has acquired an increasing number of female representatives (they are singers and songwriters) all talented and inspired by their work. And also bands led by men who were very inspired (Nightwish, for example). We know that for women to conquer their space in this musical niche was not easy (because of prejudice, harassment inside and outside the stages). How was it for you to deal with prejudice and how did you overcome it?
Liv: I had to learn, I ignore them when possible. I have learned to protect myself, I don’t take prejudices personal. Experiencing prejudice even in my own bands and in certain businessmen I have learned to be confident enough to express clearly that I don’t work with people communicating on that negative, judging level. There are a few narcissistic “rock stars” around. I know them well and I despise them.
7. Women in general play several roles: mothers, housewives, work, study, among other roles and activities. Many of these women complain of lack of creativity and inspiration and feel exhausted. There is an author, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, who defends the idea of the Wild Woman (an archetype similar to wolves), that is, she is the woman who is closer to her own instinctive and intuitive nature and not so “tamed” by the values imposed by society. For this author, the wild woman is the root that keeps us women, alive, creative, awake to danger, productive, in short, close to our true soul. How do you work and maintain your creativity? Does it make you get close to your true wild soul?
Liv: I adore her. She is the author of many books on the journey of the soul. I also know her well from her outstanding work as a post-trauma specialist. I have been and I am expanding as a woman on this personal path, studying and finding my true self, manifesting my truest, highest vision and expression of myself. I am offering workshops on the theme “finding your inner voice” (management@livkristine.net). I would like to share my experience with others, making the hard road a little lighter and brighter. I was born with a special skill, not only singing, but also the competence to “see” the voice of your soul and truest self.
8. Leave a message for the Brazilian fans.
Liv: I am forever grateful. I open to be back in Brazil soon.
We thank Liv Kristine immensely for the honor of giving us this interview. We wish you much success in your career and personal life. We love your work.
Thanks also to all our readers who follow the blog, read and participate. Leave in the comments what you think about the report and which Liv Kristine song is your favorite.
* The digital illustration of singer Liv Kristine made to illustrate this interview was done by the digital illustrator Rullys Oliveira. Contact: rullys.oliveira@outlook.com / Instagram: rullys.oliveira
