written by Marko Jakob
Pix666: Hello and thanks for your time. Please introduce your band to the readers in a few short sentences. Where are you from and what kind of music do you make?
Skynd: We are SKYND. We come from a very dark place and we translate true crime cases into music.
Father: Since we translate the cases into music, we also adapt the genres accordingly, so we can’t define exactly what our genre is. We call it True Crime Music.
Pix666: What inspired you to become a musician and who were your most important musical influences?
Skynd: SKYND, my imaginary friend, inspired me to write about true crime. He came to me when I was about 4 years old and whispered horrible stories into my ear which peeled off my skin. I started writing about it and using music as a creative outlet.
Pix666: Recently you released your new single ‚Armin Meiwes‘. How were the reactions to the new song so far?
Skynd: The reactions have been very positive.
Pix666: The video clips are really real masterpieces. Do you love being in front of the camera and how much time do you need to shoot such an elaborate video clip, including the preparation?
Skynd: Time is not an issue here…Writing the song in the studio doesn’t bring it alive. The visual component is what makes the song come alive. We work on the video until it fits with what I see in my imagination. I’m happy that we have been able to find creative collaborators who share our vision to make the videos.
Pix666: According to which principle do you choose the ‚topics‘, or the victims or offenders for your songs?
Skynd: Whatever cases makes me feel creative, there isn’t really a science to it. This also depends on my mood.
Pix666: In the early days of your career you sang a duet with the great Jonathan Davis from Korn on the song ‚Gary Heidnik‘. Will we soon see another big rock star at your side on one of your next songs?
Skynd: It’s hard to say at this point. We’ll have to see what the future brings.
Pix666: You recently played in a relatively small club and then at one of the biggest festivals in Germany within a few days. What do you like better – the big stage and tens of thousands of people in front of you, or the intimacy of a small venue and the face-to-face contact with the fans?
Skynd: There are definitely pros and cons to both, but at the end of the day, I just love to play shows. I love to connect with people and create and share this atmosphere.
Pix666: I think, especially at a big festival, you can get a lot of new fans on a single day. Will the old and new fans have the opportunity to see you live again this year? Is a tour planned?
Skynd: We are on tour now. It’s been great to be able to play headline shows around Europe. The German dates are:
08-Sep Hamburg, Pauli Bahnhof
11-Sep München, Feierwerk
12-Sep Köln, Luxor
17-Sep Wiesbaden, Kesselhaus
18-Sep Berlin, Privatclub
Pix666: How do you see the impact of social media for the music business? From your point of view, is it more of an advantage or a disadvantage for your band?
Skynd: it’s sad how TikTok actually controls which songs are going viral or going to be a hit … I’m not sure if that’s a good development for the music business. That said, being able to share our music and videos online and connect with fans on various platforms has only been a good thing for us.
Pix666: What have been the most memorable experiences for you as a musician so far?
Skynd: To me, its definitely working with Jonathan Davis and meeting the Skyndicate, my fans. It’s beautiful to see faces after such a long time of not touring.
Pix666: Do you have dreams and wishes for your future with your band?
Skynd: I have a very clear vision. There are goals we want to achieve and one of them is to play a show at Royal Albert Hall. But not just that, we wanna give something back. Since we sing about true crime cases or the true stories of others. We would like to establish a foundation in the near future to help victims or survivors of crimes, mental health etc. That is really important to me and Father.
Father: Ditto.
Pix666: What do you do when you’re not into music – do you have any interesting or extraordinary hobbies?
Skynd: I have an intense hyperfixation on True Crime due to my ADHD, so True Crime is about the only thing that drives me.
Pix666: Do you have any other news about SKYND, that you would like to share with the fans?
Skynd: We’re going on tour in September, tickets are still available…and I’d suggest signing up to the mailing list and keeping an eye on our social media in the next few weeks…
Pix666: Thank you very much for the interesting answers – Good luck for the future, have fun on tour and stay healthy!
https://www.facebook.com/skynd.music
photos © by SKYND
