ELEINE interview

ELEINE is already on their way to become and icon of the Symphonic metal universe. The style and passion they potray are second to none. This is a band that knows what they want and how to achieve success in an industry riddled with imitations.

Take us through the writing process of the album. Does everyone contribute?

Madeleine: The writing process is never the same. It can start with an interesting riff from Rikard or a beautiful melody, a symphonic instrumental part or just a simple phrase. What we put a lot of thought into is what the music and lyrics make us feel. How do we make other people feel the same as we do when they experience this thing we have created? How does it make us react on a core level? These are the questions we always ask ourselves. But the process itself is never the same. It is inevitable to not contribute in one way or another, but Rikard and I are the main songwriters in Eleine. And we always say that a good idea that fits Eleine never gets turned down.

What are rehearsals like?

Madeleine: Rehearsals are always fun. We play around a lot, but also do sets as if we were at a major gig. I think it’s important to be able to do both. Even when you have to focus really hard on a new choreography or a new song, it’s important that you have a good time. Be positive, lift spirits when someone is feeling down and don’t be afraid to give or receive critique.

What makes the perfect song for you, in other words what key components does a song have to present for it to be considered really good to you?

Madeleine: To me, personally, a song has to have great lyrics. Although, if the lyrics are great and the music sucks, I probably would have a hard time listening to it. Haha. So a great balance of good lyrics and awesome music, that I do appreciate. ☺

Who are your musical influences?

Madeleine: There are many. I’ve been listening to Queen and Dimmu Borgir since a young age. After that bands follow like Metallica, Arch Enemy, Epica, Sonata Arctica.. there are a lot!

Any subject matter you would not write about?

Madeleine: No, not that I can think of. I feel we write about a great deal of topics that others would not. Writing music to me is using the platform you’ve been given. So no, there are not subjects that I see as tabu.

Something in your cd collection fans would never suspect

Madeleine: Hehe, well… my albums with Ella Fitzgerald perhaps?

what does Sanity mean to you?

Madeleine: ”Sanity” means a lot. We all have our ups and downs, and the lyrics in ”Sanity” to me are something I try to tell myself when I’m feeling down. It’s very often people try to push me down when life is going good. These are the kind of people that ”steal” energy and just will keep draining you. Of course their behavior is based on jealousy and their own sense of inadequacy, but still – it’s hard sometimes to keep them out of your life. Then the lyrics: ”Hatred crawls on my skin, cracks me but never gets in, I can’t loose my sanity” goes on repeat over and over in my head.

How do you feel about social media and its impact on the music business?

Madeleine: I think it’s great. It’s easier than ever to get your music out there which makes the market a lot bigger. Which in turn makes it much more difficult to be seen in this vast market. But hey, things in life are hard and I just hope that struggling artists use this great platform and embrace their opportunity of having an audience, and inspire those in a positive way, that actually listen.

One band you would love to tour with and why.

Madeleine: Oh wow, tough question! Within Temptation would be cool. Epica, Sonata Arctica, Arch Enemy... Rammstein, Metallica. I think I could go on forever with this question! ☺
But to answer why?
It’s because any one of these bands has been an inspiration and I really think our music would work great together on tour.

What has been the most challenging aspect of being a musician?

Madeleine: Other people. Actually it’s always about that. Jealousy, greed, egos. Other peoples lack of compassion. But don’t let that stop you, once you realize that you are strong and have something they will never have, you’ll be just fine. That’s what I did.

Any hobbies or passions outside of music

Madeleine: I love animals. I have great passion and compassion towards animals, they are a big part of my life. I have this dream/goal of one day running an animal-sanctuary.

Other than that I appreciate being with my family. Spend time with the few really close friends that I have and to eat great food. Taking long walks, working out and doing yoga is something I highly appreciate in my everyday life.

Do you enjoy the video making process?

Madeleine: Immensely! I love the process to dive deep into the song, get pictures in my head  and together with Rikard make into reality. Up until now we’ve been doing basically everything ourselves. One day, when we have a bigger budget, there are some amazing movie producers we would really love to team up with.

Tour plans?

Madeleine: There are always have the plans for a tour! ☺ We’re booking our shows for 2018 at the moment. To go out on tour as a support band for a bigger band during this year would also be great since we’ve had so much fun the times we’ve done that. I’ll keep you posted ☺

Strangest thing that ever happened at a gig?

Madeleine: The weirdest thing actually happened both after and during a gig! It was when neither Rikard or I remembered performing one of our songs. We had finished the filming of the music video for ”Hell Moon (We Shall Never Die)”, and in that location it was soooo cold even if it was summer outside. We got very sick.

So there was this gig where we both had a high fever, and sore throats. Neither of us can remember playing one of the songs due to our high fever.. but we, and everyone in the audience thought it was a great show and we were very happy with it – it just felt so weird not remembering that one song. What did I do? What did Rikard do? Did I remember the lyrics? I don’t know, apparently!  Haha. It was just so weird. We were happy to complete the gig and no one could tell we were so sick. Great success! Haha!
And this is the way it is for a lot of musicians in the world. You can’t just call in sick and stay at home. Sure there are people wanting to see you perform, and sometimes there are a lot of people counting on you financially. But the performer also want to do what is second nature to them. They want to perform.

Anything you would like to say to the fans?

Madeleine: We always appreciate the opportunity to say something to our fans. We appreciate you guys more than anything. You make it worth getting out of bed every morning. Seeing your faces on our shows, is the fuel that makes me and us continue. All the likes, comments, messages, sharing, purchasing of our album and merchandise.. we are so grateful to every single one of you. We love you.

Thanks again for doing this and fantastic music by the way!

Madeleine: It was my pleasure, and thank you very much! If I see you at a show one day we shall point at each other and sing the chorus to ”Hell Moon - We Shall Never Die” \m/