written by Marko Jakob | 18.03.2022 |
Pix666: Hello Michaela. Thanks for your time. How are you doing these days? How are the other guys of Without Warning?
Michaela: I’m doing really good! Our new single is out, we’re working on new music and just enjoy the journey we are on. The he guys are also doing great and are excited. We’re all working really hard and supporting each other all the time, I couldn’t be happier to share everyting with these guys specifically!
Pix666: What was your inspiration to become a musician and did you already play in other bands before you started Without Warning?
Michaela: It always felt as a natural part of me, to sing. Surely my father being a musician inspired me but I just guess it runs in the family. This is actually the first official band I’ve ever played in, I only did covers at home that I posted on social media from time to time. But it was worth the wait!
Pix666: How did you meet and get to know each other as a band and what kind of music do you make?
Michaela: Our guitarist Juuso had decided that he finally wanted to start producing music in this certain genre and he was looking for musicians to join the project. I didn’t know him but saw his post on Facebook (searching for a drummer) and tagged Lauri, who happens to be my husband. They share the same intrest for this genre and started to develop the consept even more. Almost two years went by, different people auditioned and were a part of the band but the pieces never really fit.
I decided to try and record a vocal sample just for the sake of it and the guys wanted me to join, I was super nervous about being in a band but I gave it a shot. Only a month or two later we met up with Jocke who was interested about the bassist part and he jumped on the train. We all hit it off instantly and the dynamic really worked! After that everything started to roll on really naturally and we all share the same work ethic and vision strongly, it was a perfect fit!
Pix666: Recently your new single ‘Insanity’ was released – how were the reactions to this song so far?
Michaela: Positive, for sure! People seem to like our slightly altered new sound and forming identity which we’re happy about. As we still are fresh out of the oven as a band, we’re finding out who we are and what we sound like.
Pix666: You started the band last year. What kind of obstacles did you face due to the restrictions of the pandemic in terms of cooperation within the band, in the studio, rehearsing and shooting videos?
Michaela: We were one of the fortunate ones who didn’t get too affected by the pandemic music wise, because we need to focus on producing more music before we go live. So our time is mostly spent in the studio, working on a lot of different things behind the scenes and preparing ourself for an epic first show once it’s time!
Pix666: Your first single ‘Delusion’ has already been streamed more than 100,000 times on Spotify. Do you like looking at statistics like that and do you know where most of your listeners live?
Michaela: Yeah, that is amazing! We do follow the statistics as we’re interested to know how our listeners react to our productions. The marketing aspect is really important over all. We have noticed that we seem to have a lot of listeners in Germany and that is so cool, Germany rocks!
Pix666: What do you think about this development in the music business in general? Do you have to be an expert in social media as well as a musician these days? Do you have someone supporting you or do you do it all on your own?
Michaela: Definitely yes, the competition and stakes are really really high! You have to constantly be active, interesting and visible. We do everything on our own from promo shoots to marketing. I’m a graphic designer so that helps! You wouldn’t guess that on our newest promo shoots I actually ran behind the camera to press the shot-button, so that’s the level of “do it yourself” we’re on, haha!
Pix666: Let’s talk a little bit about your songs. How do you create your songs? Is there a certain plan? Who in the band is responsible for what and what themes are the lyrics of your songs about?
Michaela: Juuso is our main producer right now and he makes the backgrounds, but we all give ideas and customise our own parts. I write the lyrics and produce the song melodies. We do try to pitch ideas and consepts for the song as it is a great way to get inspired for new productions. I react really emotionally when I hear song ideas so based on that reaction I start to think about what the song could be about. I try to incorporate personal experiences in the lyrics, usually in a metaphoric way. Insanity for example was written with the thought of being confused and lost with your own thoughts. Personal struggles.
Pix666: Are you working on more songs at the moment? I hope there will be an album from Without Warning soon.
Michaela: Absolutely! There is one demo that Juuso just got done and now I’m starting on the vocals. The song literally gives me chills, it is so good! We hope to get it out in a few months or so depending on music video shootings and recording possibilities.
Pix666: You haven’t had any live gigs yet in your still quite young band history … but are there already plans for concerts or festivals in 2022?
Michaela: No not yet, but we feel like 2023 will be our year going live and we really want to make those live shows special, so we’re working on that too.
Pix666: What would you recommend to people who haven’t been to Finland yet, why Finland is worth a trip – besides seeing the great Finnish bands, of course.
Michaela: Finland is a beautiful country with lovely nature, as many have probably heard. We’re funny people, a bit weird too haha. But we have good food, we’re honest people and try to enjoy all the little things in life. Summer here is great, definitely worth visiting!
Pix666: Where do you see Without Warning in about 5 years – what are your dreams as a band and on which stages would you most like to play?
Michaela: Hopefully in 5 years we’ve already had the chance to play somewhere outside of Finland, having fun and making a lot of music! We’re probably not the right band to play in a little chill pub, but give us a stage and some lights and we’ll give you an energetic show! Meet you at the pub for a beer after that?
Pix666: Do you have any other news, that you would like to share with the fans?
Michaela: Other than hyping Insanity for now we’re actually planning a little change for our graphic identity, not a drastic one mut something more memorable! Stay tuned…
Pix666: Thank you very much for the interesting answers – Good luck for the future and stay healthy!!!
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photos © by Michaela Tuomenoksa
