Celebrating 25 years on stage is huge — how do you reflect on the evolution of Sirenia’s sound from your debut to now, especially with experimental albums like “1977”?
I feel that we’ve been able to give every album it’s own personality and sound, while at the same time honoring that basic concept of our own unique style. Some of our albums are a bit more experimental than others, but personally I find ‘Nine destinies and a downfall’ and ‘1977’ to be the least experimental. They are more simplistic albums that relies heavily on melody and performance.
Sirenia’s lyrics often work with deep emotional and psychological themes. How do you balance storytelling with musical expression, and what inspires your writing today?
Normally I write the music first, then the lyrics. So I always try to write about themes and subjects that matches the vibe and atmosphere of the music itself. I am pretty much inspired by the same things today as I were back in the beginning of my career, but I write from a different perspective today after years of added experience. Life in general was always my main source of inspiration.
You’ve worked with a number of female lead vocalists over the years. Emmanuelle has defined much of the band’s recent era — how has her voice and artistic input reshaped Sirenia’s identity?
I have known and Worked with Emma now for 23 years, so we know each other really well. Obviously it’s also working great on all levels considering the amount of years that we have been working together. Emma is a highly educated and professional singer with an extremely versatile voice and big vocal span. She is also visually and artistically great on stage and she has a wonderful personality.
Your 2023 album “1977” brought in synthwave influences alongside symphonic metal. Was that a conscious attempt to explore a new direction, or did it grow organically from your previous work?
All the electronics and synth elements is something that has been a big part of our music from the very beginning, and these elements already has a very integrated role on our debut album ‘At sixes and sevens’ from 2002. Personally I believe that 1997’s predecessor ‘Riddles, Ruins & Revelations’ are our most experimental and electronic/synth based album up to date. But 1977 definitely has some of these elements too, like every Sirenia album have.
Given Sirenia’s long history and loyal fanbase across Europe and beyond, what has been your most memorable concert moment, and why — maybe even from previous visits to Croatia?
In all honesty that’s impossible to answer. I mean, throughout these 25 years we have shared so many amazing moments with all our wonderful fans around the world. There’s way to many great moments to mention, and picking the best ones seem like an impossible task for a truly grateful musician.
The Croatian metal scene has its own passionate following. What expectations do you have for your show in Zagreb, and are there any songs you’re especially excited to perform here?
We have performed in Croatia 2 or 3 times before and we have great memories from your country. We remember a very load and warm crowd that wholeheartedly welcomed us with open arms. We are very excited to be back, and we can’t wait to perform for you all once more. We did our first anniversary show, starting in Denmark this month. I found that it was a very nostalgic feeling to perform the old songs from the two first albums again. Also performing the two brand new singles was really nice. Both songs have a very nice energy that translated well to the live setting.
With classic albums now being reissued on vinyl, what do you think it is about Sirenia’s earlier work that continues to resonate with both old and new listeners?
It’s an answer that’s hard to pinpoint actually, maybe the fans have a more accurate answer than me on this. But I do believe that we hit a nerve in the fans with these albums at the time they were released. It seems these albums are still favorites among a good amount of our fans, and most likely they carry a lot of nostalgia with them.
How do you see the future of Sirenia’s music? Are there themes or genres you haven’t explored yet but would love to tackle in upcoming albums?
We have always focused on exploring new musical territories with each album, and that’s something that we will continue with for sure. We love to refresh our sound with each album and venturing into new things. This is also an important part of keeping things interesting and exciting for us as a band as well.
Finally, if you could give a message to your long-time fans in Croatia and the wider Balkan region who have followed you for years, what would you want them to hear before the Zagreb show?
I would like to let all our fans in the Balkan region to know that we truly appreciate your support, we’ve had so many great experiences with our fans in this region. And we can’t wait to be back once more to perform for you and create new amazing memories to carry with us into the future. See you all very soon !
