Liv Kristine: The feedback of the album Njord has been absolutely amazing. Many journalists and fans have already pointed out that they believe and hope that 2009 will be the beginning of a wonderful journey for Leaves' Eyes. I hope the universe hears this!
What are your expectations for the US release of the CD?
We would love to tour the U.S as soon as possible. We’re awaiting the response
after the release. Our last album Vinland Saga got amazing
responses all over the American continent, and the following tours with
Blind Guardian and Kamelot turned out incredibly well with sold-out gigs
and a wonderful audience!
What are your upcoming tour plans?
I am really looking forward to the next tour. We will tour Europe in
November, and hopefully the US/Canada in December or spring 2010. For 2010
we have planned two extended tours, and probably a South American one.
Please check out our tour dates on our homepage
What are the largest and smallest crowds you've played in front of?
Once, back in 2004, a show in Sweden was cancelled because there was
a national soccer final and another huge event in town that same night. However,
we didn't know and drove 1000 kilometers to the venue, through snow. Moreover, 10
fans didn't know either, so they were waiting in front of the hall. We
decided to make a party out of it and invited our fans to an unforgettable
evening. We played the songs the fans asked for and invited them all
backstage. I only cancelled once, because there was no electricity and a
real stage. I would even play in front of one person. He or she paid for a
concert, so we will give everything and be professional just like in front
of 10,000 people. I've played at Wacken in Germany quite a few times.
There's always 20,000 to 80,000 people at least in front of the stage.
What was the first concert you attended as a fan?
That was a gig with the Norwegian band A-ha back in the ‘80s, and later an Ozzy/Black Sabbath concert in 1998.
Any tour horror stories?
We almost got killed a few years ago, as our bus ran out of gas on
the highway. We were standing in the middle of the right line as a truck
hit us. We were sleeping and woke up to experience a nightmare. Most of
our equipment got destroyed, and our bus broke down another ten times
during that tour. We left the US with the help of the police, who escorted
us to the airport, as we realized that our driver was a drug criminal and
tried to blackmail us for money and equipment. We were really scared and
thanks to the policeman who heard me screaming for help on the street
outside the venue.
What's the craziest thing that's happened to you on the road?
Well, what I always find crazy is when fans, waiting in front of the
tour bus, see me wearing sneakers, dressed in Adidas returning from my
morning run and ask me if I've seen Liv Kristine around.
What's the most unusual venue you've played?
That was in Bergen, Norway, in the dungeons. Just a hole in the mountain. Humid, dirty, and dark. However, the audience always goes crazy!
Describe the first show your band played.
That was in a local youth club, in front of 20 people. I don't think
there even was a real live sound. We all thought "damn, that was
terrible.” Our next show was in Germany, in front of 800 people, supporting
Atrocity. What a difference!
What's the strangest thing you've been asked to autograph?
I've autographed pretty much every body part possible, cars, wheelchairs, bags, hats, passports, drivers license, dog chains, even for tattoos, or making a girlfriend jealous.
How did you get started in music? Was there a song or artist that inspired
you to want to perform music?
It all started with the fact that my parents noticed that I seemed to
acquire musical knowledge before talking in my first year. My parents let
me have fun with singing and composing music, and never put me under any
kind of pressure. I actually never had any singing lessons apart from the
technical knowledge about first-soprano-singing that I gathered as I sang
in a great classical choir in my teens.
I am a huge fan of soundtracks and I grew up with both classical music and metal. Since I was a little girl I have dreamt about becoming a musician. What inspired me is classical music (Edvard Grieg, Wagner, Tschaikowsky) and heavy metal (Black Sabbath/Ozzy and Deep Purple). Also the audience's positive energy inspires me a lot to continue with my artistic work. I am very lucky, because I have had a wonderful audience since the very beginning in 1995 when I formed Theatre Of Tragedy until today with Leaves' Eyes and even my solo albums. I am so grateful towards my fans and friends, and family, supporting me through good and bad times. I have gathered a lot of experience that makes me the artist I am.
To combine these two genres, create a visual effect like soundtracks do and touching my listeners' souls, is the way for me to go. My band members from Atrocity have 20 years of experience in metal, and all of us are perfectionists and are really focused on perfecting our own sound. To be honest, we do not pay much attention to what is happening around us in the music business, butI am still listening to my vinyl Black Sabbath/Ozzy albums every now and then.
